Gulliver's adventure in the land of the Lilliputians message. Gulliver's Travels
The author informs the reader that the book was written by his friend and relative, Mr. Lemuel Gulliver. He decided to publish it for young nobles. The novel was cut in half with pages devoted to the intricacies of maritime affairs.
Captain Gulliver's letter to his relative Richard Simpson
Mr. Lemuel Gulliver expresses dissatisfaction with the fact that his friend allowed himself to remove a number of places from the book and insert new pieces of text, motivating this by his unwillingness to go into conflict with those in power. The protagonist believes that the publication of the Travels did not bring any practical benefit, since it did not in any way affect social vices. On the contrary, accusations of contempt were made against him and books that he never created were attributed to him.
Part one
Journey to Lilliput
1
Lamuel Gulliver was the third (of five) sons of the owner of a small estate in Nottinghamshire. From the age of fourteen to seventeen he studied at Emanuel's College, Cambridge, from seventeen to twenty-one with the eminent London surgeon, Mr. James Bets. For two years and seven months, Gulliver studied medicine in Leiden, after which he took the place of a surgeon on the ship "Swallow", where he served for the next three and a half years. Then the hero married the second daughter of a hosiery merchant - Mary Burton and settled in London. Two years later, after the death of his teacher Bets, his affairs were shaken and he again went to serve as a ship's surgeon. Gulliver spent six years in the Navy, after which he tried to settle on land for three years, but was again forced to surrender and return to the ship. May 4, 1699 on the ship "Antelope" the hero went to the South Sea.
Caught in a terrible storm, the ship was carried to the northwest of Australia, where it collided with thick fog and crashed on rocks. The team is dead. Gulliver managed to swim to the shore, where he collapsed from fatigue and slept for nine hours.
Waking up, the hero discovers that he is tied to the ground. Forty tiny men climb onto his immobilized body. Gulliver manages to shake them off and free his left hand, on which a hail of arrows begins to fall. The hero decides to lie still, wait until dark and then engage in battle with the enemy. A platform is erected next to him, on which an important dignitary Gurgo climbs, speaking for a long time in some unknown language. Gulliver shows signs that he needs food. The natives feed him. The royal retinue explains to the hero for ten minutes that he will be transported to the capital. Gulliver asks to be released. Gurgo refuses. The little men loosen the ropes so that the hero can urinate. Gulliver's wounded skin is lubricated with a healing ointment. The hero, in whose wine the little men mix sleeping pills, falls asleep for another eight hours. On a huge cart, with the help of horses, Gulliver is being taken to the capital.
The next morning, at the gates of the city, the emperor meets him with his retinue. Gulliver is settled in an ancient temple, which is used after the brutal murder as a public building. For security purposes, the hero is chained with numerous chains on his left leg.
2
Gulliver surveys the surroundings: to the left of the temple he sees the city, to the right - cultivated fields and forest. The first major trip to the toilet he makes in his new place of residence, then - in the air, away from the temple. The emperor, whose height does not exceed the hero's fingernail, together with his family and retinue visits Gulliver and makes sure that he does not need anything.
For the first two weeks, the hero sleeps on the bare floor. Then they sew a mattress, sheets and a blanket for him. Residents of the country come to see Gulliver. The emperor consults with his ministers every day about what to do with a giant who might escape or cause famine in the country. Gulliver is saved from death by the gracious treatment of six mischievous people who were handed over to his guards. The emperor orders his subjects to provide the giant with food, allocates him six hundred servants, three hundred tailors and six scientists to teach the local language.
Three weeks later, Gulliver begins to speak a little Lilliputian. He asks the emperor to grant him freedom. Two officials search Gulliver and make a detailed inventory of his property. The emperor seizes the hero's saber, two pocket pistols, bullets and gunpowder. Some of the things (glasses and a pocket spyglass) Gulliver conceals during the search.
3
Gulliver enters favor with the emperor. The population of Lilliput begins to trust him more and more. The hero is entertained with tightrope dances, which are performed by people who want to occupy a high state position. On the shore is Gulliver's hat. Lilliputians return it to its owner. Gulliver has a mortal enemy - Admiral of the Royal Navy Skyresh Bolgolam. The latter draws up a document with the conditions for the release of the hero.
4
Gulliver inspects the capital of Lilliput - Mildendo and the imperial palace located in the middle of it. The chief secretary for secret affairs, Reldresel, tells Gulliver about the political situation inside the country (the enmity between the Tremexen and Slemeksen parties) and the threat of an attack by another great Blefuscu empire, located on a neighboring island.
5
Gulliver cuts the anchors of fifty Blefuscu warships, ties them up and delivers them to the port of Lilliput. The emperor dreams of completely subjugating the enemy, but the hero refuses to help him. Called to put out the fire in the Imperial Palace, Gulliver falls into disfavor for urinating on the fire.
6
Gulliver describes the growth of the inhabitants, animals and vegetation of Lilliput; tells about the customs of the local population - writing from one corner of the page to another, burying the dead upside down, severely punishing judges who falsely accused informers. Ingratitude is considered a criminal offense in Lilliput. Children don't owe their parents anything. They are raised outside families, separated by gender.
For those ten months and thirteen days that Gulliver spends in Lilliput, he makes a table and a chair, gets new clothes. At a joint dinner with the emperor, Lord Chancellor Flimnap, who was jealous of his wife for the hero, says that the maintenance of the Man of the Mountain costs the treasury one and a half million sprugs.
7
A friend from the palace introduces Gulliver to the indictment drawn up against him by Bolgolam and Flimnap. Quinbus Flestrin is accused of pissing on the imperial palace, refusing to conquer Blefuscu and wanting to travel to a neighboring island. Without waiting for them to kill him or gouge out his eyes, Gulliver flees from Lilliput.
8
Three days later, Gulliver finds a boat in the sea and asks permission from Emperor Blefuscu to return home. The emperor of Lilliput declares the hero a traitor and demands his return to the country. Emperor Blefuscu refuses to extradite Gulliver. September 24, 1701 the hero leaves the island. On the 26th he is picked up by an English merchant ship. April 15, 1702 Gulliver is in the Downs. He spends two months with his family, after which he sets off on a new journey.
