INTERTEXTUALITY IN JONATHAN SWIFT’S ESSAY “THE ART OF POLITICAL LYING”

The article is devoted to the intertextual analysis of J. Swift’s essay “The Art of Political Lying”. The theory of intertextuality has gained immense popularity in linguistic and literary studies. The ability to succinctly cover a variety of issues, to influence people’s minds and emotions, makes intertextuality attractive for the widespread use in journalistic texts and essays, in particular.

The research material includes the text of J. Swift’s essay “The Art of Political Lying”, texts of the Bible (New Testament), philosophical, historical and religious interpretations.

The relevance of the study of the text of the English essay is predetermined by the fact that intertextuality is one of the main textual categories and a most important text-building strategy of the English essay. It serves as a key element in the author’s attempt to influence the minds of the readers and becomes a peculiar characteristics of the genre of the English essay.

The purpose of the research is to comprehensively consider the phenomenon of intertextuality in the essay “The Art of Political Lying” written by the famous English writer and essayist Jonathan Swift in 1710.

Intertextuality as a linguistic phenomenon has been examined from various perspectives. The concept of intertextuality is primarily interpreted in a broad sense as literary trends and tastes shared by different authors, rooted in cultural continuity and a person’s awareness of the world around them. This is a common approach in foreign language teaching, particularly in stylistics and translation, where intertextuality is typically explored within the categories of “tradition” and “innovation”

In other cases, where literary traditions and the writer’s creative method are also considered, the primary focus is on comparing texts and examining the verbalized traces of “another voice” that play a significant role in the newly created work. The latter approach, in our opinion, is most appropriate for interpreting texts that contain inclusions of other texts in the form of quotations, reminiscences, allusions, etc.

The means by which intertextuality is realized are allusive units that embody a complex of ideas (concepts). Incorporated into the text as a mechanism for intensifying utterance, the allusive device relies on the recipient — the reader — having already represented a certain idea of ​​the precedent text in their memory. During decoding, the information contained in the allusion is deciphered in relation to the author’s ideas.

The English essay is a piece of prose dedicated to the author’s description and reflection on a real-life, spiritual, or psychological topic, with a clearly expressed authorial assessment of the subject. Subjectivity and a personal approach are defining characteristics of the essay. The essayist is logical in their statements and expressive in their thoughts, which influences the way the essay’s topic is developed. The theme, formulated at the beginning of the text, unfolds in a specific sequence; the main line of presentation is supplemented by enumerations, details, illustrations of the general position with specific facts, examples, and various means of creating expressiveness.

The English essay being highly artistic employs various expressive means and stylistic devices. Since the main goal of the essay is to influence the reader and convince them of the correctness of the author’s ideas, the essayist must resort to compelling arguments, citing sayings of famous thinkers, biblical and mythological stories, literary works, and everyday facts. As a result, intertextual connections can be traced in the essay texts, and intertextuality itself becomes an integral characteristic of the English-language essay.

Jonathan Swift’s essay “The Art of Political Lying”

“The Art of Political Lying” is a masterpiece of satirical prose, with a variety of expressive means and stylistic devices used to ridicule and criticize the political culture of the time — the practice of political deception — by exposing its absurdity.

The essay begins with the assertion that lying has become inseparable from politics. In the author’s opinion, the devil invented lying (“...the devil is the father of lies”), and although this art has been honed over many years, we are not given to know who introduced it into the political space (“Who first reduced lying into an art, and adapted it to politics, is not so clear from history”). J. Swift specifically notes that lying “...has been cultivated these twenty years past in the southern part of our own island”, and that politicians use this “art” for political reasons — to remain in power or, in case of losing it, for revenge. He mentions “our island” to imply an accusation of lying against Irish politicians, but he will do the same to the English when he cites England’s undisputed leadership in this area. J. Swift ironically notes that the English government lie because it is considered democratic, meaning the people have approved of such a practice and, therefore, can defend themselves by the same method of lying. According to the author, the idea of ​​lying was akin to politics in general and to the politics of England and Ireland, from the very beginning.

J. Swift’s essay is permeated with intertextuality, enhancing the ironic and satirical description. The main source of intertextual inclusions is the Bible. The quote “the Devil is the father of lies, and was a liar from the beginning” is an allusion to the Bible, John 8:44

Another example of intertextuality is the use of an allusive proper name in “where (as Milton expresses it) he had been viceroy of a great western province”. By invoking the celebrated 1650s writer John Milton, the author makes the reader refer to his great work “Paradise Lost”, specifically to its hero, the fallen Lucifer, a former powerful archangel. This expands the biblical allusion, ironically emphasizing the might of the “inventor”, whose creation (a lie) is now being exploited by much less influential political figures.

Since the essay’s theme is connected to the author’s contemporary political situation in the country, the text contains hidden references to politicians and the realities of the time. Thus, the author speaks of a “great man” with a short memory who has been practicing the art of lying for twenty years and is quite accomplished in this talent: “… and my imagination this minute represents to me a certain great man famous for this talent, to the constant practice of which he owes his twenty years’ reputation as the most skillful head in England, for the management of nice affairs”. Evidently, this is an allusion to the Tory leader Robert Harley. The satire becomes particularly relevant and lends the text a topical quality, requiring the reader to know the context (a historical fact) to fully understand the satire.

The essay contains references to folk wisdom and proverbs. For example, “Truth will at last prevail” is a variation of the proverb “Truth will prevail”. Swift questions this statement: “I have been perplexed what to do with that maxim, so frequent in every body’s mouth”, and then reinterprets it at the end: “Truth will at last prevail”. This added element (“at last”) enhances the emotional context, leaving room for hope for a change.

Summing up the results of the study, it should be noted that J. Swift’s essay is characterized by complex intertextual connections. Intertextuality employed by the essayist serves as a powerful tool of satire, linking contemporary political vices with eternal biblical sins, ancient myths, and literary images. By embedding references to other well-known texts, Swift borrows their cultural and historical authority to frame political lying as an evil of universal proportions. Intertextuality elevates the satire, provides a moral framework, and sharpens the criticism.

To conclude, the role of intertextuality in J. Swift’s “The Art of Political Lying” is ‘to arm’ satire with the authority of tradition. By framing his criticism within a context of biblical morality, epic poetry, and classical mythology, J. Swift expands on the topic — the essay is not just about politics; it’s about the eternal struggle between the good and the evil, order and chaos. The essay appeals to a reader who values learning and tradition, suggesting that the current political practices are a betrayal of those very values. Intertextuality allows J. Swift to write not just as a political essayist, but as a moralist and a philosopher, judging the follies of his time by the enduring standards of Western civilization.