A Gross Form Of Delightful Satire Essay

, Research Paper

Maya R. Colston

English Lit.

Dr. Spencer

A GROSS FORM OF DELIGHTFUL SATIRE

“The stoical scheme of supplying our wants by lopping off our desires, is like cutting off our feet when we want shoes.”

-Jonathan Swift

“We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love on another.”

-Jonathan Swift

Like all true satirists, Swift was predominantly a moralist, one who chastises the vices and follies of humankind in the name of virtue and common sense. Throughout his writing, Swift constantly raised the question of whether the achievements of civilization-its advancing technology, its institutions, its refinement of manners-cannot be seen as complex forms of barbarism. With this theme in mind, Swift wrote some of his best works: A Modest Proposal, Gulliver.s Travels, and A Tale of a Tub. Although he is mastery at prose, he is also known for his poetry. It can be said that the subjects within his writings could be taken from his religious belief in the non-perfection of man. Swift believed that human reason was necessary to divine guidance. According to Herbert Read, Swift was the first poet who dared to describe nature as it is with all its deformities, and to give exact expression to a turn of thought no matter the subject. And because his life was one long mutiny-mutiny against darkness of fate, the injustice of men, the indignity of our bodily functions-his work is one long scrutiny into dark depths. Therefore, he attacks the idealistic idea of feminine beauty by ironically drawing attention to the female body.s excretory functions.

Unfortunately, Swift emphasizes women, despite his deep love and friendship for individual women, as a symbol of man.s bestiality. He victimizes women by his own secret over-idealization of her. This is seen in his poems, The Lady.s Dressing-Room, Strephon and Chloe, and A Beautiful Young Nymph Going to Bed. Swift becomes obsessed by the morbidly physical. The gap between spirit and flesh cannot bridge, for flesh has become uncleansable to him. With Swift being seen by Robert Ellis–quoted by Herbert Read-as having neurasthenia, anything that comes regularly and in routine is liable to become intolerable, it is easier to understand some of his writings. This idea gained him much ridicule from critics because thinkers of his day stressed the essential goodness and rationality of humans. Swift, certainly, shares this idealistic, deeply emotional devotion to Reason. Perhaps it would be safer to say that Reason is the faculty in man that enables God to reveal religion to him. In Swift.s conception, then, this highest, purest aspect of Reason is really intuition; it is above and distinct from what is ordinarily regarded as intellectual process. For that reason, comparing Swift to Shakespeare.s Hamlet is conceivable. W.B.C Watkins says the extent of this extreme disillusion, this revulsion from anything physical while still being morbidly attracted to it is largely similar to Hamlet transferring his hatred of his mother.s sin to Ophelia, with his unhappy faculty of generalizations, to all womankind (461). Scholars claimed that through scientific advancement and reason society could achieve a high degree of moral righteousness. Throughout his lifetime critics rejected and even attacked Swift.s writing due to his treatment of women. Critics, including William Makepeace Mchackery, attacked the immorality of Swift.s life, concentrating on what he perceived about his treatment of women to be detestable to the era.s sentimental visions of love and virtue.

Women in their dressing rooms were for Swift a symbol of humankind.s vanity, hypocrisy, and imperfection. The Lady.s Dressing-Room provides a good example of their typical structure. Here, Swift opens creating the image of Celia to be perfect and divine.

Five Hours, (and who can do it less in.)

By haughty Celia spent in Dressing;

The Goddess from her chamber issues,

Array.d in Lace, Brocades, and Tissues. (1-4)

Swift uses this poem as an indirect satire. It is a fictional narrative in which characters that represent particular points of view are made ridiculous by their own behavior and thoughts, and by the narrator’s usually ironic commentary. And away this divine image, the plot quickly turns to illustrate the disgusting imperfection of Celia. The naive Strephon sneaks in to take a look at whatever remains. To his surprise he soon realizes that Celia is a human, and not a perfect or divine creature. As seen clearly after line 10, .And first a dirty Smock appear.d. Strephon isn.t exactly happy with his discovery, but he is still optimistic. Next, he finds her comb, ..various Combs for various Uses/ Fill.d up with Dirt so closely fixt,/No Brush could force a way betwixt.. Here Strephon is just beginning to feel appalled, but this is just the beginning of several disgusting images. The images keep coming, becoming more and more sickening

The Virtues we must not let pass,

Of Celia.s magnifiying Glass.

When frighted Strephon cast Eye on.t (59-60).

A Glass that can to Sight disclose,

The smallest Worm in Celia.s Nose,

And faithfully direct her Nail

To squeeze it out from Head to Tail;

For catch it nicely by the Head,

It must come out alive or dead (63

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