Part two
Journey to Brobdingnag
1
June 20, 1702 Gulliver leaves England on the ship Adventure. In April 1703 the latter gets into a storm. In June 1705, the heroes begin to lack fresh water. Gulliver, together with the sailors, lands on an unknown continent. He sees how a giant is chasing his comrades, and he himself finds himself in a huge field with high barley, where one of the peasants finds him and hands him over to his master. Gulliver shows himself to the farmer from the best side. He finds himself in the giant's house, where he sits at the same table with a farm family.
The hostess puts Gulliver on her bed. When he wakes up, he fights two rats the size of a mutt; urinates in the garden, where the farmer's wife takes him out.
2
The farmer's nine-year-old daughter makes a bed for Gulliver in the cradle of her doll, sews shirts for him, teaches him the language and gives him a new name - Grildrig. A neighbor farmer offers to take the hero to the fair to show for money. At the Green Eagle Hotel, Gulliver gives twelve performances a day. Two months later, the farmer goes on a tour of the country with him. In ten weeks, the heroes visit eighteen large cities and many small villages. Glumdalclitch ("nanny") - the farmer's daughter accompanies her father on this trip. On October 25, Gulliver is brought to the capital.
3
From constant performances, Gulliver begins to lose weight. The farmer decides that he will soon die and sells him to the queen. Glumdalclitch remains with Gulliver. The hero tells the queen about how the farmer treated him. The Queen presents Gulliver to the King. The latter at the beginning thinks that he sees a spleckknock (a small animal) in front of him, then decides that the hero is a mechanism. After talking with Gulliver, the king sends him for research to three scientists who cannot understand how he was born contrary to the laws of nature.
They make a small house for Gulliver, sew new clothes. He constantly dines with the queen, and on Wednesdays (Sundays) with the king himself. The queen's dwarf is jealous of Gulliver's fame and dips him into a cup of cream. Giant flies with wasps also pose a danger to the hero.
4
The Queen takes Gulliver with her on trips around the country. The Kingdom of Brobdingnag has the appearance of a peninsula, surrounded on three sides by the ocean, and on the fourth by high mountains. The capital of the state - the city of Lorbrulgrud is located on both banks of the river.
5
In Brobdingnag, Gulliver is in constant danger: the queen's dwarf shakes apples on his head, the hail hits the hero hard on the back, the gardener's white spaniel takes him for a toy that needs to be delivered to the owner, and the monkey - for his own cub. The ladies-in-waiting strip Gulliver naked and lay him on his chest. The queen orders the carpenter to make a boat and a long basin for the hero so that he can row.
6
Gulliver makes a comb out of the king's hair, and chairs and a purse out of the queen's hair, entertains the royal couple by playing the spinet. The hero tells the king about England and receives justified criticism of the judicial, financial and military system.
7
Gulliver invites the king to discover the secret of gunpowder. The king is horrified and asks never to mention such a formidable weapon with him.
Gulliver tells the reader about the peculiarities of Brobdingnag's science, legislation and art.
8
In the third year of his stay in Brobdingnag, Gulliver, together with the royal couple, goes to the south coast. The page takes him to the beach for some fresh air. While the boy is looking for bird nests, Gulliver's travel box is stolen by an eagle, which is attacked by other birds. The hero finds himself at sea, where he is picked up by an English ship. The captain of the ship takes the hero for a madman. He is convinced of the normality of Gulliver when he sees things from the kingdom of Brobdingnag. June 5, 1706 the hero is in the Downs.
Part three
Journey to Laputa, Balnibarbie, Luggnagg, Glubbdobdrib and Japan
1
August 5, 1706 Gulliver leaves England on the ship "Good Hope". Pirates attack a ship in the China Sea. Gulliver tries in vain to find mercy from the Dutch villain, but the Japanese shows him a certain mercy. The team is captured. Gulliver is put on a shuttle and released into the Pacific Ocean, where he finds temporary shelter on one of the islands.
On the fifth day, the hero sees a flying island in the sky. The inhabitants of the island respond to his request for help.
2
Laputians have a strange appearance: their heads are beveled either to the right or to the left, one eye looks inward, and the other looks up. The upper class is accompanied by servants with bubbles of air and small stones, with which they bring their masters out of deep thoughts.
Gulliver is fed dinner, taught the language, sew a new dress. A few days later, the Flying Island arrives in the capital of the kingdom - Lagado. Gulliver notes that the Laputians are only interested in two things - mathematics (geometry) and music, and most of all they are afraid of cosmic cataclysms. Laputian wives often cheat on them with less thoughtful strangers.
3
The floating island is kept afloat thanks to a huge magnet located in the Astronomical Cave in the center of Laputa. The king prevents the uprising of his subjects on the continent by closing the sun or lowering the island on the city. The king and his sons are forbidden to leave Laputa.
4
Gulliver descends to the Laputian continent - Balnibarbi. In Lagado, he finds shelter in the house of the dignitary Munodi. Gulliver draws attention to the poor clothes of the townspeople and the empty fields, which are still cultivated by the peasants for some reason. Munodi explains that this is the result of a new tillage technique developed by the Projector Academy, established forty years ago by a few people who visited Laputa. The dignitary himself conducts his household in the old fashioned way: he has beautiful houses and abundant fields.
5
Gulliver visits the Spotlight Academy, where he meets professors who are trying to extract sunlight from cucumbers, nutrients from excrement, gunpowder from ice, build a house starting from the roof, plow a field with pigs, develop a new kind of yarn from spider webs, improve bowel function by means of bellows for pumping out and pumping air. Searchlights in the field of speculative sciences are trying to mechanize the process of cognition and simplify the language, either by deleting verbs and participles from it, or completely all words.
6
Political projectors seem crazy to Gulliver, as they suggest that the government act in the interests of the people. Doctors offer political opponents to exchange the back parts of the brain, to levy taxes on citizens either from their vices or virtues.
