Gulliver’s Travels
About this ebook
Gulliver’s bad luck at sea not only gets him shipwrecked and castaway, but repeatedly throws him into strange societies of even stranger people. Readers are likely aware of Gulliver’s experiences in Lilliput, where he meets a kingdom of six-inch-tall people with a set of prejudices that are as rigid as they are ridiculous. They may be less familiar with Gulliver’s time among the giants of Brobdingnag, the science-obsessed residents of the flying island of Laputa or the horse-like and thoughtful Houyhnhnms, all of which are much less well known despite being every bit as inventive and thought-provoking. Swift’s straightforward narrative style adds both realism and a kind of deadpan humor to his outrageous flights of the imagination. The fantastical nature of Gulliver’s adventures have led the book, especially the section taking place in Lilliput, to be seen by some as a story for children, but the tale’s political and philosophical underpinnings are not hidden and cast a decidedly skeptical eye on humanity. Seen as a collection of delightful fairy tales or as fables that probe the nature of society, Gulliver’s Travels occupies a unique position in the canon of English literature and will undoubtedly be reinterpreted, and enjoyed, as long as books are read. Included in this Mint Edition is Swift’s fierce satirical essay, A Modest Proposal.
With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Gulliver’s Travels is both modern and readable.
About the author
Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) was an Anglo-Irish author, poet and satirist. He took a degree at the University of Oxford, was ordained a priest and eventually became dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin. His fame lies in his writings, most of them under pen names, of which the most celebrated are A Tale of a Tub and Gulliver’s Travels. The author’s keen imagination, coupled with his mastery of language and irony, made him the most renowned satirist of his age, writing with a fierce power that cut to the core of politics, religion and human nature.
