Gulliver's Travels (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))

Gulliver's Travels is such a great classic that it is difficult to write any sort of regular review. So instead I have compiled a list of observations. Isaac Asimov, the distinguished writer, scientist, and Sci-fi buff, speculates that the made-up languages in Gulliver's Travels are basically nonsense; then he turns around and speculates that Lilliput is a corruption of "little bit". Good guess! - but maybe it's "little part" or "little pint"? Asimov also gives a other cases where highly plausible decipherments can be made. Interestingly, Swift's made-up languages often have a definite Italian ring. Swift himself says so much when commenting on the language of Laputa. Did Swift have a particularly admiration for Italian? Did he study it? It is usually assumed that most events and characters in Gulliver are veiled satires on England, and its misrule of Ireland. Perhaps. But maybe Swift was also poking fun at the Italian states. The "good old days" for which Swift pined may then be those of the Roman empire. It is often claimed that the fourth book is the best, and the third book the weakest. I disagree! Possibly from a purely stylistic standpoint the fourth book, on the horse-people, IS the best. But this is not enough to make it the most interesting. The Houyhnhnms represent Swift's idea of purely rational, benign beings. They don't lie, and have virtually no crime. But frankly, they are boring! They appear to have neither dreams nor aspirations, and little imagination. They spend much of their time in busy-work - apparently so as to stay out of trouble, in the manner of certain monastic orders. Perhaps the real trouble is that humans have a limited capacity for imagining perfect goodness. Look at the divine comedy triptych painted by Bosch. Which is the most interesting panel? The one on heaven? I don't think so! The third book (the one about the flying island of Laputa) contains a wealth of ideas - even if hastily written. Asimov points out that, unlike the other books, in the third book Swift takes considerable pains to explain "the marvelous" in scientific terms -- at least to the extent such explanations are possible. This is a hallmark of science fiction, as opposed to fantasy. A strong case can be made for Swift as the first true sci-fi writer. Consider, for example, his amazingly prophetic description of the two moons of Mars. Here is another example of Swifts amazing prescience. It is from Laputa, and illustrates the major concerns of Laputa's scientists: "These people are under continual Disquietudes, never enjoying a minutes Peace of Mind; and their disturbances proceed from causes which very little effect the rest of Mortals. ... That, the Earth very narrowly escaped a Brush from the last Comet, which would have infallibly reduced it to Ashes; and that the next, which they have calculated for One and Thirty years hence, will probably destroy us." Don't we incessantly hear about the grave dangers comets and asteroids pose to us?

There will be two parts to this review. The first, a review of this edition. The second, a review of the book. First, this edition: I cannot easily express how impressed I am with the Sterling Unabridged Classics that I have received thus far. The books are all hardbound, a must for any serious reader. Additionally, the print is large enough for easy reading without being overly large. Perhaps the nicest feature of these books is that each comes with a satin bookmark ribbon bound into the volume. The high quality of the paper and hard covers along with the above mentioned features makes each of the volumes published by Sterling a required addition to the library of any serious reader of classic literature. My only criticism is that the books could use more illustrations. The illustrations that are there are amazing but they are too few. All-in-all I would recommend any serious reader add these attractive and modestly priced editions to their own library. Second the book: I had never read Gulliver's Travels before. While I found all four of the stories that make up his travels to be enjoyable reads I must say that in writing these stories Swift simply recycles the same story over again with different supporting characters. Even the order in which events occur really does not change from story to story. In effect, each story follows the format 1. Gulliver is tired of being at home so he sets off on an adventure. 2. Gulliver is shipwrecked and stranded in a previously undiscovered land. 3. Gulliver is at first suspect among the inhabitants. 4. Gulliver wins over the inhabitants. 5. Gulliver becomes a hero to the inhabitants. 6. Gulliver is forced to leave because of some rule or law he inadvertently broke. 7. Gulliver reluctantly leaves. 8. Gulliver is rescued and returned home. Once you read the first story there is really little new to uncover in the remaining stories. Additionally, I was not aware that the book is actually a thinly veiled commentary on politics and life in Swift's era. If you are not aware of what was going on in the world and in politics during Swift's lifetime much of the symbolism will be lost on you. Overall, while an enjoyable read overall I found the repetition tedious and near the end I found myself anxious for the end. I would recommend that each story be read with a break in between where other titles are read to relieve the stale feeling one gets by reading the same story repeatedly.

C'est un des romans classiques anglais. Ce livre est de la collection Oxford World's Classic. Je l'avais lu en français. Je le lis en anglais et j'en tire beaucoup plus d'avantage. Parce que je suis plus attentif.

