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Jonathan Swift was born in London, England, in 1667.
Answer: False
Explanation: Jonathan Swift was born in Dublin, Kingdom of Ireland, on November 30, 1667, not in London.
Swift's father moved to Ireland seeking better opportunities after his family's estate was ruined during the English Civil War.
Answer: True
Explanation: Jonathan Swift's father, also named Jonathan Swift, relocated to Ireland from England after his family's estate was lost during the English Civil War, seeking to re-establish their fortunes.
Jonathan Swift was raised by his mother, Abigail Erick, after his father's early death.
Answer: False
Explanation: Jonathan Swift's father died approximately seven months before his birth. The young Swift was subsequently raised by his uncle, Godwin Swift, rather than solely by his mother.
Swift's early education included attending Trinity College Dublin, where he was an exceptional student.
Answer: False
Explanation: While Swift attended Trinity College Dublin and earned his B.A. in 1686, records indicate he was an above-average student but not exceptionally so, receiving his degree "by special grace."
Swift's family had literary connections, including relationships with John Dryden and Francis Godwin.
Answer: True
Explanation: Jonathan Swift's family tree included notable literary figures; his grandmother was related to the poet John Dryden, and his great-great-grandmother was connected to Francis Godwin, author of *The Man in the Moone*.
What event caused Jonathan Swift to leave Ireland for England in 1688?
Answer: Political troubles related to the Glorious Revolution.
Explanation: The political climate in Ireland during the Glorious Revolution prompted Swift to seek refuge and opportunity in England, where he subsequently became associated with Sir William Temple.
Where did Swift receive his secondary education?
Answer: Kilkenny College
Explanation: Jonathan Swift received his secondary education at Kilkenny College, an institution also attended by the philosopher George Berkeley.
What was the primary reason Swift's father moved to Ireland?
Answer: To rebuild his family's fortunes after their estate was ruined.
Explanation: Following the ruin of his family's estate during the English Civil War, Swift's father relocated to Ireland with the objective of restoring the family's financial standing.
How did Swift's family connections influence his early life and literary background?
Answer: His family had connections to poets like John Dryden and authors like Francis Godwin.
Explanation: Swift's familial background provided exposure to literary circles, as his relatives were connected to prominent figures such as the poet John Dryden and the author Francis Godwin, influencing his early literary environment.
Political turmoil in Ireland related to the Glorious Revolution prompted Swift's move to England in 1688 to work for Sir William Temple.
Answer: True
Explanation: The political instability in Ireland during the Glorious Revolution necessitated Swift's departure for England in 1688, where he subsequently entered the service of Sir William Temple at Moor Park.
After Sir William Temple's death, Swift immediately returned to England to pursue a prominent literary career.
Answer: False
Explanation: Following Temple's death, Swift initially remained in England briefly to edit Temple's papers, but he then accepted a clerical position in Ireland, taking up the living of Laracor, rather than immediately pursuing a prominent literary career in England.
Swift's time at Laracor was characterized by constant political engagement and writing major political pamphlets.
Answer: False
Explanation: Swift's tenure at Laracor provided him with considerable leisure time, which he utilized for personal pursuits such as gardening and rebuilding the vicarage, rather than constant political engagement or extensive pamphlet writing.
Swift's return to Ireland in 1714 was met with great celebration and political influence.
Answer: False
Explanation: Following the fall of the Tory government and the ascent of the Whigs in 1714, Swift's return to Ireland was perceived by him as a form of exile, characterized by diminished political influence and a sense of isolation.
How did Jonathan Swift describe his feelings upon returning to Ireland in 1714 after the fall of the Tory government?
Answer: As a virtual exile, feeling like a "rat in a hole."
Explanation: Upon his return to Ireland in 1714, Swift felt politically marginalized and isolated, likening his situation to being "a rat in a hole," reflecting his diminished standing after the Tory government's collapse.
Who was Sir William Temple, Swift's early employer and mentor?
