Concetti Chiave
- The work is divided into four books, each set in a distinct location, allowing for a varied satirical exploration of human folly and vice.
- Lemuel Gulliver, the protagonist and narrator, undergoes a moral transformation, becoming disillusioned with European society and its institutions.
- In Book 1, Gulliver encounters the small and power-hungry Lilliputians, highlighting the absurdity of political power struggles.
- Book 2 features giants who contrast with the Lilliputians by displaying wisdom and kindness, yet Gulliver remains a spectacle among them.
- Book 4 introduces a utopian society of rational horses, showcasing Gulliver's ultimate rejection of corrupt human nature in favor of noble reason.
Was born in
The satire is a literary composition in which human folly and vice are ridiculed.
Indice
Structure of the work
This work is divided in 4 books linked to 4 different settings. The hero and also the narrator is the ship’s surgeon Lemuel Gulliver (sia protagonista che narratore). He starts a voyage, but he shipwrecked. Swift provided illustrated maps of the places Gulliver visited. At the end of each book he manages to return to England.
-Book 1: Gulliver sails from Bristol and is ship-wrecked somewhere in the South Pacific on the shore of ‘Lilliput’. The ‘Lilliputians’, are small people that represent the meanness, cruel and thirsty for power. Gulliver gets king's favor and manages to return to England.
Book 2: The giants
-Book 2: Gulliver sails for India and he finds himself in a country located in Alaska. The natives are giants who are wise and good people. He becomes the king’s pet, he is kept in a cage, but one day he is dropped in the middle of the Ocean by a huge bird and he was rescued by a ship who helped him to return to England.
-Book 3: Gulliver’s ship attacked by pirates. He finds himself on the flying island of ‘Laputa’. The abitants are immortal absent-minded astronomers, philosophers and scientists. Indeed, they have a “faulty knowledge”, being out of reality. The island drops Gulliver on Japan and he manages to return to England.
Book 4: The horses
-Book 4: Gulliver’s last voyage to the utopian land, the island of horses endowed with reason that rules over the Yahoos, stupid and corrupt animals resembling human. Gulliver faces the cruel humanity of the Yahoos, he dislikes them and is ashamed of his similarity with them. He decides to stay with the horses forever, but the horses banish him because he is a Yahoo and so he leaves for England, where he joins his wife and children but cannot stand their “smell of humanity”. He goes to live in the stable with the animals that remind him the nobility of the horses.
Characteristics of Gulliver
-Gulliver is a middle aged, well educated and sensible man and he differs from the typical traveller. The people he meets during his voyages are civilized people. Gulliver is disgusted by everything at home because Europe is falling into a state of corruption. In fact in the first part, Gulliver believes in and support the world in which he lives but thanks to his voyage he completely changes his moral perspective and realizes that British institution are not the best. Also Gulliver is both an object of satire and an instrument of satire, used by the author.
Reflections on misanthropy
-This work is a masterpiece of misanthropy because it is a reflection on the aberrations of human reason.
-This work is also a political allegory and we can understand through allusions to people and events during the reign of Queen Anne and George I (Swift’s time).
Domande da interrogazione
- What is the structure of the work and how does it contribute to the narrative?
- How does Gulliver's character evolve throughout his voyages?
- What role does satire play in Gulliver's Travels?
- How does the theme of misanthropy manifest in the work?
- In what ways is Gulliver's Travels a political allegory?
The work is divided into four books, each set in a different location, with Lemuel Gulliver as the protagonist and narrator. This structure allows for varied satirical exploration of human folly and vice, as Gulliver encounters different societies and returns to England at the end of each book.
Gulliver starts as a well-educated and sensible man who believes in his society. However, his voyages lead him to a complete change in moral perspective, realizing the flaws in British institutions and becoming disgusted with the corruption he perceives at home.
Satire is central to the work, with Gulliver serving as both an object and instrument of satire. The narrative ridicules human folly and vice, using allegorical societies to critique contemporary politics and human nature.
The work is a reflection on the aberrations of human reason, portraying a deep skepticism towards humanity. This misanthropy is evident in Gulliver's growing disdain for human society and his preference for the rational horses over corrupt humans.
The work serves as a political allegory through its allusions to people and events from Swift's time, particularly during the reign of Queen Anne and George I. It critiques the political landscape and institutions of the era through its satirical narrative.
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