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Gulliver's Travels (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

by Jonathan Swift (Author), Robert DeMaria (Contributor) "I hope you will be ready to own publicly, whenever you shall be called to it, that by your great and frequent Urgency you prevailed..." (more)
Key Phrases: flying island, Sorrel Nag, Persons of Quality, Ministers of State (more...)

4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)

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Product Description
Shipwrecked castaway Lemuel Gulliver's encounters with the petty, diminutive Lilliputians, the crude giants of Brobdingnag, the abstracted scientists of Laputa, the philosophical Houyhnhnms, and the brutish Yahoos give him new, bitter insights into human behavior. Swift's fantastic and subversive book remains supremely relevant in our own age of distortion, hypocrisy, and irony.

Edited with an Introduction by Robert DeMaria, Jr.

About the Author
Jonathan Swift (1667-1745), a poet, satirist, and clergyman, published many satirical works, among them A Modest Proposal.

Robert DeMaria, Jr. is Henry Noble McCracken Professor of English at Vassar College. He has published widely on seventeenth- and eighteenth-century literature.

Product Details

Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Penguin Classics; Revised edition (February 25, 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0141439491
ISBN-13: 978-0141439495
Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 1 inches
Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #17,391 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
I hope you will be ready to own publicly, whenever you shall be called to it, that by your great and frequent Urgency you prevailed on me to publish a very loose and uncorrect Account of my Travels; with Direction to hire some young Gentlemen of either University to put them in Order, and correct the Style, as my Cousin Dampier did by my Advice, in his Book called, A Voyage round the World. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
flying island

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Sorrel Nag, Persons of Quality, Ministers of State, Capital City, Majesty's Commands, Man of War, Royal Palace, Friend the Secretary, Majesty's Subjects, Men of War, Minister of State, Persons of Distinction, Presence of Mind, Race of Mortals, Royal Park, Royal Person

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Citations (learn more)

This book cites 20 books:

A Tale of a Tub (Everyman's University Paperbacks) by Jonathan Swift in Front Matter (1), Front Matter (2), and Back Matter
Henry VIII (History of Britain) by Andrew Langley in Back Matter
Family and Friends (Super Coloring Book) by Random House on page 138
On the Sublime (Texts and Studies in Religion) by Longinus in Back Matter
Complete Poems (Penguin Classic) by Jonathan Swift in Front Matter

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85 books cite this book:

Jonathan Swift and Popular Culture: Myth, Media, and the Man by Ann Cline Kelly on 9 pages
Humans And Other Animals in Eighteenth-Century British Culture: Representation, Hybridity, Ethics by Frank Palmeri on 5 pages
Irony (The New Critical Idiom) by C. Colebrook on page 81, page 83, and page 87
Literature in Context by Rick Rylance on page 64, and page 77
Fatal News: Reading and Information Overload in Early Eighteenth-Century Literature (Literary Criticism and Cultural Theory) by Katherine E. Ellison in Front Matter, and Back Matter

See all 85 books citing this book

Books on Related Topics (learn more)

The Basic Writings of Jonathan Swift by Jonathan Swift

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Relativite et communication dans les Voyages de Gulliver de Jonathan Swift by Francoise Lapraz-Severino

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Customer Reviews

26 Reviews

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4.6 out of 5 stars (26 customer reviews)

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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No More Excuses - It's Time to Read Gulliver's Travels, August 10, 2005

By	R. M. Fisher "Raye" (New Zealand = Middle Earth!) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

I am certain that nearly every person in the Western world (and some beyond it) is familiar with the quintessential scene of "Gulliver's Travels," that of a man tied down to the ground and surrounded by tiny humans. I am equally certain however, that only a very small percentage of these people have actually read Jonathan Swift's satirical novel, first published in 1726. If you consider yourself a serious reader, then "Gulliver's Travels" is essential reading, one of the many classic novels that you simply *have* to read before you die.

Divided into four parts, "Gulliver's Travels" is presented as the historical memoirs of Lemuel Gulliver who narrates his strange adventures in undiscovered countries. In doing so, Swift explores and satirises almost every conceivable issue important in both his time and in ours: politics, religion, gender, science, progress, government, family and our basic ideas of defining humanity. As well as this, the novel is full of wonder and humour (some of it bordering on the vulgar!) and Swift's exploration of imaginary societies and countries is satire at its peak - no one before or since has reached Swift's mastery of this style.

Some of the more direct parodies concern people and events that have long since passed away, and as such an index or extensive background is required in order to fully understand the allusions that Swift is making. However, a far larger portion of the text discusses issues that are still relevant to today's readers, especially in the responsibilities of power and the limits to technological/scientific progression.

Part One: "A Voyage to Lilliput" is the most famous segment of the novel, and the context of the afore-mentioned "hostage episode". After taking leave of his family and country, Gulliver is washed up on the shores of an island inhabited by humanoid beings not more than six inches tall. Though at first suspicious, Gulliver soon earns the trust of the Lilliputian people who enlist their newfound giant in defending them from their enemies on the bordering island of Blefufeu - who likewise are desperate to use the giant in their war against Lilliput. Hmm, a squabble over what is considered a weapon capable of mass destruction. Sound familiar? This ability to place modern day references over older texts and their meanings is what separates literature from books - universal themes and concerns that do not age with time.

