Gulliver's Travel's Review

Well, sorry I have not written but I have been traveling with Gulliver to some very interesting lands. I have been to lands run by Lilliputians, giants from Brobdingnag, cloud-dwellers from Laputa, magicians from Glubbdubdrib and horses from Houyhnhnms. I also have to say, I would not like to be Gulliver's wife or family because they must have had some weird reports about where Gulliver got lost at in his travels. It seems that every time he traveled he was either in a shipwreck, captured by pirates, and left behind by his crew. I would also not want to be on the ship with Gulliver.

GULLIVER'S TRAVELS by Jonathan Swift published in the Everyman's Library 1991. First published in the Everyman's Library in 1940. It was first published by Jonathan Swift in 1726 after he visits England. Swift was born in Dublin in 1667 and studies at Trinity College in Dublin. This is according to the chronology in the Everyman's Library pages xl to xliv. Also in this chronology we find that GULLIVER'S TRAVELS was written about ten years after the Jacobite rising was put down, the limiting of Irish independence and the death of several queens and kings. Which is probably why there is many political statements made in this book.

Throughout the book, he is asked by the dignitaries to tell them about the place he hales from and how he came to be on their island. Gulliver manages to ingratiate himself with all the leaders, except for the Laputa who have their heads in the clouds. Which if you read this section is an indictment of people who are so smart that they think you are stupid, even if some of the things they are doing are very questionable. The best political description of Gulliver comes near the end when he is trying to tell his master Houyhnhnm (horse) about the lawyers, judges, law-breakers, prostitutes and many other people in Europe. In Houyhnhnm people are called Yahoos and are crude, gross and smelly beings who cannot talk and who the Houyhnhmn would love to eradicate if they could and were not so peace loving.

I love this book, but it did take me a bit to pull it all together. Made me think of our current politacl situations.