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Gulliver's Travels

By Jonathan Swift

(401)

| Paperback | 9780140620849

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9 Reviews

2 people find this helpful

Not a children's book

This book is a great example of the 18th century satire since Swift uses the typical book form of a travel across the sea to compare England to other fictional nations (although he insists on the veracity of his narration, of course).
It is divided in 4 parts, and this makes the book easier to ... (continue)

This book is a great example of the 18th century satire since Swift uses the typical book form of a travel across the sea to compare England to other fictional nations (although he insists on the veracity of his narration, of course).
It is divided in 4 parts, and this makes the book easier to read. It is frequently presented as a children's book, but it is more complex than that.
In my opinion, the most interesting part is the fourth travel, with the Houyhnhnms. Here he praises a nation consisting of rational horses who do not have laws, lies or wars. A civilization which is lead simply by reason and the common sense and which despises the yahoos- the human being- just like Swift.
Swift's tone is very bitter although there are fragments which are quite funny. He criticizes both the woman and the man of his time, and praises the Ancient people, so he has been labeled as a misanthropist.

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1984 said on Apr 18, 2009 | Add your feedback

1 person find this helpful

Everyone is probably familiar with the traveler Gulliver and his adventures among the Lilliputians but many people may not realize that he wrote about his "travels" among three other locations/races too. For me the story of his visit with the Lilliputians and the land of the giants were just ok, th ... (continue)

Everyone is probably familiar with the traveler Gulliver and his adventures among the Lilliputians but many people may not realize that he wrote about his "travels" among three other locations/races too. For me the story of his visit with the Lilliputians and the land of the giants were just ok, the story of his visit in the kingdom of the Laputians was a good criticism of people who only think and don't act. His final visit among the Houyhnhnms and the Yahoos made the story much better. This book was mainly a political satire about mankind and how wicked they are and how it affects the world. On one final note I did notice the author did seem to have a scatalogical fascination, on several occasions descibing how he had to defecate and how the other lands he visited handled their excrement.

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Stcin10 said on Jan 26, 2011 | Add your feedback

1 person find this helpful

*** This comment contains spoilers! ***

A satirical vision of Europe State by Jonathan Swift: great... but it is not straordinary.

DESCRIPTION OF THE BOOK:
"Gulliver's Travels" is an important literature work of an anglo-irish writer called Jonathan Swift, published in 1726. This is a satire of human nature and the novel described situations of a fantastic world and many times episodes og Gulliver's trav ... (continue)

DESCRIPTION OF THE BOOK:
"Gulliver's Travels" is an important literature work of an anglo-irish writer called Jonathan Swift, published in 1726. This is a satire of human nature and the novel described situations of a fantastic world and many times episodes og Gulliver's travels are amazing and improbable.
BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR:
Jonathan Swift was born on 30 November 1667 and he died on 19 October of 1745: he was important writer of England, in 1682 he attended Dublin University and after two years was studying for his Master's degree. In 1702, Swift received his Doctor of Divinity degree from Trinity Collage of Dublin and, between 1720 and 1729, Swift began writing his most famous literature work, "Gulliver's travels": this novel talk of adventure of a surgeon, Lemuel Gulliver, into remote nations of the Earth.
THEMES OF THE STORY:
Gulliver's travels may be read as a metaphor of the capacity of men or a satirical vision of the adventure-voyage story of Defoe, Robinson Crusoe. This parody has three important themes: we found a satirical vision of the State of European governament, based on experiences of author, and a restatament of the older, a typical element of Renaissance age.
The satire was divided principally into four parts.
FIRST PART: A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT
The book began with a letter in which we found Lemuel Gulliver telling his experiences of life that caused him to became a surgeon of a ship. Into the first part of Gulliver's travels Lemuel Gulliver, shipwrecked on an island, find himself a prisoner of a strange people one-twelfh the size of normal human beings, who discovered to be inhabitants of Lilliput. Between the first and second chapter of book, Gulliver is given a big house of city of Lilliput, while into third and fourth chapter the protagonist began to know the tradition of lilliputians and he take part in lilliputians games. He helps the lilliputians conflict with Blefuscu because they can't agree how to break eggs, big part or small part. Gulliver succeded to save the lilliputians and put out a fire of empereor's palace, but, when he refuse to imprison the people of the island called Blefuscu, the empereor of Lilliput condamned him.
He flew to island of Blefuscu and fortunately a ship reached on beach of that island and so the protagonist come back to England.
This part was collocated between 4 May 1699 and 13 April 1702.
SECOND PART: A VOYAGE TO BRABDINGNAG
The second parte was collocated between June 1703 and 3 June 1706. In this part Gulliver has been imprisioned by a giant farmer, a inhabitant of a city called Brabdingnag. The farmer displayed Gulliver on a stall as long as the personage is noticed by the Queen of Brabdingnag on the way in which the country is ruled and about laws of Europe: the king appraises the laws of Europe as useless and he thinks that men like Lemuel Gulliver are always in conflict among them for futile measons. During a voyage, the king lasts a wood box where was Gulliver and the box was found by another ship: and so Gulliver returend again to England.
THIRD PART: A VOYAGE TO LAPUTA...
The third part was collocated between August 1706 and April 1710. Gulliver undestook a third voyage from England and in this adventure he ashored on an island called Laputa, that fluctuates on air; the inhabitants of this remote island know the arts of music, Mathematics, Astronomy, Science and other science, but this people is unable to use how for pratical ends. After Gulliver has on occasion, during the adventure, to discuss with an old advises of Laputa and he explains him that 40 years ago came five men on Laputa and, after having learned the arts of Science, by inhabitants of island, they brought misfortunes in their world. Gulliver was taken to Balnibarbi to await a Dutch trader who can take him to Japan. During the trip, the protagonist know a magic people of Glubbdubdrib, who are immortal but not forever young. After reaching Japan, Gulliver asks the Empereor and he returns his home.
A VOYAGE TO THE COUNTRY OF HOUYNHNMS:
In this part Gulliver knew the Houynhnms, the rational horses, who are very intelligent and wise men. They have four legs nad they resemble to horses; in their world there is an athor race of beings called YAHOO by the Houynhnms. Gulliver asked to learn the culture and traditions of this intelligent people, but they refused the proposal of Gulliver. The personage, disappointed, built a small rawing boat and returned to the British Island... but the protagonist, after this experience, began to isolate by his family and other men and he adored go to the stable for watch horses.
MY OPINION
In my opinion this novel is a real masterpiece of literature, but same parts are boring or superfluous, The part of the book that has liked most is "a voyage to Lilliput" because in these pages the author is concise with language and simple into the style, besides he described fantastic actions and amusing and unexpected scenes. I admited that I liked the second voyage of Gulliver, of this parody devoted to the people of giants and the unbelievable misadventures of our surgeon, but for the rest nothing of extraordinary there is a lot of immagination and elements of typical of Irish fables. I expected better, honestly, by the novel of great value of 1800.
3,5/5

