First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of several Ships.
Title:
Gulliverovy Cesty by Jonathan Swift
Published:
Praha: Odeon, 1968.
Translation:
Aloys Skoumal
About the author
Jonathan Swift (*1667 †1745) was an Irish cleric, essayist, journalist, political pamphleteer, and poet. He was the foremost prose satirist in the English language. He is famous for works like Gulliver's Travels, A Modest Proposal, A Journal to Stella, The Drapier's Letters, The Battle of the Books, and A Tale of a Tub. Swift is probably the foremost prose satirist in the English language, although he is less well known for his poetry. Swift published all of his works under pseudonyms such as Lemuel Gulliver, Isaac Bickerstaff, M.B. Drapier - or anonymously.
About the book
Gulliver's Travels is perhaps Swift's most prolific and well-known work, spanning a literary sixteen years in physical journey and countless more in personal exploration. In it, Swift explores gender differences, politics, class, money, race, science, education, exploration, love, physical strength, physical beauty, and more, and forces stringent satirical commentary on each. In 1726 Swift paid a long-deferred visit to London, taking with him the manuscript of Gulliver's Travels. During his visit he stayed with his old friends, Alexander Pope. John Arbuthnot, and John Gay, who helped him arrange for the publication of his book. First published in November 1726, it was an immediate hit, with a total of three printings that year and another in early 1727. French, German, and Dutch translations appeared in 1727 and pirated copies were printed in Ireland.
Like all of Swift's works, Gulliver's Travels was originally published without Swift's name on it because he feared government persecution. Swift's sharp observations about the corruption of people and their institutions still ring true today, almost three hundred years after the book was first published.
Main Topic
Gulliver's Travels was originally intended as an attack on the hypocrisy of the establishment, including the government, the courts, and the clergy, but it was so well written that it immediately became a children's favourite. Swift wrote Gulliver's Travels at a time of political change and scientific invention, and many of the events he describes in the book can easily be linked to contemporary events in Europe. One of the reasons that the stories are deeply amusing is that, by combining real issues with entirely fantastic situations and characters, they suggest that the realities of 18th century England were as fantastic as the situations in which Gulliver finds himself.
Through basic analysis of history one learns that anybody who has made a substantial difference in society was originally misunderstood and unappreciated.
Plot summary
At its simplest level, Gulliver's Travels is the story of Lemuel Gulliver and his voyages around the world. Prefaced by two letters attesting to the truth of the tales, the adventures are told by Gulliver after his return home from his final journey.
The narrator, also the hero of the story, Gulliver, starts by telling the reader that his father sent him to school when he was young. Gulliver was schooled to become a surgeon there and he also took up navigation and other subjects that would be valuable at sea. After his education, he became a doctor on a ship for a couple of years.
Lemuel Gulliver speaks to the reader and explains that he will retell of his experiences at sea. He recounts his youth, education, and marriage and about his reasons for writing these tales.
The book comprises four different travels. In the first, Gulliver narrates how he happened to shipwreck in Lilliput Island, where its inhabitants were only six inch tall and fights wars “Obě mohutná mocnářství vedou….už šestatřicet měsícu houževnatě válku” (pg.32) . In the second voyage, Gulliver and some other mariners reach the shores of Brobdingag, the country of peaceful giants. With such a microscopic view into humanity, Gulliver discovers the grotesque nature of human beings, both physically and spiritually. The king of Brobdingnag, after hearing about Gulliver’s country, thinks that the people there must be the most hateful race of creatures on earth “…z odpovědí, které jsem z tebe pracně vymámil a vyždímal, nemohu leč usoudit, že valná část tvých krajanů je nejškodlivější drobná hnusná havěť, jaká se kdy z dopuštění přírody plazila po povrchu země.” (pg.87)
In the third part, we find Gulliver's most satirical voyage to the Flying Island of Laputa and to its neighbouring countries Balnibarbi, Luggnagg, Glubbdurbdribb and Japan. “Lap ve stare, dnes již neužívané řeči znamená vysoký, a untuh zase vladař, z čehož prý zkomolením z Lapuntuh vzniklo Laputa.” (pg. 107) Eventually Gulliver narrates his forth and last voyage to the country of Houyhnhnms, the wise horses who enslave a kind of degenerated human species called Yahoos. “Slovo Hvajhnhnim znamená v jejich jazyce koně a původně znamenalo přírodní dokonalost.” (pg.156)
Characters
Lemuel Gulliver - the narrator and protagonist of the story
Lilliputians - the race of miniature people whom Gulliver meets on his first voyage
The Emperor of Lilliput - the ruler of Lilliput, he appears both laughable and sinister
Brobdignags - giants whom Gulliver meets on his second voyage. Brobdingnagians are basically a reasonable and kindly people governed by a sense of justice.