In Part Two, Gulliver reaches the polar opposite of Lilliput in "A Voyage to Brobdingnag", a country of giants where he becomes the helpless victim of a greedy farmer who exploits his diminutive stature to his own advantage. Displayed as a freak of nature, the tiny Gulliver is forced to perform circus tricks till he finally comes into the care of the royal court. Despite being cared for by the gentle farmer's daughter Grildrig, Gulliver has to survive wasp-attacks, hungry cats and a malicious dwarf before he is finally seized by a hunting bird and set adrift at sea.

One of the most appealing things about Gulliver's travels in both Lilliput and Brobdingnag is the disorientation he feels on re-entering the company of humans of a normal stature - each time they seem either too small or too big and Gulliver is constantly slouching or tip-toeing in an attempt to reconcile his body to what his mind tells him he should see. The best part is that we share this confusion with him, as we ourselves become accustomed to life in the tiny and giant worlds.

Part Three is the least known of the four parts, and for those who have read the novel, the least popular. I consider this unfortunate as it is more full of variety and wonderment than the other segments, contains some of his sharpest parodies and is my personal favourite `voyage' in the novel. Titled "A Voyage to Laputa, Balnibarbi, Luggnagg, Gluggdubdrib and Japan", it is easy to see that it this episode is filled with Swift's most creative inventions. It is here that Gulliver discovers a floating island, a race of immortals, a university in which they attempt to discover the answers to all things and an island of spirits who summon historical figures up out of the past. With everything from inward-eyed people to Alexander the Great to exploding dogs, Part Three has it all.

Finally, in Part Four, the novel reaches its most critical and thought-provoking statement on humankind in "A Voyage to the Country of the Houyhnhnms". Gulliver reaches a country inhabited by a remarkable race of horses with the intelligence of humans - perhaps with even *more* intelligence than humans. Also living here is a disgusting race of beings known as "Yahoos" - filthy, greedy, slothful, lecherous creatures who embody every vice known to mankind - and who are suspiciously humanoid in shape and form. Gulliver is faced with a crisis of the soul: does he really come from the race of Yahoos? Will the Houyhnhnms accept him as one of their own or as a Yahoo? And how can he ever return home with the devastating wisdom he has gained? Swift presents a fascinating study on the dark side of humanity and the nobility of animals in the climax of the novel that is the most controversial, the most studied and the most memorable.

"Gulliver's Travels" is not an easy book to read; like all older literary novels it requires the attention and patience of the reader, has complicated and contemporary issues to discuss and a tendency to be a bit long-winded at times. But regardless of this, "Gulliver's Travels" is a fascinating and enjoyable read and one of those books that just *has* to be read during your lifetime - if not for any other reason but to say that you *have* read it. Though the scanty amount of reviews on this page is disheartening, "Gulliver's Travels" is a must-read, pure and simple.

I also recommend the Hallmark adaptation of Swift's novel - NOT to be watched instead of reading the book, but as a surprisingly faithful and intelligent miniseries that accompanies the novel well.

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great text that will live on for centuries, February 11, 2006

By	Mark (Bowling Green, OH) - See all my reviews

Swift's Gulliver's Travels is one of the smartest British novels ever written. It is a funny, sharp, poignant, and startling look at human nature. The most interesting part of the novel is the many conversations between Gulliver and the Houyhnhnm master relating to the causes of war and other aspects of human nature. This novel is a wonderful reflection of human society that really makes the reader question his or her methods or discourse.

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16 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars On Extracting Sunlight From Cucumbers, And Other Human Follies, October 9, 2006

By	Robert I. Hedges - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

"Gulliver's Travels" is perhaps the best known of a classical satires, following the adventures of Lemuel Gulliver on multiple journeys all of which serve his objective of profiling the moral (and physical) fragility of mankind, with special care taken to point out problems associated with hubris and war (Swift was an extreme pacifist.) This edition of the book features commentary and notes by Robert DeMaria which are helpful putting the book in context, especially for those deficient in knowledge of English political history. As an aside, the textual notes are so numerous, that footnotes would have been vastly more functional to the reader than endnotes, nevertheless, the commentary is largely on the mark and helpful.

The book is written in four parts, of which most students are only exposed to part one, as I was previously. In part one, Gulliver ventures to Lilliput, where he is a giant among men, the Lilliputians being very small. He is in fact referred to as "Quinbus Flestrin," or, the "Man-Mountain." Part one is essentially about political strife in England, and directly skewers the Walpole government with the character of Flimnap. One of the issues for readers will be keeping a running account of all the over-the-top names Swift uses throughout the book (Houyhnhnms, Traldragdubb, Balnibarbi, Brobdingnag, etc.) The notes explain how these are clever, playful words satirizing specific people or things in Europe as it then was, but I must admit to finding them a bit wearisome to wade through after a few hundred pages. Perhaps the most recognizable of the satirized states is Blefuscu, a dead ringer for France. These are minor inconveniences to endure to read one of the greatest works of satire (and allegory) ever written, though I think Swift tops this in the pure satire department with "A Modest Proposal."