Answer: An English diplomat involved in arranging alliances.
Explanation: Sir William Temple was a distinguished English diplomat, known for his role in negotiating the Triple Alliance of 1668. He served as Swift's patron and employer at Moor Park.
The Battle of the Books, a satire defending Sir William Temple's work, was published during Swift's first stay at Moor Park.
Answer: False
Explanation: *The Battle of the Books*, a satire concerning literary disputes, was written during Swift's second tenure at Moor Park but was not published until 1704, well after his first stay.
*Gulliver's Travels* was Swift's least popular work during his lifetime.
Answer: False
Explanation: *Gulliver's Travels*, published in 1726, was an immediate and considerable success during Swift's lifetime, achieving widespread popularity and critical attention.
In *A Modest Proposal*, Swift suggested that the Irish poor should sell their children to wealthy landowners for consumption.
Answer: True
Explanation: The satirical premise of *A Modest Proposal* involves the narrator suggesting, with chilling irony, that the impoverished Irish population could alleviate their suffering by selling their children as a food source to the wealthy.
Swift's *A Tale of a Tub* was a straightforward religious allegory with no satirical elements.
Answer: False
Explanation: *A Tale of a Tub*, published in 1704, is a complex work employing sophisticated satire and allegory, critiquing religious and intellectual factions of its time.
The "Bickerstaff-Partridge Papers" involved Swift predicting the death of Isaac Bickerstaff, an astrologer.
Answer: False
Explanation: In the "Bickerstaff-Partridge Papers," Swift adopted the pseudonym Isaac Bickerstaff to satirically predict the death of the astrologer John Partridge, thereby mocking astrological claims.
Which of these works is considered Jonathan Swift's masterpiece and was published in 1726?
Answer: *Gulliver's Travels*
Explanation: *Gulliver's Travels*, published in 1726, is widely regarded as Jonathan Swift's magnum opus, celebrated for its imaginative scope and profound satirical commentary.
What satirical premise did Swift employ in *A Modest Proposal*?
Answer: Proposing that the Irish poor sell their children as food to the wealthy.
Explanation: *A Modest Proposal* utilizes the shocking satirical premise of suggesting that the impoverished Irish should sell their children for consumption by the affluent, serving as a critique of societal indifference to poverty.
What was the subject of the literary dispute Swift humorously entered with *The Battle of the Books*?
Answer: The authenticity of the *Epistles of Phalaris* and the value of ancient vs. modern learning.
Explanation: *The Battle of the Books* satirically engaged with the "quarrel of the ancients and the moderns," specifically concerning the authenticity of the *Epistles of Phalaris* and the broader debate on the superiority of classical versus contemporary learning.
Which of the following works was published in 1704 and demonstrated Swift's early satirical techniques?
Answer: *A Tale of a Tub*
Explanation: *A Tale of a Tub*, published in 1704, is recognized as an early major work where Swift effectively deployed his characteristic satirical techniques and explored complex themes.
What was the "Bickerstaff-Partridge Papers" episode primarily about?
Answer: Swift using the pseudonym Isaac Bickerstaff to parody an astrologer and predict his death.
Explanation: The "Bickerstaff-Partridge Papers" was a satirical campaign initiated by Swift, who adopted the persona of Isaac Bickerstaff to mock the astrologer John Partridge by predicting his demise.
Which of the following works is *Gulliver's Travels* identified as in global library holdings?
Answer: The most widely held work of Irish literature.
Explanation: Analysis of global library holdings indicates that *Gulliver's Travels* is the most extensively represented work of Irish literature, underscoring Swift's significant contribution to global literary heritage.
Jonathan Swift's literary reputation is primarily associated with his prose works, particularly his satirical writings, rather than his poetry and plays.
Answer: True
Explanation: Jonathan Swift achieved his most significant literary acclaim and enduring legacy through his masterful prose, particularly his satirical works such as *Gulliver's Travels* and *A Modest Proposal*, rather than his poetry or plays.