7
Gulliver goes to Maldonada to cross from there to Luggnagg. While waiting for the ship, he travels to the island of Glubbdobdrib, inhabited by wizards. The ruler calls for him the spirits of Alexander the Great, Hannibal, Caesar, Pompey, Brutus.
8
Gulliver communicates with Aristotle and Homer, Descartes and Gassendi, European kings and ordinary people.
9
Gulliver returns to Maldonada and sails two weeks later for Luggnagg, where he is arrested pending orders from the court. In Traldregdub, the hero receives an audience with the king, approaching which you need to lick the floor of the throne room.
10
Gulliver spends three months in Luggnagg. Among the local people, he notes courtesy and good nature and learns about the birth of immortal people among the Laggnezhians - struldbrugs. Gulliver enthusiastically describes how he would begin to live, being immortal, but they explain to him that there is nothing good in eternal life, because after eighty years the struldburgs plunge into gloomy melancholy and dream of either youth or death. They begin to get sick, forget their language and drag out a miserable existence.
11
From Luggnagg, Gulliver ends up in Japan. The emperor, as a sign of respect for the king of Luggnegg, frees the hero from trampling the crucifix with his feet. April 10, 1710 Gulliver arrives in Amsterdam, April 16 - in the Downs.
Part Four
Journey to the country of the Houyhnhnms
1
September 7, 1710 Gulliver takes the post of captain on the ship Adventurer. Out of inexperience, he recruits a team of sea robbers who arrest him in the South Sea. On May 9, 1711, Gulliver was landed on an unknown shore, covered with forest and fields with oats. The hero is attacked by wild monkeys. A strange-looking horse saves Gulliver. Soon another horse joins him. Animals talk about something, feel Gulliver, are surprised at his clothes, teach the hero two words - “ehu” and “guygnhnm”.
2
The gray horse brings Gulliver to his home, where the hero again encounters Yahoo - humanoid apes that horses keep on a leash as pets. The hero is offered Yahoo food (roots and rotten meat), but refuses it in favor of cow's milk. The horses themselves eat oatmeal with milk for lunch. Gulliver learns to make bread from oats.
3
Gulliver learns the language of the Houyhnhnms, whose pronunciation resembles the Upper Dutch dialect. Three months later, he tells the gray horse his story. Noble horses and mares come to see Gulliver.
Once a servant of a gray horse - a bay hinny finds the hero undressed. Gulliver shows his body to the horse. The latter is convinced that the hero is almost no different from Yahoo, but agrees to keep the secret of his clothes.
4
Gulliver tells the gray horse about European civilization and its attitude towards horses.
5
Gulliver introduces his master to the state of affairs of contemporary England, talks about European wars and the country's legislative system.
6
Gulliver enlightens the gray horse about the essence of money, tells him about alcohol, medicine, the first minister of state, the degenerate English nobility.
7
Gulliver explains to the reader why he put the English in such an unattractive light: he fell in love with the sincerity and simplicity of the guingnom. The gray horse comes to the conclusion that the English Yahoos use their mind only to root existing and acquire new vices. He tells Gulliver about the vile nature of the local Yahoos.
8
Gulliver observes the habits of Yahoo. In the Houyhnhnms, he notes a clear adherence to reason, friendship and goodwill. Family horse couples are far from passions. They marry to reproduce offspring and have one foal of both sexes.
9
Three months before leaving, Gulliver gets to a meeting of representatives of the whole nation held every four years, at which the question of whether it is worth wiping all the Yahoos off the face of the earth is being discussed? His owner suggests using a more humane method by spaying existing animals.
10
Gulliver has been living with the Houyhnhnms for three years and dreams of staying forever among these wonderful animals. The Grand Council decides that the hero must either be kept with the rest of the Yahoos or sent home. For two months, Gulliver builds a pirogue, after which he sets off to a distant island.
11
Gulliver reaches the shores of New Holland - Australia. The savages wound him with an arrow in the left knee. The hero is picked up by a Portuguese ship, from which he tries to escape, because he does not want to be in Yahoo. The captain of the ship - Don Pedro disembarks him in Lisbon, helps him adapt to life in human society and sends him home to England. December 5, 1715 Gulliver meets with his wife and children.
12
Gulliver's travels lasted sixteen years and seven months. Upon his return to England, he says that the main task of a writer who tells about his adventures is truthfulness in the presentation of events.
"Journeys to some remote countries of the world in four parts: a work by Lemuel Gulliver, first a surgeon, and then a captain of several ships" (eng. Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World, in Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of several Ships), often abbreviated "Gulliver's Travels"(eng. Gulliver's Travels) - Jonathan Swift's satirical fantasy novel, in which human and social vices are brightly and wittily ridiculed.
The knowledge of this people is very insufficient; they confine themselves to morality, history, poetry and mathematics, but in these areas, to be fair, they have achieved great perfection. As for mathematics, here it has a purely applied character and is aimed at improving agriculture and various branches of technology, so that it would receive a low rating from us ...
In this country it is not allowed to formulate any law with the help of a number of words exceeding the number of letters of the alphabet, and in it there are only twenty-two of them; but very few laws reach even this length. All of them are expressed in the clearest and simplest terms, and these people are not distinguished by such resourcefulness of mind as to discover several senses in the law; writing a commentary on any law is considered a great crime.
The last paragraph brings to mind the “Affair of the Army”, a political project of the Levellers during the English Revolution, discussed almost a century earlier, which said:
The number of laws must be reduced in order to fit all the laws into one volume. Laws must be written in English so that every Englishman can understand them.
During a trip to the coast, a box made especially for Gulliver's stay on the way is captured by a giant eagle, who later drops it into the sea, where Gulliver is picked up by sailors and returned to England.
Part 3. Journey to Laputa, Balnibarbi, Luggnagg, Glubbdobdrib and Japan
When Gulliver's ship is captured by pirates, they land him on a desert island south of the Aleutian Islands. The protagonist is picked up by the flying island of Laputa, and then he descends to the land kingdom of Balnibarbi, which is under the rule of Laputa. All the noble inhabitants of this island are too passionate about mathematics and music. Therefore, they are utterly scattered, ugly and not arranged in everyday life. Only the common people and women are distinguished by sanity and can maintain a normal conversation.
