Reminder: Our readings for the last two weeks will be the selections by Jonathan Swift listed in the syllabus. Feel free to comment on any of these readings.
April 16, 2007
Swift
Posted by jvhalbrooks under Brit. Lit. I, Reading assignments, Reminders, Topics for Discussion[7] Comments
April 18, 2007 at 12:08 pm
I enjoy reading Swift much more than Milton. His “Modest Proposal” cracked me up; I wonder how the landlords took this “in-your-face” depiction of the society they helped create… It amuses me how oblivious Gulliver seems to be about his surrounding world. He seems to have very little common sense, but vast intelligence; in my opinion it is almost stereotypical of a book smart person with no real understanding of the world and people in it.
April 19, 2007 at 2:19 pm
I love how Swift doesn’t really leave anything to the imagination and everything is subject to his criticism. In chapter 1 of Part two, Gulliver describes the woman giant as she is breastfeeding her baby, a very intiamte moment in most cases, but Gulliver is highly disgusted by the woman. He then is reminded of the people in Lilliput and thinking their compelxion was fair, whereas the people of Lilliput found Gulliver’s complexion grotesque. Gulliver doesn’t seem to affected by this obvious comparision between him and the giants.
April 23, 2007 at 12:04 pm
Is Gulliver representing anything in the story? If the liliputians are representing all that is wrong with society and government, could Gulliver be the population that is oblivious to these facts? Just wondering, because like masses, Gulliver could take overpower the little guys easily if he had a clue.
April 23, 2007 at 12:05 pm
Sorry “like the masses” and just “overpower”
April 25, 2007 at 12:56 pm
I agree that he represents the ignorant people, or the ones who are judgemental of everything but themselves. I doubt he could have overpowered the Liliputians, however, because he seems too fragile. He always complains about getting hit with their arrows, plus I believe he is too passive a person.
April 26, 2007 at 11:40 am
In Chapter 11, it seems strange to see Gulliver hating and avoiding the human race at all cost, where before he defended and lied for humans. Gulliver would rather live on a desolate island then return to England. It is funny that Gulliver learned how uncivil and desgusting the human race is from animals.
April 26, 2007 at 9:58 pm
I especially like the way in which swift includes the political and religious satire into the story. It makes a wonderful and humerous story, regardless of whether or not you understnd the satire. So, the less educated readers from his time could enjoy a good story and possibly, like those that were well educated, grasp his satire and attacks against corrupt and superfulous establishments. It is very interesting to see how he selects fictional characters to represent ceratain individuals or organizations, and it is very funny to read/watch him make arguments against the fictional characters, and their not so fictional counterparts.