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Laura Buffa said on Jan 24, 2011 about the Mass Market Paperback edition | Add your feedback

Wow. Ed io che erroneamente lo credevo un banale classico con storie di viaggi ed avventure. Cinismo imperante, satira pungente, realismo quasi soffocante, iperbole del disgusto per la propria razza.
"In chosing persons for all employments, they have more regard to good morals than to great abiliti ... (continue)

Wow. Ed io che erroneamente lo credevo un banale classico con storie di viaggi ed avventure. Cinismo imperante, satira pungente, realismo quasi soffocante, iperbole del disgusto per la propria razza.
"In chosing persons for all employments, they have more regard to good morals than to great abilities; for, since government is necessary to mankind, they believe that the common size of human understanding is fitted to some station or other; and that Providence never intended to make the managements of public affairs a mistery to be comprehended only by a few persons of sublime genius, of which there seldom are three born in an age: but they suppose truth, justice, temperance, and the like, to be in every man's power; the practice of which virtues, assisted by experience and good intentions would qualify any man for the service of his country, except where a course of study is required. But they thought the want of moral virtues was so far from being supplied by superior endowments of the mind, that employments could never be put into such dangerous hands as those of persons so qualified, and, at least, that the mistakes committed by ignorance, in a virtuos disposition, would never be of such fatal consequence to the public weal, as the practices of a man, whose inclinations led him to be corrupt, and who had great abilities to manage, to multiply, and defend his corruptions."

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The Girl said on Mar 27, 2011 | Add your feedback

1 person find this helpful

Sandra Villanueva Margalef

I got this book through a friend who told me it was interesting to read. I think that it is easy to understand almost all the vocabulary and therefore, is easy to read. It’s an interesting book and with a lot of adventures stories. For this reason I enjoyed reading the book and you won’t get bored a ... (continue)

I got this book through a friend who told me it was interesting to read. I think that it is easy to understand almost all the vocabulary and therefore, is easy to read. It’s an interesting book and with a lot of adventures stories. For this reason I enjoyed reading the book and you won’t get bored anytime because always happens something different. If you like reading adventure stories like me, I invite you to read Gulliver’s Travels. Good luck.

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Teresa Escardo said on May 1, 2010 | Add your feedback

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On Version and Travels in this Book

This version, edited & commentated by Paul Turner in 1971, published by Oxford University Press, is according to Dr. Shan Te-Hsing of our Academia Sinica, "(This version) is still based on that by Davis", "because of its abundance of reference and reasonable price, has enjoyed one of the most wide r ... (continue)

This version, edited & commentated by Paul Turner in 1971, published by Oxford University Press, is according to Dr. Shan Te-Hsing of our Academia Sinica, "(This version) is still based on that by Davis", "because of its abundance of reference and reasonable price, has enjoyed one of the most wide readership".
P. Turner added tons of notes to each chapters. Those notes are all piled up in the back of, which gives readers a hard trek all the way to the back in order to find them. We readers of this Gulliver's Travels have the priviledge of experiencing in first person the hardship of Travels. Those notes, however, are essential to decipher the true (acrimonious) meaning of those sentences or words, so that they don't merely rush past our mind without leaving any traces. Let's not mention all the 15-16 century archaic form of words or grammar.

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八足 said on Jul 31, 2009 about the Others edition | Add your feedback