GULLIVERS TRAVEL
Some books have an influence on society and culture that extends
far beyond the lifespan of their creators, and if you’ve ever
fantasised about waking up in a land of tiny people, or running
for your life through rows of corn from giants with scythes,
you’ve almost certainly (especially if you’ve grown up in an
English-speaking culture) been influenced by a novel that first
appeared nearly three hundred years ago. I’ll be taking another
look today at this classic of English literature, one that’s
taken on a life of its own, to run with the horses and fly in
the clouds.
Gulliver’s Travels is a collection of satirical travel tales by Irish
writer Jonathan Swift, and ever since its release in 1726, it’s
been a favourite of readers wishing to escape the tedium of
everyday life. The novel takes the form of several accounts of
visits to unknown lands, undertaken by ship’s surgeon Lemuel
Gulliver at the start of the eighteenth century, and while in
some ways the hapless traveller is to be pitied for his bad luck
in being repeatedly shipwrecked, abandoned and cast adrift, the
adventures that result from his misfortune are among some of the
most famous stories in the English language. You see, when we
say ‘unknown lands’, we’re not talking about Australia here, but
incredible realms where life is rather different to that which
we’re accustomed to. On his very first voyage, Gulliver lands
in trouble, waking from a long sleep to find himself in a tricky
situation:
I attempted to rise, but was not able to stir: For as I happened to lie on my Back, I found
my Arms and Legs were strongly fastened on each side to the Ground; and my Hair,
which was long and thick, tied down in the same manner. I likewise felt several slender
Ligatures across my body, from my Armpits to my Thighs.
This is nothing compared to the shock he experiences when he
finds out who has bound him to the ground – a crowd of tiny
humans no more than six inches tall…
As is the case with many true classics, Gulliver’s Travels is one of
those books where it’s hard to tell whether I’ve actually read
it or just lived it (I suspect that most of my memories of the
stories come from their inclusion in the excellent Encyclopedia of
Things That Never Were, a book I repeatedly consulted as a
child). The reader follows the adaptable (and unfortunate)
sailor on his travels, sharing his experiences over the four
lengthy voyages. Alas, each time he gets home, Gulliver finds
himself unable to resist the urge to head off again, soon
leaving his kids and long-suffering wife behind.
But where exactly does he go? The precise locations of the
places he visits are sketchy (owing to storms taking him off
course and mutineers setting him adrift), but they are most
certainly terra incognita. On the island of Lilliput, Gulliver finds
himself towering above the tiny inhabitants while in the land of
Brobdingnag the tables are turned, and the hapless traveller
finds himself stranded in a realm of giants. The third journey
sees him visiting the flying kingdom of Laputa, and the smaller
islands it floats (and reigns) over, before the closing section
takes us to the land of the Houyhnhnms, where humans are savage
and horses rule.
Of course, as fun as it is to learn about these new
lands, Gulliver’s Travels is primarily a satire in which Swift uses his
creations to poke fun at contemporary society. One of the
objects of his scorn is science (something the writer didn’t
think much of), and on the visit to Laputa he skewers the
obsession some have with finding new ways do things. Whether
you agree with Gulliver or not, there’s no doubt that some of
the crazy ideas he’s told, such as extracting sunbeams from
cucumbers or building houses from the roof down, really should
have stayed on the drawing board.
However, the main focus of the writer’s critical eye is
politics, which offended many contemporary critics. The rulers
Gulliver meets over the course of his travels are just as
fascinated by his world as he is with theirs, but after
providing lengthy explanations of European affairs, courts,
governments and conflicts, he’s humbled by how unimpressed his
hosts are with the society he hails from:
As for yourself (continued the King) who have spent the greatest part of your Life in
travelling, I am well disposed to hope you may hitherto have escaped many Vices of
your Country. But by what I have gathered from your own Relation, and the Answers I
have with much Pains wringed and extorted from you, I cannot but conclude the Bulk of
your Natives, to be the most pernicious Race of little odious Vermin that Nature ever
suffered to crawl upon the Surface of the Earth.
Initially, Gulliver is offended by the criticism, but in the
later journeys he ends up agreeing. By the time he visits the
land of the Houyhnhnms and comes face to face with the Yahoos,
the savage excrement-flinging humans, he’s ready to wish he was
a horse instead.
Quite apart from the satire, another interesting feature
of Gulliver’s Travels is the language used. Our hero’s adventures may seem
slightly silly and fantastic now, but it’s important to remember that three centuries ago the
world was still full of wonders. For example, Japan was a mysterious nation closed off to
the rest of the world, and the great southern continent of Australia was still considered a
myth by many. If we focus on the scientific aspect of the novel, it’s notable that the great
Isaac Newton died around this time. Yes, he may have pondered gravity while nursing an
apple-bruised head, but he was also an alchemist who spent half his life searching for the
philosopher’s stone, so there was plenty of scope for the average reader to have doubts
about the limits of the known world!
It won’t be for everyone, but Gulliver’s Travels is generally great fun, even if Swift goes over
the top with the satire at times. However, you’re probably still wondering why I decided to
reread it now. Well, writers often find it amusing to imagine continuations of other
authors’ work (I’ve been guilty of that myself), and I’m evidently not the only one who
wondered whether Gulliver might have followed up his four epic journeys with an even
more spectacular fifth voyage…
Book review by:
Subhrojyoti Pramanik
Sec F
Reg no 2201608227
Semester-V