In the capital of Balnibarbi, the city of Lagado, there is an Academy of projectors, where they try to put into practice various ridiculous pseudo-scientific undertakings. The authorities of Balnibarbi indulge aggressive projectors who introduce their improvements everywhere, because of which the country is in terrible decline. This part of the book contains a biting satire on the speculative scientific theories of the Royal Society.
While waiting for the ship to arrive, Gulliver makes a trip to the island Glubbdobdrib, gets acquainted with a caste of sorcerers capable of summoning the shadows of the dead, and talks with legendary figures of ancient history. Comparing ancestors and contemporaries, he is convinced of the degeneration of the nobility and humanity. Swift goes on to debunk humanity's unjustified conceit. Gulliver comes to the country Luggnagg, where he learns about the struldbrugs - immortal people doomed to eternal, powerless old age, full of suffering and disease.
At the end of the story, Gulliver gets from fictional countries to a very real Japan, at that time practically closed from Europe (of all Europeans, only the Dutch were allowed there, and then only to the port of Nagasaki). Then he returns to his homeland. This is a one-of-a-kind description of travel: Gulliver visits several countries at once, inhabited by people like himself, and returns, having an idea of the direction of the way back.
Part 4. Journey to the land of the Houyhnhnms
Despite his intention to stop traveling, Gulliver equips his own merchant ship "Adventurer" (English Adventurer, literally - "adventurer"), tired of the position of a surgeon on other people's ships. On the way, he is forced to replenish his crew, a significant part of which died from disease.
The new team consisted, as it seemed to Gulliver, of former criminals and people lost to society, who conspire and land him on a desert island, deciding to engage in piracy. Gulliver finds himself in the country of reasonable and virtuous horses - Houyhnhnms. In this country there are also disgusting Yahoos - people-animals. In Gulliver, despite his tricks, they recognize Yahoo, but, recognizing his high intellectual and cultural development for Yahoo, they keep him separately as an honorary prisoner rather than a slave.
Houyhnhnm society is described in the most enthusiastic terms, and Yahoo manners are a satirical allegory of human vices. In the end, Gulliver, to his deep chagrin, is expelled from this Utopia, and he returns to his family in England. Returning to human society, he experiences a strong disgust for everything human he has met, and for all people, including his own household (however, making some indulgences for the groom).
History of appearance
Judging by Swift's correspondence, the idea for the book took shape around 1720. The beginning of work on the tetralogy dates back to 1721; in January 1723, Swift wrote: "I have left the Land of Horses and am on a flying island ... my last two journeys will soon end."
Work on the book continued until 1725. In 1726, the first two volumes of Gulliver's Travels (without indicating the name of the real author) are published; the other two were published the following year. The book, somewhat spoiled by censorship, enjoys unprecedented success, and its authorship is no secret to anyone. Within a few months, Gulliver's Travels was reprinted three times, soon there were translations into German, Dutch, Italian and other languages, as well as extensive commentaries deciphering Swift's allusions and allegories.
Supporters of this Gulliver, whom we have here innumerable, argue that his book will live as long as our language, because its value does not depend on transient customs of thinking and speech, but consists in a series of observations on the eternal imperfection, recklessness and vices of the human race. .
The first French edition of Gulliver sold out within a month, reprints soon followed; in total, the defontaine version was published more than 200 times. An uncorrupted French translation, with magnificent illustrations by Granville, did not appear until 1838.
The popularity of Swift's hero brought to life numerous imitations, fake sequels, dramatizations, and even operettas based on Gulliver's Travels. At the beginning of the 19th century, greatly abridged children's retellings of Gulliver appeared in different countries.
Editions in Russia
The first Russian translation of "Gulliver's Travels" was published in 1772-1773 under the title "Gulliver's Travels to Lilliput, Brodinyaga, Laputa, Balnibarba, Guyngm country or to horses." The translation was made (from the French edition of Defontaine) by Erofei Karzhavin. In 1780, the Karzhavin translation was republished.
During the 19th century, there were several editions of Gulliver in Russia, all translations were made from the Defonten version. Belinsky spoke favorably about the book, highly appreciated the book by Leo Tolstoy and Maxim Gorky. A complete Russian translation of Gulliver appeared only in 1902.
In Soviet times, the book was published both in full (translated by Adrian Frankovsky) and in abbreviated form. The first two parts of the book were also published in children's retelling (translations by Tamara Gabbe, Boris Engelhardt, Valentin Stenich), and in much larger editions, hence the widespread opinion among readers about Gulliver's Travels as a purely children's book. The total circulation of its Soviet publications is several million copies.
Criticism
Swift's satire in the tetralogy has two main purposes.
Defenders of religious and liberal values \u200b\u200bimmediately attacked the satirist with sharp criticism. They argued that by insulting a person, he thereby insults God as his creator. In addition to blasphemy, Swift was accused of misanthropy, rude and bad taste, with the 4th journey causing particular indignation.
Walter Scott () laid the foundation for a balanced study of Swift's work. Since the end of the 19th century, several in-depth scientific studies of Gulliver's Travels have been published in Great Britain and in other countries.
Cultural influence
Swift's book has prompted many imitations and sequels. They were started by the French translator of Gulliver Defontaine, who composed The Travels of Gulliver the Son. Critics believe that Voltaire's story Micromegas () was written under the strong influence of Gulliver's Travels. The words invented by Swift " midget" (eng. lilliput) and "exu" (eng. yahoo) entered many languages of the world.
Swift's motifs are clearly felt in many of the works of H. G. Wells. For example, in the novel "Mr. Blettsworthy on Rampole Island", a society of savage cannibals allegorically depicts the evils of modern civilization. In the novel "Time Machine" two races of descendants of modern people are bred - animal-like morlocks, reminiscent of
Thanks to social communication, the characters' characters and unprecedented stories, this work can rightfully be considered a fairy tale. What is its feature? At the time when the fairy tale "The Adventures of Gulliver" was written, the analysis of which we are now doing, the political system of England was shaky and had many flaws. Swift formed his own vision of this problem, and it is surprising that it was in the fairy tale that he expressed his negative attitude towards certain sections of society and political phenomena.
