Gulliver's Travels (fiction)

Jonathan Swift (1726)
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THE A5 BOOK REVIEW

A classic in English literature, Gulliver’s Travels is a fictional novel by Jonathan Swift written in 1726.  The narrator, Lemont Gulliver, is an English surgeon caught in a shipwreck and washed up in Lilliput, an island inhabited by little people who first capture him and then enlist his help in the war against the neighboring Blefuscu over how to properly crack eggs.  His voyage next takes him to a land of giants, an island of intellectuals and academics, and a land where horses rule, with human-like servants called Yahoos.  The book, with Gulliver’s deadpan narration in the midst of an over-the-top exotic adventure, is generally interpreted as a satire on the travel literature genre, and even more on human nature itself.  The story has been adapted numerous times in numerous forms, including several versions for kids. 
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GREAT QUOTES FROM GULLIVER'S TRAVELS

“And he gave it for his opinion, "that whoever could make two ears of corn, or two blades of grass, to grow upon a spot of ground where only one grew before, would deserve better of mankind, and do more essential service to his country, than the whole race of politicians put together."

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FIRST EDITION OF GULLIVER'S TRAVELS

INTERESTING LINKS:

  • The full title of the book is Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World.  In Four Parts.  By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships.
  • In 2013, the Guardian ranked Gulliver's Travels as the 3rd best novel written in English.  Read their review here.
  • Believe it or not, Jonathan Swift is believed to have been the author of an essay called "The Benefit of Farting Explain'd", written in 1722 under the pen name "Don Fartinado Puff Indorst".  What could be a better gift for those who love rare books?
  • The University of Oxford has a nice description of the book, along with some interesting commentary on the connection to travel writing.  Click here.