Jonathan Swift and the Church of Ireland, 1710-1724
by Christopher J. Fauske
Category: History

In the years between 1714 and 1724, Jonathan Swift published little. This hiatus in his work is often dismissed as a consequence of personal disillusionment, and studies of Swift commonly move from 1714 to 1724 with barely a mention of his activities in that decade. This examination demonstrates a consistency of purpose on Swift's part, and uses his continuous dedication to the preservation and promotion of the privileges of the Church of Ireland to examine that fissure within contemporary Irish society. The unpublished, overlooked, and otherwise neglected writings of Swift, studied in the light of contemporary political and economic events in England and Ireland, reveal a politically astute observer and wise, if wary, commentator on events.