Transcript Introduction to Gulliver's Travels

Jonathan Swift (1667-1745)
S
Introduction to Gulliver’s Travels
S Jonathan’s best fictional work
S was published in 1726
S Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World, by Samuel
Gulliver.
S The book contains four parts, each dealing with one
particular voyage during which Gulliver meets with
extraordinary adventures on some remote island after he has
met with shipwreck, piracy and other misfortunes.
Lemuel Gulliver
S Narrator of novel
S Middle-aged, middle class, British
S Intelligent, well-educated
S Naïve
S Unaffectionate to wife
S A doctor on a Royal Navy ship who
washes up on the shores of several
fictional countries.
S Upon returning to England, he is
painfully aware of his country’s
flaws.
S Mrs. Mary Burton: Mrs.
Mary Burton is Gulliver's
wife. He only states her
name at the beginning of
the novel, and thereafter
refers to her as his wife.
She is mentioned only
during his rare time in
England.
S Captain William Pritchard: Captain Pritchard is the
head of the ship named Antelope. He controls Gulliver's
first voyage in which a storm overtakes the ship, leaving
Gulliver stranded on the strange land of Lilliput.
A VOYAGE TO
LILLIPUT
S The first part tells about his experience in Lilliput
S The emperor believed himself to be the delight and
terror of the universe, but it appeared quite absurd
to Gulliver who was twelve times as tall as he.
S In his account of the two parties in the country,
distinguished by the use of high and low heels.
S Religious disputes were laughed at in an account of a
problem which divided the Lilliputians:
“ Should eggs be broken at the big end or the little end?”
Main Characters
S Lilliputians
S Inhabit Lilliput
S Only 6 inches tall
S Prone to conspiracies and jealousies
S Emperor
S Ruler of the Lilliputians
S Despite small size, loves being in
control, exercising his power, and
his large palace
Gulliver visits Lilliput
Meets the Lilliputians
S He finds that the population is
split between 'Big Enders' and
'Little Enders‘
S The Emperor who is keen to go to
war with Belfuscu and the
defecting 'Big Enders‘
S The Empress who originally likes
Gulliver, but is then offended
when he urinates on buildings to
put out a fire
A VOYAGE TO BROBDINGNAG
S Second Journey to Brobdingnag
S In the second part, Gulliver is left alone in
Brobdingnag where people are not only ten times
taller and larger than ordinary human beings, but
also superior in wisdom. Gulliver now found himself
a dwarf among men sixth feet in height. The king,
who regarded Europe as if it were an anthill.
S Gulliver sold and used as a slave, mostly used for
entertainment purposes
S Discusses history and policies of his native country
with the King
Main Characters
 Brobdingnagiants
 Giants that inhabit Brobdingnag
 Reasonable, gentle
 The Queen
 Sweet, kind
 Humorous, witty
 The King
 Intellectual, rational
 Does not know much about politics
A VOYAGE TO LAPUTA,
BALNIBARBI,
LUGGNAGG, GLUBBDUBDRIB,
AND JAPAN
S The third part deals mainly with his accidental visit
to the flying Island, where the philosophers and
designers devote all their time and energy to the
study of some absurd problems. Their scientists are
engaged in projects for extracting sunbeams out of
cucumbers, turning ice into gunpowder and making
cloth from cobweb.
S Laputans Inhabitants of the flying island of Laputa which has diameter of
7837 yards.
S Munodi A Lord who lives in Lagado the metropolis of Balnibari
S Professors of various academies who take up Gulliver's suggestions
S Governor of Glubbdubdrib
S Struldbruggs who offer eternal life but become progressively senile in
doing so.
S Maldonada A port
S Guldubdribb land of sorcerers
S Glangluenstand port of embarkation from Luggnagg
S Xamoschi landfall in Japan
S Nangasac where he meets Captain Theodorus Vangrult with whom he
sailed back to England.
A VOYAGE TO THE
COUNTRY OF THE
Houynhms
S Final Journey to the Country of
the Houyhnhnms
S Horses rule the deformed
Yahoos
S Gulliver banished from their
society
S Feel he is a threat to their
civilization
S Aware he has a resemblance to a
Yahoo
Summary of Last Book
S The last part is the most interesting account of his
discoveries in the Houyhnhnm land, where horses are
endowed with reason and all good and admirable qualities,
and are the governing class.
S Contrary to the Houyhnhnms, the Yahoos possess every
conceivable evil. They are malicious, spiteful, envious,
unclean and greedy. Gulliver admires the life and ways of the
horses, as much as he is disgusted with the Yahoos, whose
relations remind him of those existing in English society to
such a degree that he shudders at the prospect of returning
to his native.
Main Characters
Yahoos
S Yahoo’s an uncouth human-like race
S Dirty, hairy, primitive, but human-like
S Many different kinds
S Blonde, redheaded, dark-haired
S Servants of Houyhnhnms
Houyhnhnms
S A horse-like race who rule over the
unruly
S Live in peaceful, simple society
S Rule with reason and truthfulness
S Do not even have the word
“lie” in their vocabulary
The end of the novel
S The author takes his last leave
of the reader;
S proposes his manner of living
for the future;
S gives good advice, and
concludes.
The main object of the satire in Gulliver's Travels is human nature itself,
specifically Man's pride as it manifests in “pettiness, grossness, rational absurdity,
and animalism”. Gulliver's character, as a satirical device, serves Swift's ends by
being both a mouthpiece for some of Swift's ideals and criticisms and as an
illustration of them. Thus, criticism on human nature are made through Gulliver's
observations as well as through Gulliver's own transformation from a “naive
individual... into a wise and sceptic misanthrope,”
As we travel with Gulliver through the voyages, Swift brilliantly peels away our
pretensions, layer by layer, until he shows us what we are and challenges us,
intensely and urgently, to be better. In Gulliver's Travels, Jonathan Swift
continues to vex the world so that it might awaken to the fact that humankind
needs saving, but it has to save itself.
The solution to the human dilemma is not as simple as Gulliver's rejection of
humanity, and Swift's final success, in terms of stimulating response, is that,
after masterfully dissecting and presenting the problem, he leaves the
application of his lessons to “the judicious reader.”