The World According to Jonathan Swift(b)|斯威夫特的世界

The World According to Jonathan Swift

by Olivia Wycech

Jonathan Swift left behind a legacy in 18th-century political and religious literature.

　　As Jonathan Swift's life was influenced heavily by religion and politics, so was his written work. His words were often critical and humorous, and there were many underlying socio-political issues that were hidden between the lines. Swift often wrote anonymously or under various pseudonyms like MB Drapier and Lemuel Gulliver. Under the latter, he published the best-selling Gulliver's Travels, which is considered by many to be a children's book but is at the same time a timeless portrayal of the pettiness of people, politics, and the games they play. The book has inspired both theater and film adaptations that are still relevant today.

　　Swift also published several poems despite being told that he would never be a poet. In addition, he wrote memoirs, correspondence, and religious pamphlets, which no doubt served as the foundation for the propaganda he later spread as a political activist. Swift also worked a short while as an editor for a weekly newspaper called The Examiner in London. Regardless of the publication his writing appeared in, satire is dominant in most of his work. One famous example is an essay entitled A Modest Proposal, in which Swift offers a satirical proposal on how to solve the country's hunger and overpopulation problems at the same time by feeding the children of the poor to the rich. Considering Swift's sharp wit, keen sense of social and political activism, and superb writing style, it is little wonder he has had such a powerful impact on the world of literature.

　　由于乔纳森‧斯威夫特的一生都受到宗教和政治很大的影响，他写出来的作品也不例外。他的用字遣词通常都具有批判性和幽默感，而且他的字里行间隐含了许多社会及政治的议题。斯威夫特经常匿名写作，或是使用不同的笔名，象是 MB Drapier 和 Lemuel Gulliver。而他使用后者出版了他最畅销的作品《格列佛游记》，这部作品被许多人认为是童书，但它同时也是描绘人的狭隘、政治以及他们所玩游戏的不朽巨作。这本书直至今日仍然被改编为相关的舞台剧和电影。

　　尽管斯威夫特被人说他永远当不了诗人，但他也出版了几首诗。此外，他还写了回忆录、书信以及宗教小册子，这些东西毫无疑问地都成了之后他做为政治激进份子所散发宣传品的基础。斯威夫特也有一段很短的时间在伦敦一家叫做《审查者》的周报担任编辑。不管他出版了什么作品，讽刺的要素在他大多数的作品中都占有主导地位。其中一个很有名的例子就是一篇叫做《一个小小的建议》的散文，文中斯威夫特针对如何同时解决国内飢荒和人口过多问题提供了一个讽刺性的建议，那就是把穷人家的小孩送给有钱人家吃。想想斯威夫特的精明机智、对社会及政治行动的热衷以及一流的写作风格，那么他一直以来对文学世界都有如此重大的影响力也就不足为奇了。