Laputans - absentminded intellectuals who live on the floating island of Laputa, encountered by Gulliver on his third voyage
Yahoos - unkempt humanlike beasts who live in servitude to the Houyhnhnms
Houyhnhms - rational horses who maintain a simple, peaceful society governed by reason and truthfulness—they do not even have a word for “lie” in their language
The Queen - the queen of Brobdingnag who is so delighted by Gulliver’s beauty and charms that she agrees to buy him from the farmer for 1,000 pieces of gold
The King - the king of Brobdingnag, who, in contrast to the emperor of Lilliput, seems to be a true intellectual
The farmer - Gulliver’s first master in Brobdingnag
Glumdalclitch - The farmer’s nine-year-old daughter, she becomes Gulliver’s friend and nursemaid
Gulliver’s Houyhnhnm master - the Houyhnhnm who first discovers Gulliver and takes him into his own home
Lord Munodi - a lord of Lagado, capital of the underdeveloped land beneath Laputa, who hosts Gulliver and gives him a tour of the country on Gulliver’s third voyage
Mary Burton Gulliver - Gulliver’s wife, whose perfunctory mention in the first paragraphs of Gulliver’s Travels demonstrates how unsentimental and unemotional Gulliver is
Richard Sympson - Gulliver’s cousin, self-proclaimed intimate friend, and the editor and publisher of Gulliver’s Travels
Don Pedro de Mendez - the Portuguese captain who takes Gulliver back to Europe after he is forced to leave the land of the Houyhnhnms
Narrator
There is a a first-person narrator called Lemuel Gulliver. „Odstěhoval jsem se z Old Jury do Fetter Lane a odtamtud od Wappingu a těšil jsem se, že najdu práci u námořníku...“ (pg. 13)
Language
Because of the structure, the book as a whole has a very sketchy plot; it feels more like weekly episodes than one long narrative. It is sometimes difficult to follow the main storyline because the narration jumps often from one episode to another. Swift uses an archaic type of language and run-along sentences, where the trying for ironic touch-tinge and sometimes the arrogance of the narrator seems to be clear.
Chapters, books
Gulliver's Travels is divided into four parts or books, each about a different place. Every part is divided into more chapters.
PART I: A Voyage to Lilliput
PART II: A Voyage to Brobdingnag
PART III: A Voyage to Laputa, Balnibarbi, Luggnagg, Glubbdubdrib and Japan
PART IV: A Voyage to the Country of the Houyhnhnms
At the beginning of the book there is a short part called “The Publisher to the Reader” and the “Letter from Capt. Gulliver, to his Cousin Sympson”.
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Jonathan Swift wrote Gulliver’s Travels in 1762 with the intent of entertaining many people. Entertainment through satire is what Swift had in mind. This was accomplished when Bantam Books first published his tales in 1962. It was again published by Bantam Books in 1981, New York, New York being the place of publication.
To fully understand Gulliver’s Travels, one must first reflect upon the following: the plot, character, setting, theme, point of view, conflict, climax, resolution, symbolism, and figurative language. These ideas will help the reader comprehend some of the ideas portrayed throughout the novel, as well as why Swift wrote them.
The setting plays an important role in all novels, but in Gulliver’s Travels, one must take into consideration that the four different parts of the book have different settings. The first setting is more or less on an island called Lilliput, on November 5, 1699. Gulliver ended up on this island due to a ship wreck. The setting to the second part of the novel happens to be upon his arrival to another island that Gulliver wishes to inspect for water. This was on the 16th of June, 1703. The third part of the book has many different little scenes. The first of which takes place on Laputa an island of deformed creatures. The fourth and final part of the book takes place in the country of Houyhnhnms, in 1711.
The main character, Gulliver, is a well educated sailor. He has been recommended to be a surgeon. Traveling around the world, exploring new places, Gulliver meets many new cultures and civilizations. Gulliver wears clothes not uncommon to the 1700’s. He has long hair, that sometimes restricts him from turning his head. Gulliver is a round character. This can be seen when he refers to past experiences during an adventure. This means that he can compare the two situations, thus learning from it. There are many minor characters. Easier referred to by the names of their people. Them being: the small Lilliputians, the giant Brobdingnags, the creatures at Lugnagg and Balnibarbi, with the islands of Laputa and Blubdrubdrib. And finally, the Yahoos and Houyhnhnms. Gulliver’s stories are told in the first person by himself.
Some very important symbols are used throughout the novel to depict some very important ideas. One of these symbols would be when Gulliver relieves himself on the Lilliputians royal castle to put out a fire. It seems, as though how silly something may seem, it just might be an answer to an important problem. A second symbol clearly seen is the relationship to the Yahoos and the Houyhnhnms. This is easily perceived as a representation of the relationship to horses and humans. The superiority of the horses in the novel shows how, although different, they may just be as smart, if not smarter than the owner.
Some very important themes that the reader may have picked up on can be very helpful. One of these themes is that no matter how small something is, it is not inferior. Gulliver stayed with the Lilliputians for a very long time. The fact that they were only six inches tall did not mean that he could do anything he wanted around or to them. Another theme that the reader should have got is that no matter how large something is, it still has to have a small amount of brains. The giants in the second part were very tall, but nowhere did the book say that they were very smart.
There are many different conflicts throughout the novel as well. Some of these being internal, and others being external. One of the internal conflicts can be seen when Gulliver is tied down by the Lilliputians. Gulliver has a chance to snatch up many of the little creatures, but knows that they will most likely shoot him with needle-like arrows. An external conflict is between Gulliver’s crew against nature. Many times Gulliver gets blown off course by a storm or has his boat overturned by waves. This is an example of human against nature.
Some of the literary devices that Swift uses in Gulliver’s Travels are satire and irony. Swift wrote the novel as a parody of travel books and an indictment of mankind; it is revered as a charming children’s story. The ironies Swift intended to be recognized-the small-mindedness of the tiny Lilliputians, the physical and moral abnormality of the giant Brobdingnagians, and the perfect animalizing of the filthy manlike Yahoos (far inferior to the placid horses they work for)-are often ignored or dismissed.
After considering all of this, the reader should have a better understanding of the novel. Being able to pay a greater attention to the details of a novel always helps one understand the greater, more broad ideas following them. Jonathan Swift was a magnificent author. Without his Gulliver’s Travels, there would be a great gap in the art of Literature.
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