Gulliver's Travels: And a Discussion of Tolerance

by D.J. Arneson, Eva Clift (Illustrator), Jonathan Swift

A simplified, abridged version of Gulliver's experiences with the little people of Lilliput, accompanied by a short biography of Jonathan Swift and an essay focusing on the story's lessons of tolerance.

Genres: Classics

191 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1982

Reviews

[Dave]

There’s a scene in an old Cheers episode where Fraser begins reading A Tale of Two Cities to the bar regulars. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...”. They immediately interrupt him and say, “Wait, wait, wait, Doc. Which one was it?” As he continues, they groan with boredom and begin to peel away from the bar. So he did what any self-respecting book-talk genius would do. He injected made up excerpts from Stephen King’s It into his oration. Here is the link: https://youtu.be/qA9nRB_8aFw After much consternation (and crying and calling me a meanie) at my suggesting a book (how dare I?), I hooked him with the idea that there were giants. With my 8 yr old son he was at times intrigued by the idea that, in the world of fiction, the same man could be both a giant and a tiny human no bigger than a mouse along the same journey. But he wasn’t too young to pick up on the abridged nature of the retelling of Swift’s original tales, with most of the time spent on Gulliver’s escapades in Lilliput and Brobdingnag. The ending both felt abrupt and fell flat, with my 8 yr old telling me something along the lines of, “That was it? Is there a second book? Didn’t you say there was a movie?” He was obviously looking for more and I don’t blame him. Other parts were rushed and inexplicably unsettled such as Gulliver’s unparalleled skill at picking up new dialects within days of arrival at a new setting. Ah well, as long as the 8 yr old was mildly entertained, it was a win. That’s the language he speaks now anyway😀

[Elizabeth Ricks]

I've had the regular Gulliver's Travels on my bookshelf for many decades. Wondering if I wanted to read this classic--especially because the font is very small and there is little white space in the margins--I read the children's version. It's fine.

But I think I'll skip Swift's masterpiece for now. So many books, so few years left.

[Michael Butler]

What is it like to explore lands not previously known? In Gulliver’s Travels, Lemule Gulliver does just that. This story involves tons of adventure with creatures that vary in sizes and shapes. This story deals with many valuable moral lessons. This novel should definitely be recommended to everyone.
In Gulliver’s Travels, there are many characters, settings, morals, and themes/conflicts. The main character of the story is Gulliver, an English explorer who discovers the lands of Lilliput, Brobdingnag, Laputa, and Houyhnhm Island. Each island serves as the setting, along with England and Japan, during the early eighteenth century. One example of a moral issue Gulliver faced in the novel is the decision whether or not to help the Lilliputian king enslave his enemies, the Blefuscu. In the end Gulliver did not help the king because in his heart slavery is wrong. There is one major conflict that is present throughout the story. Every society that Gulliver visits, it forces him to rethink his views about his own country, the England (man vs society).

Gulliver’s story intrigues the reader and whets the reader’s curiosity to the point that putting the book down is not an option. Such as when he was fighting off a hoard of Yahoos, the humans that were enslaved by the Houyhnhms sentient horses, and the time when he saved the Lilliputians from a fire engulfing the city by urinating on it. “The heat I had contracted by coming very near the flames, and by laboring to quench them, made the wine begin to operate by urine; which I voided in such a quantity, and applied in all the proper places.”(Swift pg. 50) There are many more events like this in the story which entice the reader to keep on reading.
In Gulliver’s Travels the reader is transported to new worlds and adventures one may never experience in person. The writing style is fun and draws the reader in. Ethical and life’s lessons are woven throughout the story. The story is definitely a classic that should be on everyone’s bookshelf.

[Caleb]

After seeing the movie Gulliver's Travels, I had high expectations of this book. I enjoyed the movie, but this satire at times bored me. The ideas of people smaller than a finger, larger than sixty feet , and a floating island were all intriguing ideas; however, the work still lost my attention at times. Swift's style was very dry and bland which contributed to my dislike. Written in a more modern way, like the movie, I believe this would be a best selling book. Written in satire like it is though it is a very dull read that I struggled to keep reading throughout.

[Benjamin Czapla]

A great book that describes what Gulliver sees when he goes on many adventures. From a nation called Lilliput which is filled with small people, to a nation called Brobdingnag which is filled with massive humans and even to a nation of creatures similar to horses that have creatures similar to humans enslaved. This book is very descriptive and produces a very detailed picture in the minds of its readers.

[Kaye Dewar]

Excellent story!

[Olivia]

Hmmmmm probably I need to read this again....I think there is a deeper meaning rather than just traveling. Its A classic!!!!!

[Annika]

Het is een superboek! Lees het ook!

[Molly]

Omg this was so good!! I loved it!! I may have missed the message it was attempting to put across but I loved it for its silliness. Pure brilliance. Cannot wait to read the unabridged version.