Book contents
- Jonathan Swift in Context
- Jonathan Swift in Context
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Notes on Contributors
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Chronology
- Abbreviations
- Part I Personal
- Part II Publishing History and Legacy
- Part III Literary Background
- Part IV Genres
- Chapter 16 Satire
- Chapter 17 Pamphleteering and Political Journalism
- Chapter 18 Familiar Verse
- Chapter 19 Fables and Fantasy
- Chapter 20 Parody and Hoax
- Chapter 21 Sermons
- Chapter 22 History
- Chapter 23 Correspondence
- Chapter 24 The Novel
- Part V The External World
- Part VI Social and Intellectual Topics
- Further Reading
- Index
Chapter 23 - Correspondence
from Part IV - Genres
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 May 2024
- Jonathan Swift in Context
- Jonathan Swift in Context
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Notes on Contributors
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Chronology
- Abbreviations
- Part I Personal
- Part II Publishing History and Legacy
- Part III Literary Background
- Part IV Genres
- Chapter 16 Satire
- Chapter 17 Pamphleteering and Political Journalism
- Chapter 18 Familiar Verse
- Chapter 19 Fables and Fantasy
- Chapter 20 Parody and Hoax
- Chapter 21 Sermons
- Chapter 22 History
- Chapter 23 Correspondence
- Chapter 24 The Novel
- Part V The External World
- Part VI Social and Intellectual Topics
- Further Reading
- Index
Summary
Swift corresponded with over two hundred of his contemporaries across England and Ireland from a wide variety of social backgrounds and situations. Some of his very best letters are written to women friends, most significantly, Esther Johnson (Stella) and Esther Vanhomrigh (Vanessa). His letters include first-hand accounts of the last four years of English and Irish politics and commentary on the publication of his major works. They also provide painful insight into the declining health of his later years, as when he writes of his ailments in brutally honest terms. This chapter explores the surviving archive of Swift’s correspondence and the evolving style, character, and contents of these documents.
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- Information
- Jonathan Swift in Context , pp. 181 - 189Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2024