Analysis of "Gulliver's Travels"
Swift ridiculed those character traits of people that, in his opinion, should be paid special attention. It is good that the English of that era especially respected the playful manners and sharp language in the press, so the readers liked the book. Be sure to include in the essay on the fairy tale "Gulliver's Travels" the idea that Swift was able to draw a small state, while ridiculing the mistakes of English governments. For example, the country of Lilliputians has the same police system as in England, that is, funny and problematic. The author shows his attitude: it is wrong that one person has all the power, but in general the whole of England is controlled by a handful of politicians who pursue their own interests and only reveal their mediocrity. It is surprising that the reins of government fell into the hands of such people.
Some individual heroes even look like certain figures in England of those times. In general, when analyzing the fairy tale "Gulliver's Travels", we clearly see that Jonathan Swift depicted a small England with an erroneous, short-sighted and stupid form of government, where enmity also reigns.
Some plot details
Gulliver suffered a shipwreck, after which he ended up on the island of Lilliput. The island is called that way because it is inhabited by Lilliputians, or little people. Seeing such a giant as Gulliver, the locals were extremely frightened, because they did not know about his intentions. In the eyes of the Lilliputians, Gulliver became the "Man-Mountain", so they nicknamed him. After a while, the inhabitants of the island realized that there would be no harm from an intruder, and even began to be friends with him.
Gulliver was extremely surprised when he saw that his new friends were by no means as harmless and kind as it might seem at first glance. Include this idea in your essay on Gulliver's Travels. These people can even be called insidious and evil, because for a long time they waged a bloodthirsty and cruel war with the people of Blefusco, another island. Such qualities of the inhabitants of Lilliput as meanness and greed also appeared.
What did the author want to convey?
An analysis of the work "Gulliver's Travels" emphasizes the following idea: the conflict between the two nations reflected the war between England and France. Swift showed the causelessness of hostilities, which nevertheless forced him to take up arms. The midgets could not decide which side of the egg should be broken first, and the conflict began from this dispute. This fact points to the futility of war. The parallel with the Anglo-French war is pronounced. Neither England nor France had serious grounds for war, but had great ambitions. Politicians were not sorry to send people to death, because their position is safe, and you can simply lead from a comfortable chair.
So, thanks to the analysis of the fairy tale "Gulliver's Travels", we understand what meaning Swift put into the storyline. The behavior of people who govern the people is so stupid and ambitious, thoughtless and based on personal gain, that the author encourages ordinary people to think, and not blindly follow any instructions of others.
The idea of the world was embodied in the image of Gulliver, Swift reflected his desire and idea of how this could be achieved. Everything is based on such concepts as: equality, justice, goodness and wisdom.
We hope that the analysis of the work "Gulliver's Travels" turned out to be useful to you, and if you are preparing an essay on this tale, these thoughts will also be of great help to you. Read
JOURNEY TO LILIPUTI
1
The three-masted brig "Antelope" sailed for the Southern Ocean.
The ship's doctor Gulliver stood at the stern and looked through a telescope at the pier. His wife and two children remained there: son Johnny and daughter Betty.
Not the first time Gulliver went to sea. He loved to travel. Even at school, he spent almost all the money that his father sent him on nautical charts and on books about foreign countries. He diligently studied geography and mathematics, because these sciences are most needed by a sailor.
His father gave Gulliver an apprenticeship to a famous London doctor at that time. Gulliver studied with him for several years, but did not stop thinking about the sea.
The medical profession was useful to him: after finishing his studies, he joined the ship's doctor on the ship "Swallow" and sailed on it for three and a half years. And then, having lived for two years in London, he made several trips to East and West India.
During the voyage, Gulliver never got bored. In his cabin, he read books taken from home, and on the shore he looked at how other peoples live, studied their language and customs.
On the way back, he wrote down the road adventures in detail.
And this time, going to sea, Gulliver took with him a thick notebook.
On the first page of this book it was written: "May 4, 1699, we weighed anchor in Bristol."
2
For many weeks and months the Antelope sailed across the Southern Ocean. Tailwinds blew. The trip was successful.
But one day, when crossing to East India, the ship was overtaken by a storm. Wind and waves drove him to no one knows where.
And the hold was already running out of food and fresh water. Twelve sailors died of fatigue and hunger. The rest barely moved their feet. The ship tossed from side to side like a nutshell.
One dark, stormy night, the wind carried the Antelope right onto a sharp rock. The sailors noticed it too late. The ship hit a cliff and shattered into pieces.
Only Gulliver and five sailors managed to escape in the boat.
For a long time they rushed along the sea and finally completely exhausted. And the waves got bigger and bigger, and then the highest wave tossed and capsized the boat. Water covered Gulliver with his head.
When he surfaced, there was no one near him. All his companions drowned.
Gulliver swam alone wherever his eyes looked, driven by the wind and the tide. Every now and then he tried to find the bottom, but there was still no bottom. And he could no longer swim further: a wet caftan and heavy, swollen shoes pulled him down. He choked and gasped.
And suddenly his feet touched solid ground. It was a shallow. Gulliver carefully stepped on the sandy bottom once or twice - and slowly walked forward, trying not to stumble.
The going got easier and easier. At first the water reached his shoulders, then to his waist, then only to his knees. He already thought that the shore was very close, but the bottom in this place was very shallow, and Gulliver had to wade knee-deep in water for a long time.
At last the water and sand were left behind. Gulliver went out onto a lawn covered with very soft and very low grass. He sank to the ground, put his hand under his cheek and fell sound asleep.
3
When Gulliver woke up, it was already quite light. He lay on his back, and the sun shone directly in his face.
He wanted to rub his eyes, but he could not raise his hand; I wanted to sit up, but I couldn't move.
Thin ropes entangled his entire body from armpits to knees; arms and legs were tightly tied with a rope net; ropes wrapped around each finger. Even Gulliver's long thick hair was tightly wound around small pegs driven into the ground and entwined with ropes.