texto original

Gulliver's travels Gulliver's travels is about a man called Gulliver, who was a surgeon in England but became a sailor. His adventures and voyages were to 4 different islands, encountering different species and people very different to humankind. His first voyage was to Lilliput, where the book starts. It was an island where everyone was tiny and he was a giant. He spent a while there and learnt the language whilst being accommodated by the king and visiting him regularly. The tiny people (Lilliputians) thought to use him as a weapon to fight off their enemies, the Blefuscu army. He was given a set of rules to follow. Eventually, Gulliver left this island. His second voyage was to Brobdingnag when he was pushed off-course trying to return to England. This island was a land of giants, where he was tiny. He was taken in by a family of farmers and looked after and once again visited the king and queen as he was something they had never seen before. The farmer's daughter, who he called Glumdalclitch - little nurse - looked after him and put him in a box as his home. One day an eagle picked up his box and flew him to the sea, then dropped him in the sea inside his box, left to float. He then is picked up by an English ship who found his floating box in the sea. He goes back to his wife and children for a while then sets out for sea again. Whilst out at sea, he is approached by a pirate ship and is forced off his boat by himself on a rowboat to an island. In the third voyage, he goes to a floating island called Laputa. In this island, the people there excelled in astronomy, and based all things off of shapes, maths and music. The people here have tails and an odd appearance. He then through Glubbdubdrib, a place of sorcerers on his way to Japan, to return back home to England. In the fourth and final voyage, he goes to an island of horses, called Houyhnhnms, and human-like apes - called Yahoos. These Houyhnhnms are very different to humans, they are kind and lack evil and have wisdom that humans do not. They live very differently with no lying or arguments. The Yahoos are very violent and savage beasts with claws who they stay away from and despise. Even Yahoos despise other Yahoos, they are a very weird race. The Houyhnhnms think Gulliver is a Yahoo, from a similar appearance but realise he is different in nature. He stays at this island for years, learning to live like them and talk like them, and grows a hatred for humans/yahoos. He wants to stay but one day he is forced to leave as he is similar to a yahoo but he tries hard to stay there. He leaves and goes to a small island near it where there are a portuguese-speaking tribe, who take him back to England, even though he hates them and doesn’t want to go back. He returns to his wife and children after 5 years, who are happy to see him. Gulliver, on the other hand, is disgusted by them and sees them as Yahoos, not being able to stand their smell. He takes years to get back to living with humans and distances himself from his family and friends, and bought horses to take care of and spend most of his time with, as they were like Houyhnhnms. He seems to have learnt some wisdom and a valuable lesson from this wiser species and closes the book by hoping the yahoos (humans) around him would go to different virtue lands like him.

As pertinent today as when it was written

Prima di accostarsi alla lettura di questa grandiosa opera, bisogna sgomberare la mente da certe errate convinzioni che si sono consolidate nel corso del tempo, dove si credeva che tale libro fosse una sorta di semplice fiaba destinata perlopiù ai bambini. Probabilmente alcune traduzioni superficiali o castrazioni del testo hanno contribuito a diffondere una così imprecisa e deludente opinione. Si tratta invece di un diario di viaggio dove dietro l’allegoria della scoperta di alcune singolari isole, nate dalla fantasia dell’autore, si maschera un ben altro intento, vale a dire, mettere a nudo tutte le colpe e i difetti della società dell’epoca, i quali si possono senza dubbio ritrovare in quelle successive nonché in quella odierna. Politica, economia, guerra, religione, scienza sono passate attraverso un setaccio che filtra anche il più piccolo dei granelli, e si accompagna a una scrittura ora corrosiva ora grottesca, ma mai banale o scontata. I quattro naufragi descritti da Swift nel suo libro, servono proprio per fare dei netti raffronti tra gli sconosciuti abitanti di queste località e i suoi consimili che dimorano nei cosiddetti paesi civili. Usi e costumi dei popoli con cui viene a contatto sono per l’errante Gulliver delle incredibili sorprese, e sovente egli rimane stupito dai loro comportamenti, il più delle volte alieni da violenza, avidità, invidia, rancore, lussuria che tanto ritrova negli individui di casa propria. Per tale motivo i lillipuziani che lo raccolgono sulla spiaggia, dopo il suo primo naufragio, non mostrano alcuna avversione nei suoi confronti, ma solo iniziali precauzioni che in seguito tuttavia svaniscono per dare modo al mastodontico ospite di instaurare con loro un rapporto di reciproca utilità. Lo stesso dicasi durante il secondo naufragio dove egli si scopre pigmeo di fronte agli abitanti “alti come campanili”. Qui, a onor del vero, viene un po’ sfruttato sino a diventare oggetto della curiosità di costoro che si accalcano per vedere questo esserino tenuto sul palmo di una mano della titanica bambina che lo custodisce con devozione. Queste due contrapposizioni sono lì a dimostrare che non sono tanto le loro fattezze di creature fisicamente diverse a identificarli, quanto piuttosto l’animo e la mente che ne governano gesti e sentimenti, consci come tutto sia vano ed effimero. Nel terzo viaggio egli finisce nell’isola volante di Laputa, abitata da intellettuali e scienziati. Nell’occasione, l’autore usa il fioretto pungente della satira per mettere alla berlina quanti membri di questa casta, laggiù nella sua Inghilterra, si pavoneggiano, ritenendosi fautori di pensieri sublimi o di scoperte rivoluzionarie, ponendosi alla testa di una umanità sovente pedissequa. Nel quarto e ultimo dei suoi viaggi, il nostro protagonista viene sbarcato su quello che per lui sarà il più incredibile dei territori, dove a risiedere sono dei nobili cavalli dotati di ragione e di capacità espressiva, al cui servizio sono posti dei gruppi di schiavi, dalla forma umanoide, chiamati yahoo, i quali, a differenza dei loro padroni, si abbruttiscono vivendo nel sudiciume e mantenendo abitudini disgustose. Durante il lungo periodo che rimarrà su questa isola, Gulliver, dopo aver assimilato i modi raffinati di vivere dei suoi eccelsi ospiti, si dimostrerà restio a lasciare quell’angolo sperduto di mondo, e al ritorno in patria si accorgerà che riprendere a frequentare i propri simili non sarà per nulla facile, tanto da diventare alquanto misantropo, rinchiudendosi in una ostinata solitudine. Quasi a voler ricalcare il finale di questa sua opera, Swift trascorrerà il resto della vita in una sorta di clausura, e giunto al termine dei suoi giorni egli trarrà l’ultimo respiro in un triste ospedale, forse ancora sognando i suoi fantasiosi personaggi che gli hanno donato la meritata immortalità, al pari di Dante, Cervantes e Shakespeare.