Date of Award

Fall 1977

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

English

Program/Concentration

English

Committee Director

Leland D. Peterson

Committee Member

James Van Dyke Card

Committee Member

Karl F. Knight

Call Number for Print

Special Collections; LD4331.E64 M37

Abstract

Dr. Jonathan Swift was a priest of the Church of England. For a sermon, he wrote: "I look upon myself, in the capacity of Clergyman, to be appointed by providence for defending a post assigned me, and for gaining over as many enemies as I can." He is ever-present in the role of priest in Gulliver's Travels. The Anglican Church is a State Church. For centuries it has taught profound truths through ritual and symbolism. Dr. Swift used Christian symbolism and political allegory in Gulliver's Travels, being fully aware that his contemporary readers would perceive and understand the underlying dimension of the work. After two and a half centuries, Dr. Swift's sermons are gentle and placid, but his masterpiece continues to disturb readers. Through Gulliver's Travels, the Dean of Saint Patrick's Cathedral continues to defend his post and gain over many enemies.

Rights

In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

DOI

10.25777/0ghn-cc18

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