Jonathan Swift published his works exclusively under his own name to ensure full credit.
Answer: False
Explanation: Swift frequently employed pseudonyms, such as Isaac Bickerstaff and M. B. Drapier, for his publications, often as a strategic measure to protect himself from potential political repercussions.
The term "Swiftian" in literary criticism refers to a writing style characterized by directness and literalism.
Answer: False
Explanation: The term "Swiftian" denotes a style characterized by sharp irony, biting satire, and a distinctive deadpan delivery, rather than mere directness or literalism.
The term "Swiftian" is derived from Swift's tendency towards overly sentimental and romantic prose.
Answer: False
Explanation: The term "Swiftian" is associated with Swift's mastery of irony, satire, and his characteristic deadpan delivery, qualities antithetical to sentimental or romantic prose.
What was Jonathan Swift's primary profession and literary reputation?
Answer: An Anglican cleric and foremost prose satirist.
Explanation: Jonathan Swift was ordained as an Anglican cleric and achieved renown as one of the preeminent prose satirists in English literature, particularly recognized for works like *Gulliver's Travels*.
What literary style is most associated with Jonathan Swift and gives rise to the term "Swiftian"?
Answer: Deadpan irony and satire
Explanation: Jonathan Swift is renowned for his masterful use of deadpan irony and biting satire, stylistic elements that have led to the adjective "Swiftian" being used to describe similar literary approaches.
Esther Johnson, nicknamed "Stella," was Swift's tutor and mentor during his time at Moor Park.
Answer: False
Explanation: Esther Johnson, known as "Stella," was tutored and mentored by Jonathan Swift during their time at Moor Park, reversing the roles suggested in the statement.
Swift's relationship with Esther Johnson ("Stella") is well-documented and universally understood to have been a platonic friendship.
Answer: False
Explanation: The precise nature of Swift's relationship with Esther Johnson remains a subject of scholarly debate and speculation, with evidence suggesting a bond far more complex and intimate than a simple platonic friendship.
Denis Johnston proposed that Swift's father was Sir John Temple, making Swift the uncle of Esther Johnson.
Answer: True
Explanation: The historian Denis Johnston theorized that Swift's biological father might have been Sir John Temple, which, if true, would position Swift as Esther Johnson's uncle, thereby complicating their relationship and potentially explaining Swift's complex behavior towards her.
Who was Esther Johnson, known to Swift as "Stella"?
Answer: A woman Swift tutored and mentored, with whom he had a close, ambiguous relationship.
Explanation: Esther Johnson, whom Swift affectionately called "Stella," was a woman he tutored and mentored. Their relationship was characterized by deep intellectual and emotional connection, the exact nature of which remains a subject of historical inquiry.
What does the inscription "Only a woman's hair" found with a lock of Esther Johnson's hair signify?
Answer: A poignant and enigmatic phrase fueling speculation about Swift's emotional connection to Stella.
Explanation: The inscription "Only a woman's hair," discovered with a lock of hair believed to belong to Esther Johnson, is widely interpreted as a deeply personal and enigmatic statement, intensifying scholarly and public fascination with Swift's profound emotional attachment to Stella.
Who was Denis Johnston, and what theory did he propose regarding Swift's relationships?
Answer: A historian who suggested Swift's father might have been Sir John Temple, making him Stella's uncle.
Explanation: Denis Johnston, a historian, proposed a controversial theory suggesting that Sir John Temple might have been Jonathan Swift's biological father, which would render Swift the uncle of Esther Johnson (Stella) and complicate their relationship dynamics.
What was the nature of Swift's relationship with Esther Vanhomrigh, whom he nicknamed "Vanessa"?
Answer: A relationship marked by mutual affection that Swift later tried to end.
Explanation: Swift's relationship with Esther Vanhomrigh, known as "Vanessa," was characterized by mutual affection, documented in his poem *Cadenus and Vanessa*. However, the relationship became strained, and Swift eventually sought to extricate himself from it.