Gulliver was like a fish caught in a net.
"Yes, I'm still sleeping," he thought.
Suddenly, something living quickly climbed onto his leg, reached his chest and stopped at his chin.
Gulliver squinted one eye.
What a miracle! Almost under his nose is a little man - a tiny, but a real little man! In his hands is a bow and arrow, behind his back is a quiver. And he's only three fingers tall.
Following the first little man, another four dozen of the same small shooters climbed Gulliver.
In surprise, Gulliver cried out loudly.
The little men rushed about and rushed in all directions.
As they ran, they stumbled and fell, then jumped up and jumped to the ground one by one.
For two or three minutes no one else approached Gulliver. Only under his ear all the time there was a noise similar to the chirping of grasshoppers.
But soon the little men again took courage and again began to climb up his legs, arms and shoulders, and the bravest of them crept up to Gulliver's face, touched his chin with a spear and shouted in a thin but distinct voice:
- Gekina degul!
- Gekina degul! Gekina degul! snarled voices from all sides.
But what these words meant, Gulliver did not understand, although he knew many foreign languages.
Gulliver lay on his back for a long time. His arms and legs were completely numb.
He mustered his strength and tried to lift his left arm off the ground.
Finally he succeeded.
He pulled out the pegs, around which were wrapped hundreds of thin, strong ropes, and raised his hand.
At that very moment someone squeaked loudly:
- Only a flashlight!
Hundreds of arrows pierced Gulliver's hand, face, neck at once. The men's arrows were thin and sharp, like needles.
Gulliver closed his eyes and decided to lie still until nightfall.
It will be easier to break free in the dark, he thought.
But he did not have to wait for the night on the lawn.
Not far from his right ear he heard a frequent, fractional knock, as if someone nearby were hammering cloves into the board.
The hammers banged for an hour.
Gulliver turned his head slightly - the ropes and pegs no longer allowed him to turn it - and near his very head he saw a newly built wooden platform. Several men were fitting a ladder to him.
Then they ran away, and a little man in a long cloak slowly climbed the steps to the platform. Behind him walked another, almost half his height, and carried the edge of his cloak. It must have been a page boy. He was no bigger than Gulliver's little finger. The last to ascend the platform were two archers with drawn bows in their hands.
— Langro degyul san! the little man in the cloak shouted three times and unfolded the scroll as long and as wide as a birch leaf.
Now fifty men ran up to Gulliver and cut the ropes tied to his hair.
Gulliver turned his head and began to listen to what the man in the raincoat was reading. The little man read and talked for a long, long time. Gulliver did not understand anything, but just in case he nodded his head and put his free hand to his heart.
He guessed that in front of him was some important person, most likely the royal ambassador.
First of all, Gulliver decided to ask the ambassador to feed him.
He hasn't had a crumb in his mouth since he left the ship. He raised his finger and brought it to his lips several times.
The man in the cloak must have understood this sign. He stepped off the platform, and immediately several long ladders were placed at Gulliver's sides.
In less than a quarter of an hour, hundreds of hunched porters were dragging baskets of food up these stairs.
The baskets contained thousands of loaves the size of a pea, whole hams the size of a walnut, fried chickens smaller than our fly.
Gulliver swallowed two hams at once along with three loaves. He ate five roast oxen, eight dried rams, nineteen smoked pigs, and two hundred chickens and geese.
Soon the baskets were empty.
Then the little men rolled two barrels of wine to Gulliver's hand. The barrels were huge - each with a glass.
Gulliver knocked the bottom out of one barrel, knocked it out of the other, and drained both barrels in a few sips.
The little people threw up their hands in surprise. Then they made signs to him to dump the empty barrels on the ground.
Gulliver threw both at once. The barrels tumbled in the air and rolled with a crash in different directions.
The crowd on the lawn parted, shouting loudly:
- Bora mewola! Bora mewola!
After wine, Gulliver immediately wanted to sleep. Through a dream, he felt how the little men were running all over his body up and down, rolling down from the sides, as if from a mountain, tickling him with sticks and spears, jumping from finger to finger.
He really wanted to throw off a dozen or two of these little jumpers that prevented him from sleeping, but he took pity on them. After all, the little men had just hospitably fed him a delicious, hearty dinner, and it would be ignoble to break their arms and legs for this. In addition, Gulliver could not help but be surprised at the extraordinary courage of these tiny people, who ran back and forth across the giant’s chest, who would have had no trouble destroying them all with one click. He decided not to pay attention to them and, intoxicated with strong wine, soon fell asleep.
The people were just waiting for this. They deliberately poured sleeping powder into barrels of wine in order to put their huge guest to sleep.
4
The country in which the storm brought Gulliver was called Lilliputia. Lilliputians lived in this country.
The tallest trees in Lilliput were no taller than our currant bush, the largest houses were lower than the table. No one has ever seen such a giant as Gulliver in Lilliput.
The emperor ordered to bring him to the capital. For this, Gulliver was put to sleep.
Five hundred carpenters built, by order of the emperor, a huge cart with twenty-two wheels.
The cart was ready in a few hours, but putting Gulliver on it was not so easy.
That's what Lilliputian engineers came up with for this.
They put the cart next to the sleeping giant, at his very side. Then eighty posts were driven into the ground with blocks at the top and thick ropes with hooks at one end were put on these blocks. The ropes were no thicker than ordinary twine.
When everything was ready, the Lilliputians set to work. They grabbed the torso, both legs and both arms of Gulliver with strong bandages and, hooking these bandages with hooks, began to pull the ropes through the blocks.
Nine hundred selected strong men were gathered for this work from all parts of Lilliput.
They planted their feet on the ground and, sweating, pulled the ropes with all their might with both hands.
An hour later, they managed to lift Gulliver from the ground by half a finger, two hours later - by a finger, after three - they put him on a cart.
One and a half thousand of the largest horses from the court stables, each the size of a newborn kitten, were harnessed to a cart ten abreast. The coachmen waved their whips, and the cart slowly rolled along the road to the main city of Liliput - Mildendo.
