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Gulliver’s Travels

Jonathan Swift

Why we're reading this: SWB #3, originally published in 1726, is an adventure tale.
[close] SWB #3, originally published in 1726, is an adventure tale.

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May 16, 2017 Ebookwormy1 rated it it was ok

Shelves: z-2b-reviewed, fiction, world-europe

Swift's satirical travelogue was simply too heavy handed for me. The adventurous settings of a man at sea including his various forms of abandonment (storms, shipwrecks, marooned, pirate attacks, and mutiny) clearly recall sea adventures of the time, while the exploration of fantastical worlds is meant to contain some insight into the non-fiction world of Swift's time. I'm guessing some sort of backhanded commentary on British politics (which I guess was a rather bloody contemporary affair that Swift's satirical travelogue was simply too heavy handed for me. The adventurous settings of a man at sea including his various forms of abandonment (storms, shipwrecks, marooned, pirate attacks, and mutiny) clearly recall sea adventures of the time, while the exploration of fantastical worlds is meant to contain some insight into the non-fiction world of Swift's time. I'm guessing some sort of backhanded commentary on British politics (which I guess was a rather bloody contemporary affair that required bravery and subterfuge for Swift to engage), but whatever it's brilliance once was, it doesn't come through to me today.

I just. didn't. care. what. happened. to dear Englishman Gulliver. He's big. He's small. He's wiser than imaginary people. He's ignorant compared to amazing horses?! Maybe the animals should lead us? Yeah, I know, bizarre. Usually a fan of reference to classic historical figures, I yawned through his discussions with ancient Romans.

While the Lilliputians have been absorbed into cultural mindset, the names of other races are muddling and not part of our cultural dialogue. We do not speak of the Byobdingnag's or Laputas. Interestingly, the race of Yahoos has some cultural currency because of the search engine so named, but in Swift's world, the Yahoos are rough, ignorant, and defiled people with whom Gulliver does NOT want to be identified. In fact, his label as a Yahoo and ejection from the society seems to color his own identity and cause him to withdraw from society and his family, giving the book a miserable ending.

Finally, the end is completely hopeless and uninspiring. Another reason the cultural narrative doesn't get beyond the Lilliputians, aside from it's general boring narrative, is Gulliver's transformation. The book begins as the light hearted romp of a generally honest Englishman through traveling adventures, but by the end, Gulliver has lost his cheerful orientation to life and is a rather crazed, old, recluse.

It's a classic, so it's good to read for yourself and see what all the fuss is about. But for myself, I prefer other titles, such as the work that started the genre Swift's Gulliver is mocking, a book I highly recommend...

Robinson Crusoe, Defoe, 1719
gave birth to both the travelogue and Robinsonade genres
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The title that defined the pirate genre
Treasure Island, Stevenson, 1882
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Aug 16, 2011 Flew Flewelling rated it liked it

Shelves: classics

I enjoyed reading this classic, but think it would have been better if I had understand the socio-political background of the time it was written.

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May 20, 2011 Joanne rated it really liked it

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