Jonathan Swift

Anglo-Irish satirist and essayist (1667–1745)

  • Fame78.4
  • Momentum0.0
  • Writers rank#98
Source-basedFalling
  • Fame78.4
  • Momentum0.0
  • Writers rank#98
  • Wikipedia51K
Lived 1667–1745, aged 78
WritersWriter / Author
  • Wikipedia
    100 languages
    Cross-language footprint
  • Era
    1667–1745
    Aged 78
Summary
Updated 2026-06-08

He sent tiny people and floating islands into the English canon, then turned his pen colder: a deadpan essay proposing the Irish eat their own children. Swift wrote satire so sharp it coined an adjective.

Biography

About

Jonathan Swift was born 30 November 1667, an Anglo-Irish cleric who hid behind pseudonyms—Lemuel Gulliver, Isaac Bickerstaff, M. B. Drapier—to publish everything he wrote. In 1704 he released A Tale of a Tub, then An Argument Against Abolishing Christianity in 1708, mastering both Horatian and Juvenalian modes. He was appointed dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin in 1713. In 1726 came Gulliver's Travels, the novel that built Lilliput and became the most printed book by an Irish writer ever. Three years later A Modest Proposal landed with its infamous deadpan cruelty, spawning the term "Swif…

Voice

In their own words

Sourced, dated quotes from Jonathan Swift

Jonathan Swift
said
Tis an old maxim in the schools, That flattery's the food of fools; Yet now and then your men of witWill condescend to take a bit.
Cadenus and Vanessa (1713)
Jonathan Swift
said
…one enemy can do more hurt, than ten friends can do good.
Journal to Stella (30 June, 1711)
Jonathan Swift
said
I love good creditable acquaintance; I love to be the worst of the company.
Journal to Stella (May 17, 1711)
Jonathan Swift
said
We are so fond of one another, because our ailments are the same.
Journal to Stella (February 1, 1711)
Jonathan Swift
said
It is the folly of too many to mistake the echo of a London coffeehouse, for the voice of the kingdom.
The Conduct of the Allies (1711)
Where to find them

Platforms

By the numbers

Score breakdown

The six component signals behind the Fame score, and their ranks across the leaderboards.

Fame
Falling
78.4
Composite of search demand, mentions, audience & graph footprint.
Score components
Momentum0.0
Historical25.8
Now attention15.5
Source confidence65.0
Completeness65.0
Global rank
Country rank
Category rank
#98
Receipts

Sources

  • Wikipedia
    wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
    High confidence
  • Wikidata
    wikidata · wikidata.org
    High confidence
  • Pantheon 2.0
    database · pantheon.world
    High confidence