Gulliver's Travels
by Jonathan Swift
Gulliver's Travels
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James II |
(1633-1701) King of England 1685-8; also James VII of Scotland; second son of Charles I, lived in exile from his father's execution until his brother's (Charles II) restoration; succeeded to the throne over strong opposition to his being Catholic; was shortly deposed when a coalition of political factions invited William of Orange (William III) to overthrow him. (The Glorious Revolution) Defeated by William's army, James fled to France, from which he later make unsuccessful attempts to regain the crown. In exile, James became known as the Pretender and his followers were the Jacobites. (see Biography.com) |
| War of Jenkins's Ear | 1739-c1743, conflict between England and Spain over exclusion of English trade from Spain's Latin American colonies; named for Capt. Robert Jenkins who addressed Parliament claiming his ear was cut off by the Spanish when they boarded his ship; eventually absorbed into War of the Austrian Succession. |
| Jenny | nickname of Jane Fenton, Swift's sister. |
| jerkin | a sleeveless jacket; Gulliver keeps his "Leathern Jerkin" on as protection when he seizes the Blefuscan navy (I:5;1) |
| Esther or Hester Johnson |  (1681 - 1728); Stella of A Journal to Stella and other works by Swift; called Mrs Johnson in Swift's correspondence; Esther Johnson was the daughter of a servant in the household of Sir Wm. Temple when Swift entered his service. Once her tutor, Swift and Johnson became devoted friends. Swift convinced Johnson to move to Ireland, with her companion Rebecca Dingley, where they continued their relationship until her death. There has been some speculation about Mrs Johnson's parentage. Because of her physical resemblance to Sir William, that her position in the household was beyond that of a child of a servant, and the legacy she received in Sir William's will, it is speculated that Stella was the natural child of Swift's patron. There is even more speculation about the relationship between Mrs. Johnson and Dean Swift. They never lived together or, according to tradition, were ever alone together, yet some believe they were secretly married. If so, why not acknowledge it? If not, considering their closeness and affection for each other, why not? |
| Johnson, Samuel |  (1709-1784); aka Dr Johnson; English man of letters; best known for publishing the first dictionary of the English language (1755); also known as the subject of Boswell's chronicle (in which he is quoted deriding Swift); Johnson's Lives of the Poets includes a biography of Swift. |
| junto | junta, a political faction; Gulliver offends the Emperor of Lilliput by refusing to completely subjugate Blefuscu after capturing the navy; this incident parallels the Tory government negotiating an unpopular peace with France (Treaty of Utrecht) instead of pursuing a military solution; Gulliver will later be prosecuted and forced into exile, just as the Tory leadership will be tried or forced to flee when the Whigs come to power.
"And from this time began an intrigue between his Majesty and a Junto of Ministers maliciously bent against me, which broke out in less than two Months, and had like to have ended in my utter Destruction." (I:5;5) |