GULLIVER'S TRAVELS
When
Gulliver's Travels was published in 1726, the author's name, Jonathan Swift,
did not appear on the book. The title page read, "Travels into several remote Nations of
the World, by Lemuel Gulliver...". Many people accepted this as fact. Travel books of the
time told many tales that were no more strange than the imaginary adventures of
Gulliver. One sea captain even claimed that he knew Captain Gulliver well. Other readers
condemned the book as full of exaggerations. Although it became one of the most
famous books for children, it was not written for children. It was savage satire aimed at
the human race. The tiny Lilliputians are vain, malicious and bloodthirsty. The king and
the court of Lilliput are a parody of the English king and court. The giants of Brobdingnag
are amiable, but commonplace and insensitive. Laputa is full of the foolish philosophers
and scientists whom Swift despised. The Houyhnhnms are horses who use degraded
men, Yahoos, just as men use horses elsewhere. Looking at mankind through the eyes
of horses, Swift sees people as vicious, greedy and ignorant. From its first appearance,
Gulliver's Travels delighted its readers instead of shocking them. In spite of his
bitterness, Swift took a dry delight in making his narrative sound real even when it was
fantastic. Children could enjoy the marvellous adventures of a traveller among pygmies
and giants, on a flying island, and in a country where horses talk. Thus,
Gulliver's Travels
soon became a children's classic.
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