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Was Swift a Misogynist? Many of Jonathan Swift's poetic satires raise questions about Swift's opinion of women and his views of sexual politics. Although patriarchy was still dominant in the Restoration era, women were gaining power and independence and many men were feeling insecure and threatened. The rapid economic growth of the Restoration period brought about social changes as well as a re-evaluation of the role of women and the relationship between the sexes (Nussbaum 541). This lead to a growth of anti-feminist, chauvinistic literature aimed at putting women in their place and protecting men from the influence of women. On the surface level, Swift's satires of women seem to fit into this genre of literature. However, there is also an element of sympathy and appreciation for women in his poetry that contradicts the misogynist attitude presented at the surface level. Because satire Swift's satires often use exaggeration and outrageous language to uncover truth and achieve reform, it is possible that Swift is not really expressing disgust for women, but merely drawing attention to the problem of the idealization of women in order to deflate that notion. Although Swift's poetic satires "A Beautiful Young Nymph Going to Bed," "The Lady's Dressing Room," and "Stella's Birthday, 1719" may seem to be targeted only at women, a close reading of the poems demonstrates that they satirize the idealization of women by society, men, and poetic forms, rather than the women themselves.

In his satires, Swift accuses human beings of being blind to the reality around them and of being vain and prideful. His poetic satires about women focus specifically on the gap between appearance and reality. He deconstructs the idealistic view of women to uncover the utter bodily truth. As Tita Chico states, "Swift aims to expose the dirty truth behind any shiny exterior, revealing the dark truth beneath civilization" (Chico 40). Swift uses graphic language about the body, aging, sickness, and bodily functions to illustrate explicitly that women are not objects or goddesses but human beings, arguing that men should be able to appreciate women without idealizing them. Swift focuses on women's bodies in these poems to mock the way society looks at women as physical bodies only. For example, in "A Lady's Dressing Room," Swift provides a survey of Celia's room, beginning with her "dirty smock" with "arm-pits well besmear'd" (11-12) and ending with her reeking chest (110). Although the tone

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