Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift

Notes: The Story

Part I: The author, after briefly describing his family, education, apprenticeship, and early medical career, becomes a ship's surgeon. He is shipwrecked near New Zealand and washed ashore in Lilliput, an island nation where the inhabitants are less than six inches tall (and everything else proportionally small). Lilliput is a miniature version of England of Swift's time, with many English institutions (government and church), historical events (the Reformation and the English Civil War), and notable people satirized in Gulliver's descriptions of the strange country. Gulliver is initially held captive by the Lilliputians but given his freedom after swearing an oath to assist his hosts against Blefuscu, a neighboring island (representing France). He singlehandedly captures the enemy navy and becomes a hero with a lofty title. Shortly after, Gulliver becomes the object of deadly court intrigues because of his new stature and perhaps because he puts out a fire in the palace by urinating on it. Learning of the plots against him, Gulliver flees to Blefuscu, from whence he escapes back to his own world.

Part II: After only a brief stay with his family, Gulliver returns to the sea as a surgeon. The ship is blown off course by a storm in the Pacific Ocean east of Japan and Gulliver is abandoned by a shore party in an unknown country. He finds himself in Brobdingnag where the inhabitants are sixty feet tall. After being captured and exhibited for money by a farmer, Gulliver becomes a prized possession of the royal court. One of the two main threads in his part is Gulliver's many demeaning and perilous misadventures due to his size -- menaced by wasps, a frog, birds, a monkey, and a jealous court dwarf. The other thread centers on Gulliver's interviews with the King, who questions him about all aspects of the rest of the world. Gulliver recounts these discussions to show the King's "narrow" understanding but instead proves the King's judgment to be very sharp. After hearing the state of affairs in Europe, he concludes we are a "Race of little odious Vermin." Gulliver escapes when an eagle carries away his box and drops him into the sea where he is rescued by an English ship and returned home.

Part III: After a short stay with his family, Gulliver is enticed to join another expedition. During this voyage, Gulliver commands a small ship while the main ship is taking on cargo. He is captured by pirates, who set him adift, where he is rescued by Laputa, a "flying island" that floats above the ground and moves from point to point by virtue of magnetism. The people of Laputa are entirely absorbed by mathematics, astronomy, and music, but have no practical talents. They are so distracted by theoretical thinking that they need attendents, called 'flappers', to rap them on their mouths or ears to signal when it is their turn to speak or listen. From there Gulliver goes to Balnibarbi, an island on the surface below Laputa, where the people are also interested in the sciences. The author visits the Academy in Lagado, the capital, where he describes many strange experiments, lampooning actual scientific work, as well as politics, of that time. Next he visits the Island of Glubbdubdrib, which is ruled by a sorcerer, who entertains his guests by calling forth the spirits of the ancient world. By this experience Gulliver is able to correct many points of historic fact. Still attempting to return home, Gulliver travels to Luggnagg where he learns of the Struldbrugs, a race of immortals. Gulliver originally assumes that the immortality would convey wisdom and happiness but learns that the Struldbrugs spend their extra years in decrepit senility. From Luggnagg he sails to Japan where, pretending to be Dutch, he gets passage aboard a Dutch ship and returns home.

Part IV: In his fourth adventure, Gulliver commands his own ship. His crew mutinies and sets him ashore in an unknown country, home of the Houyhnhnms, a race of intelligent horses, and the Yahoos, an odious and brutish race of humans. The author comes to admire the Houyhnhnms' dispassionate and rational philosophy and way of life and becomes a disciple of one he calls "my Master." Observing the Yahoos, Gulliver discovers that many human failings, such as greed and lust, are inherent in human nature. Hearing from Gulliver about European society, his Master observes that humans are Yahoos with just enough reason to magnify our natural faults. Gulliver is comes to hate humans as Yahoos and resolves to remain among the Houyhnhnms. However, it is apparent to the Houyhnhnms that the Gulliver is a Yahoo and they banish him. Gulliver resolves to not return home and decides to find a deserted island to live out his days. However, he is discovered by the crew of a Portuguese ship, who force him aboard and return him, against his will, to his home. Gulliver concludes by describing how, after initially being overwhelmed by proximity to other humans (or Yahoos), he is learning to tolerate his fellow beings.