Jonathan Swift

The Profile

Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) was an Anglo-Irish satirist, essayist and cleric, best known for Gulliver's Travels and A Modest Proposal.

Famous for biting political satire and pamphlets; used pseudonyms such as M. B. Drapier and Isaac Bickerstaff; Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin.

Reviews emphasize Swift's mastery of biting, political satire and rhetorical provocation. Readers note that A Modest Proposal uses savage irony to attack English policy toward Ireland. Gulliver's Travels is framed as an adult satirical work rather than children's literature. Both reviews praise the power of Swift's language and sustained moral provocation.