This study investigates the nature of myths and mythmaking specifically related to the poetic and biographical myths generated by Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) and his biographers and critics. The study additionally investigates Swift's varied utilization of myths and the techniques of mythology.The primary material used for this investigation is Swift's verse. The secondary material is Swiftian biography and criticism. The matter within the verse reveals the poetic myth(s) and the matter of the biography-criticism reveals the biographical myth(s). The poetic myth proved characteristically consistent in illustrating the poet's philosophy and poetic intent. The biographical myth, on the other hand, proved characteristically confusing, illustrating opposing and questionable theories.Chapter One defines myth and provides some purposes for myths. This chapter also describes the dual nature of the Swiftian myths created by both the poetic views and the biographical views. This chapter also delineates Swift's use of myth as a poetic vehicle and identifies the major myths selected for investigation.Chapter two investigates the myth of birth and troubled childhood. The question of paternity and the unknown origin of the species are investigated as these are related to both biological and mythic man. The paternity of Swift, as biological man, is still disputed. Is he the son of Jonathan Swift, Sr.? Or is he the bastard of a Temple? In the poetic myth, Swift provides the answer: "No man knows." As mythic man, however, Swift gains two fathers: God (as he takes Holy Orders) and Apollo (as he realizes himself a poet). An understanding of Swift's concept of mythic man is given then to illustrate how Swift developed his complex persona device.Chapter Three investigates the myth of love complications and the love triangle: Swift-Stella-Vanessa. This chapter also investigates Swift's placement of women in his poetry and life, his views on marriage, and his philosophy of love illustrated by the poetry.Chapter Four investigates the myth of the inferior poet. Three major influences are: (1) the John Dryden (1631-1700) influence: (2) the influence of Swift's Billingsgate rhetoric (which also generated theories on scatology and the myth of disordered behavior); and (3) Swift's self-portrayals.Chapter Five draws the conclusions and points out that although the major purpose of this study was to identify and investigate Swiftian biographical myths in the light of the poetic myth(s), rather than to dispel any of the biographical myths, that the poetic matter, nevertheless, tends to dispel many of the biographical myths.This study makes several contributions to Swiftian scholarship: (1) an identification of the grandmother and, schoolboy images which increase the scanty material for the study of Swift, the child; (2) an understanding of Swift's development of his unique persona device; (3) an analysis of the Cadenus anagram and its significance to "Cadenus and Vanessa;" (4) An identification of Strephon as Sheridan in the Strephon-Chloe-Celia poems and the poetic intent of these poems; and (5) an understanding of Swift's Billingsgate rhetoric as appropriate to his poetic purpose. Of greater significance, this study identifies some of the biographical myths and provides a close study of a large selection of Swift's poems that are related to those myths.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/176566 |
| Date | January 1974 |
| Creators | Hall, Inez Jean |
| Contributors | Adrian, Daryl B. |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | xiv, 354 leaves ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
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