Super Short Summary

Jonathan Swift: His Life and His World by Leo Damrosch is a 2013 biography that chronicles the life of Jonathan Swift, the renowned eighteenth-century satirist and author of works such as Gulliver's Travels, "A Modest Proposal," and A Tale of the Tub. The book explores his complicated relationships, including with Hester Johnson, and his conflicted feelings toward the church using both prior scholarly research and new perspectives. The narrative examines significant events from Swift's birth and education, his employment with William Temple, his pursuit of the priesthood, and his major literary contributions, culminating in his later-life struggles with mental illness, presenting a vivid portrait of one of literature's most complex figures. Sensitive topics include discussions of dementia and alleged inappropriate relationships.