Esther Johnson
Esther Johnson | |
---|---|
Richmond, Surrey , England | |
Died | 28 January 1728 | (aged 46)
Esther Johnson (13 March 1681 – 28 January 1728) was an Englishwoman known to have been a close friend of Jonathan Swift, known as "Stella". Whether or not she and Swift were secretly married, and if so why the marriage was never made public, is a subject of debate.
Parentage and early life
She was born in
Her parentage has been the subject of much speculation. The weight of evidence is that her mother acted as companion to Temple's widowed sister, Martha, Lady Giffard, and that Stella, her mother and her sister Anne (who married a Mr Firlby) were regarded as part of the family. Stella's father is said to have been a merchant who died young: gossip that she was Temple's illegitimate daughter seems to rest on nothing more solid than the friendly interest he showed in her (there were similar rumours about his supposed relationship with Swift).[2]
Friendship with Swift
When Swift saw her again in 1696 he considered that she had grown into the "most beautiful, graceful and agreeable young woman in London". Temple at his death in 1699 left her some property in Ireland; it was at Swift's suggestion that she move to Ireland in 1702 to protect her interests, but her long residence there, like Vanessa's, was probably due to a desire to be close to Swift. She generally lived in Swift's house, though always with female companions like Rebecca Dingley, a cousin of Temple whom she had known since childhood.[3] Esther became extremely popular in Dublin and an intellectual circle grew up around her, although it was said that she found the company of other women tedious and only enjoyed the conversation of men.
In 1704 their mutual friend, the Reverend
Vanessa
Stella's friendship with Swift became fraught after 1707 when he met Esther Vanhomrigh, daughter of the Dutch-born Lord Mayor of Dublin. Swift became deeply attached to her and invented for her the name "Vanessa". She in turn became infatuated with him and after his return to Ireland followed him there.[4] The uneasy relationship between the three of them continued until 1723 when Vanessa (who was by now seriously ill from tuberculosis) apparently asked Swift not to see Stella again. This led to a violent quarrel between them, and Vanessa before her death in June 1723 destroyed the will she had made in Swift's favour, leaving her property to two men, George Berkeley and Robert Marshall, who though eminent in their respective callings were almost strangers to her.[5]
Secret marriage
Whether Swift and Stella were married has always been a subject of intense debate. The marriage ceremony was allegedly performed in 1716 by
Writings
A collection of her witticisms was published by Swift under the titles of "Bon Mots de Stella" as an appendix to some editions of
Last years and death
In 1722, Martha, Lady Giffard died and she left money to Esther and Swift's sister Mrs Fenton who had been her companion in 1711.[9]
Her health began to fail in her mid-forties. In 1726 she was thought to be dying; Swift rushed back from London to be with her but found her better. The following year it became clear that she was gravely ill. After sinking slowly for months she died on 28 January 1728, and was buried in
Portrayals
In the 1994 film
In the 1982 Soviet film The House That Swift Built, Stella is played by Aleksandra Zakharova.
Publications (fiction)
- The Basilisk of St. James (London, 1945, Chapman and Hall) by Elizabeth Myers, wife of Littleton C. Powys, who was a brother of John Cowper Powys. The novel has as its main protagonist Jonathan Swift. Central to the plot is the personal conflict that arose from Swift's relationships with both Esther Vanhomrigh (Vanessa) and Esther Johnson (Stella).
- Morgan-Cole, Trudy J. The violent friendship of Esther Johnson, Penguin Canada, 2006.(ISBN 978-0-14-301768-4)
- Dean Swift and the Two Esthers by Lyndon Orr 1856 - 1914 from Famous Affinities of History: The Romance of Devotion
References
- ^ Stephen, Leslie (1898). . In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 55. London: Smith, Elder & Co. p. 208.
- ^ Stephen p.208
- ^ Stephen pp.208-9
- ^ Stephen p.215
- ^ Stephen p.216
- ^ Stephen pp.216-7
- ^ "Gulliver's Travels - Sources - Other Swift Texts: Bons Mots de Stella". Archived from the original on 5 January 2009. Retrieved 23 August 2006.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ISBN 978-0-300-10923-8.
- , retrieved 19 January 2023
- ^ Stephen p.219