Gulliver's Travels

Author: (English) Swift / Liu Rongyue
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: Gulliver begins his second journey in 1699, encounters a storm at sea, and lands in a country called Lilliput, where the people are only 15 centimeters tall. He later escapes and returns home. However, he soon embarks on another journey, first to Brobdingnag, then to Laputa and Lilliput, and finally to the even more bizarre land of the Houyhnhnms. As a young man, Gulliver is proud of humanity and his homeland—England. During his travels to these strange countries, he converses with giants, magicians, and horses. At first, he finds their unusual claims and strange beliefs amusing. But as time passes, he begins to feel confused and questions himself: "Why do humans wage wars, lie, cheat, and kill each other? Is there no better way to live?"
Jonathan Swift (1667–1745) is one of the most famous writers in the history of English literature, and Gulliver's Travels is his masterpiece. With extraordinary imagination, the author describes the various bizarre events Gulliver encounters during his journeys to places like "Lilliput," "Brobdingnag," and the "Houyhnhnms." For example, in "Lilliput," he can casually hold and play with people of all social classes, from the king to the commoners, in the palm of his hand; while in "Brobdingnag," he is restricted and controlled like a child. After arriving in the "Houyhnhnms," horses become symbols of wisdom, and humans become inferior creatures. Through these amusing stories, the author satirizes the many flaws of British society at the time, such as the political intrigue of politicians and the insatiable greed of the wealthy. While readers marvel at the author's creativity, they also gain a general understanding of the state of Britain during that era.