The Rump of Swift

Introduction

The Rump of the Swift. A short story from a letter (#075) to Tevis Clyde Smith, circa June 1928. The story starts out like this:

There was Estelle — or was it Estelle? Anyway Swift talked baby talk to her — like this: “You little hussy, you’ve got the brain of a two months old baby, damn you.”

So Swift went to Ireland. However, he did not arrive in time to be a native of Ireland which was always a source of deep disappointment to him.

“Had I only started sooner,” he used to exclaim. “I might have been a born Irishman.”

Plot summary and list of characters

“The Rump of Swift” is a highly satirical and irreverent work. It centers on the imagined life and exploits of Swift, who seems to be a twisted version of Jonathan Swift, the author of “Gulliver’s Travels,” although it is made clear he is not related to the American socialist worker of the same name. Throughout the narrative, Swift appears as a contradictory, absurd, and comically anachronistic figure, interacting with historical figures he couldn’t possibly have met, and undertaking feats that are both grand and ridiculous.

Main Characters and their roles:

Swift: The central figure of the narrative, Swift is presented as a brash, uncouth character who interacts with various historical figures and makes absurd predictions. He has a contentious relationship with a woman named Estelle and expresses a particular dislike for the poet Wilde.

Estelle: Swift’s companion, to whom he often speaks rudely. She plays a significant role in Swift’s success, although the nature of their relationship is unclear.

Upton Sinclair: A writer whom Swift meets and predicts will be born in the 19th Century.

Samuel Johnson: Mentioned as one who denies Swift’s ability to write.

Ambrose Bierce: A contemporary of Swift, with whom he is said to have had many savage arguments.

Wilde: An unnamed poet, possibly Oscar Wilde, whom Swift dislikes for being too much of a “man’s man.”

The story paints a picture of Swift as a contradictory and improbable figure, engaging in ludicrous endeavors and demonstrating a disrespectful and casual attitude towards historical events and figures. The plot is not a conventional narrative but a series of exaggerated and comical vignettes from Swift’s life.

The title “The Rump of Swift” appears to be a pun, a play on words. In this context, “rump” is likely used in its archaic meaning referring to the back part or hindquarters of an animal. It could be interpreted as suggesting a less dignified or perhaps incomplete or distorted version of Swift.

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