Travels
into Several Remote Nations of the World, in Four Parts.
By Lemuel
Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships,
The
book became popular as soon as it was published. John
Gay wrote
in a 1726 letter to Swift that "It is universally read, from the
cabinet council to the nursery." Since then, it has never been
out of print.
The
book begins with a short preamble in which Lemuel
Gulliver,
in the style of books of the time, gives a brief outline of his life
and history before his voyages. He enjoys travelling, although it is
that love of travel that is his downfall.
During
his first voyage, Gulliver is washed ashore after a shipwreck and
finds himself a prisoner of a race of tiny people, less than 6 inches
tall, who are inhabitants of the island country ofLilliput.
After giving assurances of his good behaviour, he is given a
residence in Lilliput and becomes a favorite of the court.
From
there, the book follows Gulliver's observations on the Court of
Lilliput. He is also given the permission to roam around the city on
a condition that he must not harm their subjects. Gulliver assists
the Lilliputians to subdue their neighbours, the Blefuscudians, by
stealing their fleet. However, he refuses to reduce the island nation
of Blefuscu to a province of Lilliput, displeasing the King and the
court.
Gulliver is charged with treason for, among other "crimes",
"making water" in the capital (even though he was putting
out a fire and saving countless lives.) He is convicted and sentenced
to be blinded, but with the assistance of a kind friend, he escapes
to Blefuscu. Here he spots and retrieves an abandoned boat and sails
out to be rescued by a passing ship, which safely takes him back
home. This book of the Travelsis
a topical political satire.
Part II: A Voyage to Brobdingnag 20 June 1702 – 3 June 1706
When the sailing ship Adventure is blown off course by storms and forced to put into land for want of fresh water, Gulliver is abandoned by his companions and found by a farmer who is 72 feet (22 m) tall (the scale of Brobdingnag is about 12:1, compared to Lilliput's 1:12, judging from Gulliver estimating a man's step being 10 yards (9.1 m)). He brings Gulliver home and his daughter cares for Gulliver. The farmer treats him as a curiosity and exhibits him for money. Since Gulliver is too small to use their huge chairs, beds, knives and forks, the queen commissions a small house to be built for him so that he can be carried around in it; this is referred to as his 'travelling box'.
Between small adventures such as fighting giant wasps and being carried to the roof by a monkey, he discusses the state of Europe with the King. The King is not happy with Gulliver's accounts of Europe, especially upon learning of the use of guns and cannons. On a trip to the seaside, his travelling box is seized by a giant eagle which drops Gulliver and his box into the sea, where he is picked up by some sailors, who return him to England.
This book compares the truly moral man to the representative man; the latter is clearly shown to be the lesser of the two. Swift, being in Anglican holy orders, was keen to make such comparisons.
Hi
my friends,
I
hope you've enjoyed to read about "Gulliver's Travels",
like me. I don't know how many time I was reading this book as a kid,
I liked it so much - we had NO TV back in time when I grew up and
these stories brought the whole far away world right into my house, I
had not to go out there :-)
Next
Sunday I will post then Part 3 & 4 - so stay tuned and have a
wonderful and HAPPY SUNDAY!
See
you next weekend!
Susanne
