I was pleasantly surprised to discover how entertaining this story was and how well it flowed. I knew it wouldn’t be in the same old English as Chaucer and Spencer, however the modern language was aided with great amounts of imagery which made for an encompassing literary experience. Within this novel, Swift creates multiple journeys for our main character through which he is able discover abroad and reflect upon situations domestically in England. In doing so, he is able to satirize many events and express his personal opinions masked by fiction.
Swift does a wonderful job of creating the main character of “Captain Gulliver,” giving him enough of a background for us to understand his immediate situation of waking up in the kingdom of Lilliput. From there, I love how he presents the story through Gulliver’s perspective, which broadens as he learns more and more about where he is.
While I know that this literary work is presented as a satire, it is worked into the novel so you don’t always immediately recognize it. Our “Norton Anthology” book leaves foot notes at the bottom of each page when a satirical reference is made. Personally, I was surprised to see how much material he pulled directly from history or his life.
Until reaching chapter four, in which the war over cracked eggs was discussed, there was little sarcasm or exaggerating which screamed satire. As with the “Butter Battle Book,” this piece literature seems to simply present a fictional story line and adventurous plot. While small children and those who are unaware of a deeper meaning may just enjoy the fantasy and excitement, there is a very prevalent underlying meaning to nearly everything. Swift then goes a step further to present those particular things in a light that reflects his personal opinions about them.
For example, the description of the Lilliput emperor is said to satirically idealize George I, whom was seen as “gross” to most British (p 2499.) The constant plea for liberty for Gulliver’s freedom with the contrasting threat of starvation or rebellion suggest the Irish situation while under England (p 2501.) Satirical references span from religion, government/monarchy, wars, and even executions…and this was only chapters one through four!
The first section of this book captivated me through its easy to read structure and whimsical plot line. This literary work has left me wanting to read more and I am excited to see what all develops within the next chapters!