Gulliver's Travels
by Jonathan Swift
Gulliver's Travels
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| cabal | group engaged in political schemes
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| Cable's length | six hundred feet
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| Calentures | a fever; illness on ship could spread easily in close quarters and devastate the crew; "I had several Men die in my Ship of Calentures"(IV:1;2); see Websters Revised Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Bibliomania; see also
"Nature's Cook" Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle @ Bad Poetry
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| calendar, old style and new style | In 1752, England and its colonies adopted the Gregorian or New Style (N.S.) Calendar, losing 11 days (3-13 September) that year. Thus, dates before this change may indicate whether they refer to the Old Style (O.S) or Julian Calendar. Also, under the Julian Calendar, the new year began 25 March and therefore dates between 1 January and that date may carry a double-year designation -- e.g. February 15, 1714/5 (IV:11;1). (see "The Calendar and Old Style (O. S.)")
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| Bay of Campechy | Bahia de Campeche; bay of the Gulf of Mexico formed by the curve of the southern tip of Mexico; "going to the Bay of Campechy, to cut Logwood" (IV:1;1)
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| capital | a capital crime; punishable by death; Gulliver's extinguishing the palace fire, while it saved the structure, violated a law against urinating within the grounds;
"it is Capital in any Person, of what Quality soever, to make water within the Precincts of the Palace." (I:5;10)This is certainly a pivotal passage of this part of the Travels and perhaps one of the key passages of the whole work. This offense combined with Gulliver's refusal to subjugate Blefuscu leads to his alienation from the Lilliputian emperor and his eventual prosecution. It also illustrates a general sentiment about the ingratitude of royalty; having rendered the emperor a great service, exception is taken to the manner in which is was performed. It is likely this passage also refers to the Treaty of Utrecht, which ended a war, but was accomplished illegally. The Tory architects of the peace were initially rewarded with titles but then tried for treason. Further, the empress's reaction, may also refer to Queen Anne's dislike of Swift, based on her reputed dislike of his Tale of a Tub. Swift believed she denied him appointments as bishop because of this.
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| Cascagians | fictional race or nation; apparently they write "from down to up" by comparison to the Lilliputians who write "aslant from one Corner of the Paper to the other, like Ladies in England." (I:6;2) Clark deciphers the name as "Cantonians" (ie. Chinese), though their writing -- up to down -- does not match Gulliver's description; |
| cattle | livestock or domestic animals; the root of 'cattle' refers to property (i.e. chattal); on his first encounter with the Yahoos, Gulliver refers to them as 'cattle' (IV:1;4)
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| censure | condemnation or judgement; a sentence; "since the Council thought the loss of your Eyes too easy a Censure" (I:7;17)
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Charles II |
(1630-85) King of England 1660--85; son of Charles I (executed 1649); after his father's death, Charles was crowned king, but lived in exile until he was invited to take the throne in 1660 (The Restoration). Charles's reign was marked by The Great Plague (68,000 dead) and then the Great Fire (13,000 houses destroyed) of London, as well as many scandals and intrigues. Charles was succeeded by his brother James (James II) despite strong opposition. (see Biography.com)
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| chest |
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| children |
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| Climenole | Laputa; flapper; translates into "criminal" or "more crime" [Clark]
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| Cloth | Cloth provides another useful indicator of relative size. Even the coarsest Lilliputian cloth would seem as fine as lawn to Gulliver, while his handkerchief is compared to a rug by the Lilliputians. Conversely, the finest Brobdingnagian material feels like sack cloth to Gulliver.
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| Clumegnig | Laputa; "Sea-port Town, at the South-East Point of Luggnagg" (III:9;1); translates as "thing of crime" or "mid crime" or "mid desert" [Clark]
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| Clumglum | Lilliputian title of honor; "trimmer" or "murmur" [Clark]; Flimnap, the Treasurer, is a Clumglum; but Gulliver receives the higher title of Nardac; after earliest editions, often misprinted as Glumglum [Clark]
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| Clustril | a Lilliputian informer working for Flimnap; "real truth" [Clark]
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| cognitive estrangement | literary device, identified by Dr. Darko Suvin in his studies of science fiction, in which an entity -- a person, country, people, institution, doctrine, historic event -- is presented in a different context or form, rendering it unfamiliar and opening the way for a critique that might not be possible otherwise.
For example, if you wished to criticize the English government during the early 18th century -- a time when anything you said would bring the weight of the law or the mob upon you -- you might choose to accomplish your end surreptitiously. Perhaps you would create an imaginary hero who would sail to an imaginary country which, though distinctly different from England, featured certain unmistakable parallels. Readers might be able to see the institutions and individuals in a new light because they are described in this indirect manner better than through a head-on assault. Swift made extensive use of this technique throughout his Travels (as well as other works, notably A Tale of a Tub). Discerning readers of Swift's day readily recognized prominent people, institutions, and events in Gulliver's descriptions of the remote nations he visited. England, its leadership, government and other institutions, from the church to the Royal Academy make repeated appearances. Finally, mankind itself appears disguised as the bestial Yahoos, little different from apes swinging in trees and prime material for a dispassionate assessment. This technique allowed one of the harshest critiques of human society to be delightful and popular, even to the point of being cast as a children's book.
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| coins | coins are another item providing a reference of relative sizes between Lilliput and England and Brobdingnag. To Lilliputians, coins in Gulliver's purse are huge. Later Gulliver shows the tiny Lilliputian coins to the captain who rescues him by way of proof of his story. In Brobdingnag, Gulliver's coins are too tiny to be handled.
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| concupiscence | strong sexual desire; see sex
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| Congreve, William | (1670-1729); Irish playwright; author of The Way of the World
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| considerable person | the person who warns Gulliver of the plot against him is a possible reference to the Duke of Marlborough who told Bolingbroke of the Whig plan to try him for treason, prompting Bolingbroke to flee to France.
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| Cornish | pertaining to Cornwall, the southwestern-most county of England; a Celtic nation with a separate language, culture and history; see CornwallGB.com and Cornwall County Council |
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