1. A Modest Proposal
Jonathan Swift

2. Background / Context
PERSONAL
ARTISTIC
POLITICAL

3. Jonathan Swift Born 1667, Dublin; English ancestry but Irish birth
Forced to leave Ireland in 1688; went to England to work as assistant to William Temple, diplomat.
Became a priest in the Church of Ireland in 1694; returned to Ireland.
Became increasingly political in the early 18th Century, as well as gaining notice as a writer. Lived in England.
Became influential in the Tory party and in literary circles.
Eventually returned to Ireland (‘like a rat in a hole’) to live in Dublin. Started to take note of specifically Irish issues.
Published the satire Gulliver’s Travels in 1726.
Wrote the more obviously political A Modest Proposal in 1729, earning a reputation as an Irish patriot.
Died in 1745.

4. So… Linked to both Ireland and England
Love-hate relationship with both Ireland and England
Profound sense of religious, moral and political justice
Exposed to extreme poverty among the poor
How might his personal life have informed A Modest Proposal?

5. The Augustans
Swift was part of a group of writers called ‘The Augustans’ who were particularly active in the early eighteenth century.
Named for their admiration of the satirical, witty, mannered poetry of the original Augustan era, they were politically engaged public figures. They saw it as a writer’s place to comment on society, rather than to ‘express himself’.
Names associated with this movement are Alexander Pope, John Dryden, Jonathan Swift, Samuel Johnson.

6. The Augustans
In terms of attitudes, ideologies and values, the Augustans are best defined by their faith in the powers of REASON. Just as the eighteenth century is the age of scientific empiricism, so the Augustans sought to apply a rational, reasonable approach. As such, they wrote about society and how it could be improved; they were not afraid to satirise important and influential people; and they saw their writing as an inherent part of a public discourse and a necessarily moral voice.
How does A Modest Proposal fit in with these general points?

7. Political Contexts
There are a number of political contexts which inform A Modest Proposal – Swift was very politically engaged and active throughout most of his life.
Probably the most important political context for this particular text, however, deals with the relationship between Ireland and England – the so-called ‘Irish Question’.

8. The Irish Question
In the 12th century Anglo-Norman (British) groups began to invade Ireland
Needed land for a growing kingdom
Various nobility looked to claim land
The English established their own laws and created a parliament
Countries like Scotland attempted to help remove the English, but the Anglo-Norman numbers continued to grow

9. The Irish Question
King Henry VII (ruled ) established strict laws for Ireland under British rule
No traditional Irish laws
Must follow English laws
No assembly of the Irish military
All laws of the Irish Parliament had to be approved by the King

10. The Irish Question
Henry VIII (ruled 1509 – 1547) attempted to transform Ireland from a Catholic country to an Anglican country
Queen Mary I
Elizabeth I
James I

11. Penal Laws
Several drafts of penal laws (laws explicitly designed to reduce Catholicism’s standing as the dominant religion in Ireland) were introduced by the English over the years. When Swift published A Modest Proposal (1729), the most recent were the laws from 1695.
Remember, Swift points out that ‘the number of popish infants is at least three to one in this kingdom’. The penal laws, and oppression of Catholics in general, affected the majority of the population.

12. Penal Laws, 1695: A Sample
Catholics banned from Public Office or Parliament
Catholics banned from intermarriage with Protestants
Catholics disenfranchised (no vote)
Catholics banned from University entrance
Catholic inheritances could be claimed by Protestants
Catholics banned from owning a horse worth more than 5 pounds
Catholic churches to be built from wood, not stone, and not on main roads
And so on…

13. A Modest Proposal
SO… a long, long history of subjugation, even by the time A Modest Proposal appeared..
At the time of writing, therefore, the Catholic majority population were living in extreme poverty. Note who the extremely poor people Swift is talking about actually are:
‘I have already computed the charge of nursing a beggar's child (in which list I reckon all cottagers, laborers, and four-fifths of the farmers) to be about two shillings per annum, rags included…’
These aren’t ‘beggars’ in the normal sense. Practically ALL of the Catholic population were living in utter poverty.