Category: English Language Writers Clue: In his journal of 1710 to 1713, he referred to himself as "Presto."
Answer: Jonathan Swift.
Somebody at the head offices obviously likes me; in the past two weeks or so, there have been three Final Jeopardy! clues tailor-made specifically for my expertise. Being the 18th century British Literature enthusiast that I am -- Swift, Alexander Pope, Dr. Samuel Johnson, Robert Burns, John Dryden, Francis Burney (only her journals though, none of her novels), Thomas Gray (one of my favorites; so underappreciated), and all that good stuff -- this was fairly easy. And it's pretty fitting too because the Italian translation for presto is "fast, quick, swift."
And as much as I love Gulliver's Travels -- Yahoos, Houyhnhnms, Liliputians, Brodingnags, pissing on miniature castles, and all that good stuff -- I think his less-famous essay A Modest Proposal deserves just as much acclaim. An excerpt from the text:
"A young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a friccassee, or a ragout."
With tongue-jammed-in-cheek, Swift suggests that the impoverished Irish can solve their money woes by selling their children as food to the rich. Cannibalism will be the solution to all of their problems. Haha, classic.
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