Gulliver was still sleeping. He probably would not have woken up until the end of the journey if one of the officers of the imperial guard had not accidentally woken him up.
It happened like this.
The wheel of the cart bounced off. I had to stop to fix it.
During this stop, several young people took it into their heads to see what face Gulliver has when he sleeps. Two climbed onto the wagon and crept quietly up to his very face. And the third - a guards officer - without leaving his horse, rose in the stirrups and tickled his left nostril with the tip of his pike.
Gulliver involuntarily wrinkled his nose and sneezed loudly.
- Apchi! echo repeated.
The brave ones were blown away by the wind.
And Gulliver woke up, heard the drivers cracking their whips, and realized that he was being taken somewhere.
The whole day, the soaring horses dragged the bound Gulliver along the roads of Lilliput.
It was only late at night that the cart stopped, and the horses were unharnessed to be fed and watered.
All night, a thousand guardsmen stood guard on both sides of the cart: five hundred with torches, five hundred with bows at the ready.
The shooters were ordered to fire five hundred arrows at Gulliver, if only he decides to move.
When morning came, the cart moved on.
5
Not far from the city gates on the square stood an old abandoned castle with two corner towers. No one has lived in the castle for a long time.
The Lilliputians brought Gulliver to this empty castle.
It was the largest building in all of Lilliput. Its towers were almost human height. Even such a giant as Gulliver could freely crawl on all fours through its door, and in the front hall he would probably manage to stretch out to his full height.
The emperor of Lilliput was going to settle Gulliver here. But Gulliver did not know this yet. He was lying on his cart, and crowds of midgets were running towards him from all sides.
The horse guards drove away the curious, but still a good ten thousand little men managed to walk along Gulliver's legs, over his chest, shoulders and knees, while he was lying tied up.
Suddenly, something hit him on the leg. He slightly raised his head and saw several midgets with rolled up sleeves and black aprons. Tiny hammers glittered in their hands. It was the court blacksmiths who put Gulliver in chains.
From the wall of the castle to his foot they stretched ninety-one chains as thick as they usually do for watches, and locked them around his ankle with thirty-six padlocks. The chains were so long that Gulliver could walk around the area in front of the castle and freely crawl into his house.
The blacksmiths finished their work and withdrew. The guard cut the ropes, and Gulliver got to his feet.
"Ah," shouted the Lilliputians. — Quinbus Flestrin! Quinbus Flestrin!
In Lilliputian, this means: “Man-Mountain! Mountain Man!
Gulliver carefully stepped from foot to foot so as not to crush one of the locals, and looked around.
Never before had he seen such a beautiful country. The gardens and meadows here looked like colorful flower beds. The rivers ran in fast, clear streams, and the city looked like a toy in the distance.
Gulliver stared so hard that he did not notice how almost the entire population of the capital had gathered around him.
Lilliputians swarmed at his feet, felt the buckles of his shoes, and lifted their heads so that their hats fell to the ground.
The boys argued which of them would throw a stone to the very nose of Gulliver.
Scientists have been arguing among themselves where Quinbus Flestrin came from.
- It is written in our old books, - said one scientist, - that a thousand years ago the sea threw a terrible monster ashore to us. I think that Quinbus Flestrin also emerged from the bottom of the sea.
“No,” answered another scientist, “a sea monster must have gills and a tail. Quinbus Flestrin fell off the moon.
The Lilliputian sages did not know that there were other countries in the world, and they thought that only Lilliputians live everywhere.
Scientists walked around Gulliver for a long time and shook their heads, but did not have time to decide where Quinbus Flestrin came from.
Riders on black horses with spears at the ready dispersed the crowd.
- Ashes of the villagers! Ashes of the villagers! shouted the riders.
Gulliver saw a golden box on wheels. The box was carried by six white horses. Nearby, also on a white horse, galloped a little man in a golden helmet with a plume.
The man in the helmet galloped straight to Gulliver's shoe and reined in his horse. The horse snored and reared up.
Now several officers ran up to the rider from two sides, grabbed his horse by the bridle and carefully led him away from Gulliver's leg.
The rider on the white horse was the emperor of Lilliput. And in the golden carriage sat the empress.
Four pages spread a piece of velvet on the lawn, placed a small gilded armchair, and flung open the doors of the carriage.
The Empress came out and sat down in a chair, straightening her dress.
Around her, her court ladies sat down on golden benches.
They were so magnificently dressed that the whole lawn became like a spread skirt, embroidered with gold, silver and multi-colored silks.
The emperor jumped off his horse and walked around Gulliver several times. His retinue followed him.
In order to better examine the emperor, Gulliver lay on his side.
His Majesty was at least a full nail taller than his courtiers. He was more than three fingers tall and was probably considered a very tall man in Lilliput.
In his hand, the emperor held a naked sword a little shorter than a knitting needle. Diamonds glittered on its golden hilt and scabbard.
His Imperial Majesty threw his head back and asked Gulliver about something.
Gulliver did not understand his question, but just in case, he told the emperor who he was and where he came from.
The emperor just shrugged.
Then Gulliver told the same thing in Dutch, Latin, Greek, French, Spanish, Italian and Turkish.
But the emperor of Lilliput, apparently, did not know these languages. He nodded his head to Gulliver, jumped on his horse and rushed back to Mildendo. Following him, the Empress left with her ladies.
And Gulliver remained sitting in front of the castle, like a chained dog in front of a booth.
By evening, at least three hundred thousand midgets crowded around Gulliver - all city dwellers and all peasants from neighboring villages.
Everyone wanted to see what Quinbus Flestrin, the Mountain Man, was.
Gulliver was guarded by guards armed with spears, bows and swords. The guards were ordered not to let anyone near Gulliver and to make sure that he did not break the chain and run away.
Two thousand soldiers lined up in front of the castle, but still a handful of citizens broke through the line.
Some examined Gulliver's heels, others threw stones at him or aimed bows at his vest buttons.
A well-aimed arrow scratched Gulliver's neck, the second arrow almost hit him in the left eye.
