ENLIGHTENMENT

JONATHAN SWIFT – GULLIVER’S TRAVELS

I. HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL POINT OF VIEW:

Jonathan Swift’s novel was published anonymously in 1726 as “Travels into Several
Remote Nations of the World”. The novel was written during the Enlightenment era, a period
of scientific awakening, a time of unprecedented optimism in the potential of knowledge and
reason to understand and change the world. People believed that the knowledge and science
could improve the human condition.
This was also the time when Britain’s first political parties were created: the Whig and
the Tory. While Swift was writing “Gulliver’s Travels”, England was undergoing a lot of
political changes. After the death of Queen Anne, George I, prince of Germany ascended to
the British throne, which he had gained with the assistance of the Whig Party. The period was
greatly affected by The Glorious Revolution and The Restoration- people came back to
monarchy.
The main genre of the Enlightenment era had been the novel, even if the period also
saw the rise of the political pamphlet and essay. The novel was influenced by travel literature,
biographies, memories or diaries. Its hero was the average man, the middle-class man. The
aim of the writer was to educate the readers through stories in which he criticized the laws of
society and individuals. Most of the writers of the time wrote political pamphlets, but the best
came from the pens of Defoe and Swift.
Swift was a complex, passionate individual. His biting satirical writing has often given
rise to the idea that he was a misanthrope.
II. CONTENT AND STYLE:
“Gulliver’s Travels” serves as a biting satire constantly attacking the European society
through its depiction of imaginary nations. The novel appeals to both children and adults for
different reasons. Children are fascinated by the lone traveler who has adventure after
adventure in strange lands inhabited by tiny humans, giants and talking horses. For an adult is
highly sarcastic.
Structurally the book is divided into 4 parts with two introductory letters at the
beginning of the book. Part I follows Gulliver’s journey to Lilliput and its tiny people; Part II
to Brobdingnag and its giants; Part III to several island and countries near Japan. Part IV
follows Gulliver to the country of Houyhnhn. The 1 st and the 2nd parts set up contrasts that
allow Swift to satirize European politics and society. The 3rd part satirizes human institutions
and thinking. The final section moves from criticizing humanity’s works to examining the
flawed nature of humanity itself.
Lemuel Gulliver himself narrates the story of “Gulliver’s Travels” but his 1st person
narrator is not completely reliable. Though Gulliver is very exact with the details of his travel,
Swift deliberately makes the ideas presented in the book.
Over the course of the novel there are several changes in Swift’s style. In the first 2
voyages his style is relatively light-hearted but satiric. In these sections, humour is an
important literary device. In the 3rd voyage, the tone shifts, he becomes more of an abstract
observer, whereas in the last part, the tone becomes more serious, which indicates his change
in personality.
The book also explores the idea of utopia, an imaginary model of the ideal community
like many other narratives about voyages to non-existing lands.
In “Gulliver’s Travels”, and especially in Part I, many of the things Gulliver
experiences can be linked to actual historical events of the Swift’s time. The
religious/political controversy between the Big Enders and Little Enders corresponds to actual
conflicts between Protestants and Catholics; Lilliput stands for England, Blefuscu stands for
France, the two-faced Treasurer Flimnap corresponds to the Whig leader, Robert Walpole.
The Lilliputian Emperor is George I, King of England. The Lilliputian Empress stands for
Queen Anne, who blocked Swift’s advancement in the Church of England, having taken
offense at some of his earlier, signed satires. There are 2 political parties in Lilliput- The
Low-Heels and the High-Heels. These correspond respectively to the Whigs and Tories, two
major British political parties.
The different people that Gulliver visits, symbolically represent different aspects of
humanity. THE LILLIPUTIANS-human pride; the tiniest race ever encountered by Gulliver is
by far the vainest society, always prone to conspiracy. BROBDINGNAGIANS – the physical
side of human when examined up close. LAPUTANS are parodies of theoreticians
symbolizing the absurdity of knowledge that has never been tested or applied.
HOUYHNHNMS represent a society governed by reason. As for the humanoid YAHOOS,
although they look like men, they are naked, filthy and primitive, not capable of government.
THEMES: 1. Human condition 2. Politics 3. Culture Clash 4. Custom and tradition 5.
Science and technology
Recurrent motifs are: excrement foreign languages and clothing. Even though the
Enlightenment culture of the 18th century England tends to view humans as noble souls rather
than vulgar bodies. Swift emphasizes on the common filth of life: Gulliver urinates to put a
fire in Lilliput, Brobdingnagian flies defecate on his meals or scientists work to transform
excrement back to food. Gulliver seems to be a gifted linguist, thing which allows him to
learn the languages of the lands he visits and thus gain access to their culture quickly. The
more ragged his clothes become, the further he was from the comforts and conventions of
England.
The philosophical basis of the whole novel is the contrast between rationality and animality.