Part two has Gulliver in a role-reversal as he ventures to Brobdingnag where he is now small relative to the population. He is exploited and used as entertainment, but is cared for by the young Glumdalclitch, who becomes his tutor as well. Throughout the book Swift uses extremely expressive language ("She would craunch the Wing of a Lark, Bones and all, between her Teeth...") and displays an unfortunate predilection for describing human waste production (I actually considered titling the review "Obsession With Excrement" but decided to leave that to a future student's dissertation in psychology.) This section highlights the parallels between Swift and the equally brilliant, though much less known work, "The Monikins" by James Fenimore Cooper from 1835. I believe that part two is the most pointed towards government with passages like "You have clearly proved that Ignorance, Idleness, and Vice are the proper Ingredients for qualifying a Legislator" (pages 122-123.) Later he similarly skewers lawyers (most notably on page 229, and in the information provided in the "Textual Notes" on page 303,) a feature of the book I enjoyed immensely.

Section three is the weakest of the four, and also the last written. It concerns Gulliver's adventures with the flying island, Laputa, and while comparatively weak, is delightfully whimsical. A favorite example is on page 150 where the serving methods of foods are discussed ("...a Shoulder of Mutton, cut into an Equilateral Triangle...," etc.) One other note I will make about the book is the very unconventional (by modern standards) capitalization, italic usage, and spelling. DeMaria explains his process for cleaning up the text which is admirable in its purity, though I would have been more pleased if he had applied contemporary conventions of font use at least. Also of note is the fact that Swift himself is irritating in his very irregular and inconsistent spelling and punctuation.

Part four is my personally least favorite, as it quickly devolves into what could today be seen as a socialist fantasy world of the Houyhnhnms, horses who rule wisely and justly over the savage and detestable Yahoos (humans.) This part drags, and turns to human self-loathing very rapidly (Gulliver can't even stand the smell of his wife when he returns to England, preferring the odor of his stable, for one example of many.) While I grasp the satirical points that Swift was attempting to make in this part, it falls short for me, although it does make his pacifist bent quite clear. Part four makes the points that Swift sets out to make, and on that level it is successful, I just don't think all the points he seeks to make are valid.

Overall this in combination with "A Modest Proposal" (an essay from 1729 which suggests that the Irish eat their own children) are the most famous works of satire ever written, and should be read by any serious student of English literature or history.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The seminal satire
Gulliver's Travels is the must read satire that echoes down the years. Swift brilliantly deployed (even invented) many great satirical devices such as messing about with scale,... Read more

Published 3 months ago by Sirin

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW (sorry, but I don't know what to say)
Wow, the title really explains everything. My definition of a great book is one that has a thrilling storyline and still carries great symbolism. Read more

Published 3 months ago by Paul Theis

5.0 out of 5 stars Vivid imagery, stunning wit, and multi-layered meaning make this profound piece of literature I've ever read
With the "bowlderized" film version my only exposure to Gulliver's Travels, I was under the horribly mistaken impression it was a "kids' book." Ha! Read more

Published 3 months ago by J. D. Seagraves

5.0 out of 5 stars Profound, if you allow it...
I recently took a graduate course in topics of Modern philosophy and we read this book in great detail. Read more

Published 6 months ago by Joseph Avant

5.0 out of 5 stars Gulliver's Travel is the greatest satire in the English language
Satire is a staple of comedy shows on cable tv. However, the greatest satirist of the English language is not to be found in hilarious monologues on television. Read more

Published 9 months ago by C. M Mills

3.0 out of 5 stars Good read, a little dated
I really enjoyed reading through Gulliver's Travels, I recommend it to anybody who's trying to get a good grasp on the classics and learn to enjoy some literature, but for those... Read more

Published 9 months ago by J. Becker

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting
Gulliver's Travels is definetely an interesting read. The changes pace frequently because the book is divided into four books according to his different adventures. Read more

Published 10 months ago by Samantha W.

5.0 out of 5 stars a fantastic book
This was excellent. I didn't think I'd ever want to read Gulliver's Travels, the eighteenth century English satire by Jonathan Swift. But I couldn't put the book down. Read more

Published 12 months ago by M. H. Levenson

5.0 out of 5 stars The Greatest Book!
Gulliver's travel is a great book about adventure. He was washed off his ship to shore. Next thing he knows he's tied down to the ground. Read more

Published 12 months ago by Mr B

5.0 out of 5 stars NOT Bringing Home the Bacon!
Our hero Gulliver and his wife could use some counseling. It seems that every time he plops down on the sofa with his better-half and children, Gulliver gets restless and needs to... Read more

Published 15 months ago by First Things First

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