On 06/09/2004, at 4:22 PM, Moose wrote:
>> I have always taken it that Swift was disdainful of all self-important
>> people, politicians in particular.
>>
> Agreed. As Holy Orders were practically required for most academic,
> scientific and government posts at the time, the distinction was less
> clear when he wrote. As he was The Reverend Doctor Jonathan Swift and
> Dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral for over 30 years, I presume he knew
> that of which he wrote.
Swift was clearly a side poster and one of history's great curmudgeons,
though not in the same class as Dr Johnson. Almost all university
degrees then were some form of religious degree (Protestant) which is
probably why, in the third book of GT as I remember, he proposed that
the ability to do tightrope walking tricks should be the proper
examination for high government office. I am also fond of his
suggestion to solve population problems - the wealthy should eat the
children of the poor - but given the inability of many to deal with
this sort of humour unless it has IRONY stamped across every page in
big red letters, I hesitate to recommend his more scurrilous writings.
AndrewF
"Even Celia shits!" Jonathan Swift
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