(1667-1745),
English poet, satirist, political writer and clergyman, also known as
Dean Swift, from his
post as
dean (head clergyman) of
St. Patrick's Cathedral in
Dublin, Ireland. Swift, along with other writers of his
time, was concerned with the rate at which the
English language was changing and whether his works would still be intelligible in years to come. In an
effort to
resolve this he submitted a proposal to the Earl of
Oxford entitled "A Proposal for Correcting, Improving and Ascertaining the
English Tongue." In this proposal he complained about the imperfections of the
language and stated in many instances it offends against every part of
grammar. His
solution was to
set up an
Academy for
English, although this never
got off the
ground. During his
life, he also wrote many works including
Gulliver's Travels which tells of the voyages of a
ship's
doctor, Lemuel
Gulliver. Additionally, he wrote a considerable number of poems, one of which (entitled On Poetry),
reads in