Jonathan Swift (斯威福特) Greatest master of English prose A good education in reading his prose Life: lived a poor life

Often at war with college authorities Worked as secretary for a distant relative ; Treated as a servant

Helped young men of talent Suffered brain disease, ended in madness Well-known as a satirist: A Tale of a Tub （一只桶/浴盆的故事）, The Battle of Books（书籍之战） story

Gulliver’s Travels(格列佛游记) Swift’s masterpiece Part one: travel in Lilliput Part two: voyage to Brobdingnag Part three: satire on philosophers and projectors Part four: travel in a country of horses and Yahoos, bitterest satire

Two of the most famous ones are Pamphlets on Ireland Two of the most famous ones are The Drapier’s Letters, （布商来信） A Modest Proposal （一个温和的建议）

The Drapier’s Letters, （布商来信） Theme: point out the coins made by Wood are deficient in value and weight Proclaim the freedom of Irish people

A Modest Proposal （一个温和的建议） Tone: bitter irony Theme: Suggest the sale of children to relieve the poverty of the Irish people

I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee(炖重汁肉丁) or ragout(蔬菜炖肉).

I grant this food will be somewhat dear, and therefore very proper for landlords, who, as they have already devoured most of the parents, seem to have the best title to the children.

Samuel Johnson(p215-217) Johnson’s “Dictionary”