Swift, Jonathan. Gulliver's travels, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998.
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| Jonothan Swift 1667-1745 |
Almost finding himself executed for sedition because of this book, Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's travels follows in the typically politically-insensitive feet of his forebears in English literature, taking a swipe at British colonialism, cultural customs and monarchy in this classic of world literature.
Written in 1726 by Anglo-Irish Clergyman Swift, Gulliver's travels, although a fantasy novel in most respects, it is in actuality a "travelers tale" by genre, which means that it is a social commentary disguised through the characters of the novel, in this case Gulliver and the characters he meets in the mythical and overtly allegorical lands and cultures in which he visits.
Similar therefore to the Canterbury tales and Homer's The Odyssey, the novel is also an adventure of lost races, magical experiences, oriental superstitions and kings in grand palaces. The elements of a sacred story are present such as, an injustice to his wife and child, his wife's loyalty to him, and naturally the journey of redemption which Gulliver's travels is about, illustrated by moral maxims, allegorical symbolism and dramas.
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| Gulliver and his friend the Houyhnhnm |
Although shaming and poking more than a little fun at British and Western history, politics and culture, Swift then concludes the tale by attacking the more terrible points of human nature such as slavery, cruelty to animals and savagery, not to mention human desire for riches and the suffering inflicted by such desires and human greed. This takes place after Gulliver meets and befriends the culture of civilized horses or Houyhnhnm (pronounced to sound like a horses 'ney'). His experiences with this morally and intellectually elite race changes his life forever, and Gulliver, although arriving home to the wife and child that needed him so desperately, becomes a withdrawn almost anti-human because of his experiences.
Further reading for students:
Further reading for students:
and for biographical information on both Jonathan Swift and his novel visit:
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