Comparison of Swift and Goldsmith

Introduction:

In this study two different writers would be compared as to find out the similarities and dissimilarities between them. Jonathan Swift and Oliver Goldsmith both were satirists of social issues and criticized social injustice in their writing that was going on at that time in Ireland. Both writers have several things common in them, which have attracted scholars to study more commonness between them.

Jonathan Swift:

As the literary tone of Swift varies from humorous to savage, but his satiric writing pieces was marked by concentrated power and have direct impact. Swift command over great variety of prose styles writing was unfailing, as was his power of sketching imaginary characters, situations and all their accompanying details. Swift rarely speaks in his own person; almost always he states his views by ironic indiscretion through some imagined character like Lemuel Gulliver or the morally obtuse citizen of “A Modest Proposal.”

Such work, which is told in Gulliver's (an imaginary character of Swift story) words is the most excellent as well as the most bitter and controversial of his satires. (Swift, xix)

Oliver Goldsmith:

With Citizen of the World in 1762 Oliver Goldsmith had established himself as an essayist, in which he satirized Western society as the oriental visitor to London. Oliver Goldsmith had acquired the reputation as a Poet with The Traveller, which was the first work published by his name.

In 1766 Goldsmith introduced himself as a novelist, with his masterpiece The Vicar of Wakefield which was written in 1762. The story was the portrayal of village life and reflects Goldsmith's admiration of the countryside. The good natured irony in the novel had underlain the melodramatic incidents. (Goldsmith, Pg.244) There is no field in writing that was not touched by Oliver Goldsmith. His piece of writing is available in every writing form.

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