Thomas Sprats Influence in Jonathan Swifts Writing Style - Term Paper Example

 Thomas Sprat’s Influence in Jonathan Swift’s Writing Style Jonathan Swift satirizes the intellectualism of academy and particularly the Royal Society in the Part III of Gulliver’s Travels, published in 1726. The Royal Society included prominent scientists like Robert Hooke, Isaac Newton and Thomas Sprat. Thomas Sprat’s History of the Royal Society, which could be regarded as the Society’s official ideology of science, also takes its share from Swift’s acrimonious criticism. However, Swift’s relation to Thomas Sprat is much more complicated than of a mere criticism. The aim of this paper is to discuss Sprat’s influence on Swift’s writing style. Before proceeding to the question of Sprat’s influence on Swift, Thomas Sprat’s views on language and style must be sketched. Besides offering a Baconian and realist ideology of objectivism, in his History, Sprat espouses a referential theory of language, which is based on the assumption that words correspond to things. In line with the referential theory of language, he advocates a plain style instead of an ornamental one. According to him, language should "return back to primitive purity, and shortness, when men deliver'd so many things, almost in an equal number of words" (Sprat). In Part III, Swift mocks this concept of “equal numbers” and criticizes the referential theory of language as follows: The other [project] was a Scheme for entirely abolishing all Words whatsoever; And this was urged as a great Advantage in Point of Health as well as Brevity . . . since Words are only Names for Things, it would be more convenient for all Men to carry about them, such Things as were necessary to express the particular Business they are to discourse on . . . many of the most Learned and Wise adhere to the new Scheme of expressing themselves by Things. (185) In Swift’s satirical universe while the referential theory is pushed to its limits, words are abolished and things become words, signifying themselves. As Deborah Baker Wyrick noted “‘Words name things’ has become ‘things name things’” (4). Similar to Locke, Thomas Sprat was hostile towards figurative language, which he “figuratively” called “swellings of styles” (Sprat). According to Sprat rhetorical devices like the use of metaphors and tropes, distorted reality and thus scientists should seek “to separate knowledge of nature from the colours of rhetoric, the devices of the fancy, the delightful deceit of the fables” (Sprat). Although he was against “the devices of the fancy”, his own style is highly fanciful and rich in metaphors. Similar to Sprat, in fact, Swift also advocated the plain style. In his satire, the simplicity of The Houyhnhnm language is taken as an ideal. Furthermore, the fictive publisher of Gulliver’s Travels, Richard Sympson, notes that “the style is plain and simple” and highlights the “veracity” of the author (Swift). Gulliver also presents himself as a “writer who relates only plain facts” (Swift). Indeed, Gulliver is portrayed as a character of veracity and candour. However, for Swift, plainness was not equal to simplicity or referentiality. While it is true that he employed a plain style, his style is far from being simplistic. As a matter of fact, it is possible to argue that Swift used plainness of his language and his character as a rhetorical device. The very simplicity of Gulliver, his objective and detached language devoid of any emotions create an ironic and comical effect. Thus, a challenging complexity lies beneath the seeming simplicity of his concise plain style which “is the vehicle for a bewildering array of ironies, parodies, and attacking purposes” (Fox 149). Although Swift sought the ideals of plainness and permanence of language articulated by Sprat, reflecting the dominant cultural trend of his age, he also loved verbal plays and puns. His love of word games is evidenced throughout the book. In fact, Swift is remarkably creative in terms of inventing new words, sentences and even fake etymologies. Gulliver is even more inventive, he is “imaginative” enough to offer an etymology in a language that he just learned: Lap, in the old obsolete language, signifies high; and untuh, a governor; from which they say, by corruption, was derived Laputa, from Lapuntuh.  But I do not approve of this derivation, which seems to be a little strained.  I ventured to offer to the learned among them a conjecture of my own, that Laputa was quasi lap outed; lap, signifying properly, the dancing of the sunbeams in the sea, and outed, a wing; which, however, I shall not obtrude, but submit to the judicious reader. (Swift) Gulliver’s Travels is highly rich in verbal games similar to the above cited one. One of the reasons of Swift’s obsession with word games is the Whig’s opposition to puns. For Whigs, the pun meant impoliteness and represented the corruption of the Stuart Dynasty, thus Swift, as a Tory, mocked their cultural project against the pun (Fox 151). It is a double irony that Swift satirized the Royal Society through the allegory of the Laputans, while Thomas Sprat had also criticized the lack of practice of the Ancient philosophers. Sprat advocated that philosophy must be brought closer to the material life and practice: But it is too late to lament this error of the Antients; seeing it is not now to be repair'd. It is enough, that we gather from hence; that by bringing Philosophy down again to mens sight, and practice, from whence it was flown away so high: the Royal Society has put it into a condition of standing out, against the Invasions of Time, or even Barbarisme it self: that by establishing it on a firmer foundation, than the airy Notions of men alone, upon all the works of Nature [….]. (Sprat) In that paragraph, Sprat claims that the Royal Society has brought the philosophy into the practice. Sprat’s expressions like “airy Notions” and “flow away so high” are significant in a sense that they remind Swift’s flying or floating island. In fact, Swift seems to be mimicking Sprat’s rhetorical expressions. Swift also calls the Laputa as an “airy region”. In Gulliver’s Travels the flowing island of Laputa symbolizes “the airy notions” of academicians and scientists. The Laputans, like ancient philosophers, focuses on theory while ignoring the practice. Swift describes this ignorance of practice as follows: Their houses are very ill built, the walls bevil, without one right angle in any apartment; and this defect arises from the contempt they bear to practical geometry, which they despise as vulgar and mechanic; those instructions they give being too refined for the intellects of their workmen, which occasions perpetual mistakes.  And although they are dexterous enough upon a piece of paper, in the management of the rule, the pencil, and the divider, yet in the common actions and behaviour of life, I have not seen a more clumsy, awkward, and unhandy people, nor so slow and perplexed in their conceptions upon all other subjects, except those of mathematics and music. (Swift)  The ill-built houses of Laputans represent their lack of interest in daily life and the application of theories. Thus Swift, in line with Sprat, criticized nonchalant attitude of scientists toward empirical data and their useless projects that lacked practical value. To sum up, Swift’s relation to Sprat can be described as paradoxical at best. While Swift adhered to the ideas of Sprat, he also pushed them to their utmost limits, to the point of a reductio ad absurdum. He satirized the Royal Society while repeating Sprat’s ideas at the same time. While he sought plainness in language, as Sprat espoused, he fully used the ambiguity of language for his satire (Fox 158). What could be the reasons of Swift’s ambivalent relation with Sprat? The major reason is their different views on language. Although Swift shared the aspirations of Sprat in regard to pure language, Swift’s linguistic and literary sensitivity did not allow him to endorse Sprat’s ideas on the referentiality of language. His ambivalent attitude could also have been caused by political reasons like censure as “Swift's use of language is at its most unstable when his political satire enters the discursive space covered by the English statute defining High Treason” (158). Lastly, there might be personal reasons. Even if he adhered to the ideas of Sprat intellectually, it might be possible that his growing pessimism and cynical attitude, which marked the end of the satire, did not allow him to support them fully. Works Cited: Fox, Christopher. The Cambridge Companion to Jonathan Swift. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003. Print. Sprat, Thomas. History of the Royal Society. http://books.google.com.tr/books. Web. 2 November 2010. Swift, Jonathan. Gulliver’s Travels. http://www.gutenberg.org/files/829/829-h/829-h.htm. Web. 2 November 2010. Wyrick, Deborah Baker. Jonathan Swift and the Vested Word. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1988. Print. Read More