Balti state university a. Russo chair of english philology

Gulliver’s Travels 
This book provoked a great sensation both in England and Ireland. This book was a total novelty 
in English Literature. In this work Swift intended to satirize the evils of the existing society in 
the form of fictitious travels of a young man. The scenes and the nations described in the book 
are so extraordinarily amusing that the novel became a favourite both with children and grown-
ups. 
It deals with the adventures of a ship‟s surgeon during his four voyages that he made in different 
fictitious places: The first is an account of his voyage to Lilliput; The second is a voyage to 
Brobdimgnag and Guliver‟s encounter with its Giants; The third voyage involves the visit to 
several places, such as: to Laputa, a flying island; to the island of Balnibarbi, where Gulliver 
visits Lagado, a city with an absurd academy; to Clubdubdrib, the island of magicians, and to 
Lugguagg, another island where people continue living after the power of enjoying life is gone; 
the fourth voyage brings Gulliver to the Honyhnhnms where the intelligent creatures are horses 
and all the human beings are reduced to the level of brutes. 
In the first book Gulliver found himself in Lilliput, a nation of tiny creatures who thought too 
much of themselves. Swift used these lilliputs as a nation to show their insignificance, making 
the reader feel contempt for their ideas, customs and institutions. He mocks at their Emperor who 
boasts that he is the delight of the universe, while in fact he is no taller than the side of a nail. 
This country, with shallow interests and corrupted laws, symbolizes England of that time, with 
its court, with the atmosphere of hostility, hypocrisy where the author felt lousy, just as Gulliver 
felt in Lilliput. 
Describing the war between Lilliput and Blefuscu based on disagreement concerning the method 
of breaking eggs, the author expressed his indignation against the war of England with Spain. 
The second voyage brings Gulliver in Brobdingnag, the country of the Giants who treat him very 
kindly. Brobdingnag is an expression of Swift‟s desire to find the ideal and to escape from the 
disguising world of Lilliputians. The author idealizes an agricultural country ruled by an ideal 
monarch. This king is kind and dislikes wars. The conclusion of the King after his talk with 
Gulliver is very significant. He says: “Ignorance, idles and vice are the proper ingredients for 
qualifying a legislator”, which is a grotesque statement. 

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The third Voyage Gulliver undertakes in the country of Laputa. The climax of the bitterness of 
his satire is attained in his description of the Academy of science. These academics are busy 
inventing such nonsense as: 
1. 
Extracting sun beans out of Cucumbers; 
2. 
Building houses beginning from the roof; 
3. 
Converting ice into gunpowder; 
4. 
Softening marble for pillows; 
5. 
Preventing the growth of wool upon lambs, breeding naked sheep all over 
the Kingdom; 
6. 
Simplifying the language by leaving out the verbs and participles; 
Some critics accuse J. Swift of contempt for Science, but it goes without saying that he criticized 
not science itself but parody on it.
Being disgusted with life around him Swift idealized the ancient times in describing Gulliver‟s 
voyage to Clubdubdrid, the island of magicians. The governor of this island has power to revive 
people and commands their service for 24 hours. Swift compares the modern government with 
the senate of Rome. 
The fourth part of the book is devoted by J. Swift to Gulliver‟s travels to Honyhnhnms – the 
ideal island where there is neither sickness, nor dishonesty. The noble race of horses rules the 
country by reason and justice. These horses possess human virtues. This last allegory bares a 
more positive hue than the previous ones, which witnesses that J. Swift was against stupidity, 
ignorance, and stood for reason and justice.