Terug Gulliver’s Travels (1726)
Book I : a voyage to Lilliput
by
Jonathan Swift
He is generally referred to as the greatest satirist in English literature. He was a man of the ‘Enlightenment’, a rationalist who wrote clear and simple prose. He also wrote a number of poems. Swift hated mankind. He wrote to a friend: "I heartily hate and detest that animal called human."
His best-known work is ‘Gulliver’s Travels’, which is divided into four parts:
A voyage to Lillyput;
A voyage to Brobdingnag;
A voyage to Laputa;
A voyage to the country of the Houyhnhnms.
Neo-classic period (1660-1800)
The term ‘Enlightenment’ is used to characterize the main trend of Eurpean thought in those days. It advocated a rationalistic and scientific approach to the religious social and economic questions of the time and it showed an interest in scientific experiments.
In literature: clearness of expression. Jonathan Swift and his work really fit in this period because he was a man of the ‘Enlightenment’ and a rationalist who wrote clear and simple prose.
Information about the book
Swift reduced everything to a six-inch scale, which gives it the flavour of a mere story for children. The reader hardly realizes it but the intention of book I (A voyage to Lillyput) is to show how tiny our human affairs (and especially the affairs of England in those days) really are when viewed by a giant, Gulliver.
Swift ridicules the violent quarrels between the Conservatives and Liberals, the struggle between the Roman Catholics and the Protestants and the war between England and France.
The only survivor of a shipwreck, Gulliver, falls asleep on the shore of an island. When he awakes he finds himself bound by many thin, but strong ropes. He’s the prisoner of the creatures that resemble human beings in every respect, but only six inches high. After some time he’s set free, though upon certain conditions. In the meantime he has learned their language. He must help the people of Lillyput.
Contents
Reldresal, principal Secretary of Private Affairs, came to Gulliver’s house. He gave him compliments on his liberty. Gulliver held him in his hand by his ear during the conversation. Reldresal said that there are two problems, two mighty evils: a voilent faction at home and the danger of an invasion by a most potent enemy from abroad.
This first problem is that one part of the nation believes that everybody should walk on shoes with high heels and the other part of the nation thinks that everybody should be wearing shoes with low heels. Because of these differences they can’t stand eachother.
The other problem is the war between Lillyput and Blefescu. A long time ago, when the king’s grandfather was a little boy, he cut his finger while breaking an egg on the large end. His father, the king, then decided that all people should open their eggs on the smaller end. A lot of people didn’t agree with him and they were banned to Blefescu. Since then the people of Lillyput and the people of Blefescu, helped by the exiles, have been in war.
The people of Lillyput now think that the people of Blefescu are going to attack them with their new fleet. They ask Gulliver for help.
What is the relation between the fragment and the book?
This fragment is very representative for the book, because in the book the writer is making fun of the English people. In this fragment it is shown very clearly, when the writer tells about the people with high and low heels, this refers to the Conservative and Liberal parties in England. The differences between these two parties are very small, but they are looked upon as very important by the people concerned He also ridicules those people who want to be friends with both parties at once. For example the crown prince with his hobbling gait caused by the uneven length of his heels.
It is shown also very cleary, when the writer explains the differences people have because of how they open their eggs, this refers to the intolerance between the Roman Catholics and Protestants.
My own opinion
I liked the fragment because of the way the writer makes fun of the English people. The ‘egg-story’ really shows how stupid people can be in real life. I first thought that the writer was just making fun of the English people, but it has a deeper meaning. It took me some time, but now I understand that meaning.
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