Famous Translations (Illustrated Edition) - Gulliver's Travels

Author: Swift
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-03-01
Features: "Gulliver's Travels" is an outstanding satirical novel. Its theme is: through Gulliver's adventures in Lilliput, Brobdingnag, Laputa, and Houyhnhnms, it reflects some contradictions of British society in the first half of the 18th century, exposes and criticizes the corruption and crimes of the British ruling class, and the frantic plunder and cruel exploitation of the British bourgeoisie during the primitive accumulation period of capitalism. "Gulliver's Travels" not only has profound ideological content but also has a relatively perfect artistic form. Swift's artistic techniques are worth in many aspects. First, Swift uses fictional plots and fantasy techniques to portray the reality of Britain at that time. At the same time, he also creates a rich and colorful, fairy-tale-like fantasy world based on the reality of Britain at that time. Swift's fantasy world is based on reality, and the contradictions of reality are more concentrated and prominent in the fantasy world. For example, after the Glorious Revolution of 1688, the Whigs and the Tories fought for power and attacked each other, but in reality, they all represented the interests of the nobility and the bourgeoisie. Swift captured the essence of the parliamentary party struggle and created the High-Heels Party and the Low-Heels Party in the Lilliputian society. These fictional plots made the reality more intense, more concentrated, more typical, and more universal. Although early 18th-century Britain is more than 200 years away from today, reading "Gulliver's Travels" still makes us deeply feel that many of its plots still have practical significance today. In capitalist countries today, various bourgeois parties are also vying for power and profit. If you look under their masks, aren't they all representing the interests of the ruling class against the people? Imperialism talks about peace on the surface but actually expands its military forces in preparation for war, etc. What's the difference between this and the situation in Lilliput? The artistic charm of "Gulliver's Travels" lies here. Swift's fantasy and reality are harmonious and unified. Gulliver's experiences in Lilliput, Brobdingnag, the Flying Islands, and the Land of Horses are all different, but they are all arranged reasonably and without any flaws. Every time he arrives in a fantasy land