JONATHAN SWIFT'S STYLE
JONATHAN SWIFT'S STYLE
ARISTOTLE defines a good prose style thus:
“Good prose style will reveal its quality both in style and in its arrangement. The primary virtue of prose style is clearness. But clearness is not everything; Style must be a distinction. It is natural, rising and falling with the subject.”
So, style of JONATHAN SWIFT is meditative and fantastic. Style belongs to the form of creativity. He uses long sentences. His language is lucid and understandable. SWIFT uses different literary techniques as humour, irony, satire, allegory and pun. His action changes. The grace of expression is found here. Clarity of thought and words is the style of SWIFT. As J. S. ORWELL writes about his style:
One can compare his style with Francis Bacon. There are a number of similar things which are found in his creativity. Apart from this, SWIFT uses epigrams as well as short sentences which give the unity of thought. He says as:
“Man is capable of becoming rational if he makes the necessary efforts.”
In addition to, some of his sentences, which are universal. In the modern era, one finds out the same importance of these sentences as it was in the age of neo-classical. He writes down in the following words as:
“The first impression proves the last impression.”
For example, he uses the proverbial and long sentences in his writing. At one place, he writes down as:
“Their hands were inclined either to the right or to the left, one of their eyes turned inward, and the other directly up to the zenith.”
Furthermore, the other quality of his writing is that his reader finds out the unity of thought. Dispersed meditation is not found in this travelogue. He ironically writes about Yahoos as:
“Yet I confess, I never saw any sensitive being so detestable on all accounts; and I more I came near to them, the more hateful they grew.”
More than this, he uses the different literary tools which also reflect his style. He uses irony, satire, humour as well as allegory. In addition to, he says at one place satirically about the smell which comes from the bodies of people as:
“Unbearable smell comes from their bodies even the empress as well.”
On the other hands, he uses humour which is the special part of his melodious style. In the third voyage, he humorously writes down about the creativity of scientists. They try to make a pillow from stone. He sets down humorously in the following line:
“They try to extract sunbeams out of cucumbers.”
On the other hand, corrosive as well bitter satire is the style of SWIFT. He satirizes in the fourth voyage that Houyhnhnms have a kind heart. He satirizes on the morality of human as:
“Here was neither physician to destroy my body, nor lawyer to ruin my fortune.”
Furthermore, there are many similar things which are found in the style of SWIFT, Bacon, Said and Heaney. As Seamus Heaney also uses short sentences in which one finds out the unity of thought as:
“Life rises question, poetry answers them.”
Balance is the other stylistic feature which is found in his writing as well as in the writing of Bacon. He says balance makes things universal as well as classical. He puts down fabulously as:
“The best code of conduct which is Golden Mean which is 'balance'."
Similarly, same is the style which is found in the creativity of Bacon. As he says:
“A man faces God, but shrinks from man.”
There are the universal sentences. Another quality of the style of SWIFT is that the action changes. In this travelogue, he writes about the four voyages. And in way voyage, the action changes. S. TRAILERS fabulously puts down about the stylistic features of SWIFT as:
“SWIFT's style is fabulous. He uses allusions. Unity of thought is found here.”
To wind up, one can say that JONATHAN SWIFT uses allusions, the unity of thought and grace of expression is found in his essay. His language is lucid and understandable. He uses different techniques as irony, humour, satire, pun and allegory. He uses appropriate worlds at appropriate places. All the words suit to its themes. J. S. ORWELL artistically writes down about his style as:
“SWIFT's remarkable style has made him universal among other writers.”
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