The head of the guard ordered that the mischievous people be caught, tied up and handed over to Quinbus Flestrin.
It was worse than any other punishment.
The soldiers tied up six midgets and, pushing the lance with the blunt ends, drove Gulliver to his feet.
Gulliver bent down, grabbed everyone with one hand and put them in the pocket of his camisole.
He left only one little man in his hand, carefully took it with two fingers and began to examine it.
The little man grabbed Gulliver's finger with both hands and screamed piercingly.
Gulliver felt sorry for the little man. He smiled kindly at him and took out a penknife from his vest pocket to cut the ropes that bound the midget's hands and feet.
Lilliput saw Gulliver's shiny teeth, saw a huge knife and screamed even louder. The crowd below was completely silent with horror.
And Gulliver quietly cut one rope, cut another and put the little man on the ground.
Then, one by one, he released those Lilliputians who were rushing about in his pocket.
— Glum glaff Quinbus Flestrin! the whole crowd shouted.
In Lilliputian, this means: "Long live the Mountain Man!"
And the head of the guard sent two of his officers to the palace to report everything that had happened to the emperor himself.
6
Meanwhile, in the palace of Belfaborak, in the farthest hall, the emperor gathered a secret council to decide what to do with Gulliver.
Ministers and councilors argued among themselves for nine hours.
Some said that Gulliver should be killed as soon as possible. If the Mountain Man breaks his chain and runs away, he can trample all of Lilliput. And if he does not run away, then the empire is threatened with a terrible famine, because every day he will eat more bread and meat than is necessary to feed one thousand seven hundred and twenty-eight midgets. This was calculated by a scholar who was invited to the secret council, because he was very good at counting.
Others argued that it was just as dangerous to kill Quinbus Flestrin as it was to keep him alive. From the decomposition of such a huge corpse, a plague can begin not only in the capital; but throughout the empire.
Secretary of State Reldressel asked the emperor for a word and said that Gulliver should not be killed, at least until a new fortress wall was built around Meldendo. The Man-Mountain eats more bread and meat than one thousand seven hundred and twenty-eight Lilliputians, but on the other hand, he, it is true, will work for at least two thousand Lilliputians. In addition, in case of war, he can protect the country better than five fortresses.
The emperor sat on his canopied throne and listened to what the ministers were saying.
When Reldressel finished, he nodded his head. Everyone understood that he liked the words of the Secretary of State.
But at this time, Admiral Skyresh Bolgolam, the commander of the entire fleet of Lilliput, got up from his seat.
“Mountain Man,” he said, “the most powerful of all people in the world, it’s true. But that is why he should be executed as soon as possible. After all, if during the war he decides to join the enemies of Lilliput, then ten regiments of the imperial guard will not be able to cope with him. Now he is still in the hands of the Lilliputians, and we must act before it is too late.
Treasurer Flimnap, General Limtok and Judge Belmaf agreed with the admiral.
The emperor smiled and nodded his head at the admiral - not even once, like Reldressel, but twice. It was evident that he liked this speech even more.
Gulliver's fate was sealed.
But at that moment the door opened, and two officers, who had been sent to the emperor by the head of the guard, ran into the chamber of the secret council. They knelt before the emperor and reported what had happened in the square.
When the officers told how graciously Gulliver treated his captives, Secretary of State Reldressel again asked for the floor.
He delivered another long speech in which he argued that one should not be afraid of Gulliver and that he would be much more useful to the emperor alive than dead.
The emperor decided to pardon Gulliver, but ordered to take away from him a huge knife, which the officers of the guard had just told about, and at the same time any other weapon if it was found during the search.
7
Two officials were assigned to search Gulliver.
With signs, they explained to Gulliver what the emperor requires of him.
Gulliver did not argue with them. He took both officials in his hands and lowered them first into one pocket of the caftan, then into the other, and then transferred them to the pockets of his trousers and vest.
Only in one secret pocket Gulliver did not let officials in. He had hidden his spectacles, spyglass and compass there.
The officials brought with them a lantern, paper, pens and ink. For three whole hours they fumbled in Gulliver's pockets, examined things and made an inventory.
Having finished their work, they asked the Man-Mountain to take them out of the last pocket and lower them to the ground.
After that, they bowed to Gulliver and carried the inventory they had compiled to the palace. Here it is, word for word:
"Description of items,
found in the pockets of the Mountain Man:
1. In the right pocket of the caftan, we found a large piece of coarse canvas, which, due to its size, could serve as a carpet for the front hall of the Belfaborak Palace.
2. In the left pocket they found a huge silver chest with a lid. This lid is so heavy that we ourselves could not lift it. When, at our request, Quinbus Flestrin lifted the lid of his chest, one of us climbed inside and immediately sank above the knees into some kind of yellow dust. A whole cloud of this dust rose up and made us sneeze to tears.
3. There is a huge knife in the right pants pocket. If you put him upright, he will be taller than human growth.
4. In the left pocket of the trousers, a machine made of iron and wood, unprecedented in our area, was found. It is so large and heavy that, despite our best efforts, we could not move it. This prevented us from inspecting the car from all sides.
5. In the upper right pocket of the vest was a whole pile of rectangular, completely identical sheets, made of some white and smooth material unknown to us. This whole bale - half the height of a man's height and three girths thick - is stitched with thick ropes. We carefully examined several top sheets and noticed rows of black mysterious signs on them. We believe that these are letters of an alphabet unknown to us. Each letter is the size of our palm.
6. In the upper left pocket of the vest, we found a net no less than a fishing net, but designed so that it can close and open like a wallet. It contains several heavy objects made of red, white and yellow metal. They are of different sizes, but the same shape - round and flat. The red ones are probably copper. They are so heavy that the two of us could hardly lift such a disc. White - obviously, silver - smaller. They look like the shields of our warriors. Yellow must be gold. They are slightly larger than our plates, but very heavy. If only it is real gold, then they must be very expensive.
7. A thick metal chain, apparently silver, hangs from the lower right pocket of the vest. This chain is attached to a large round object in the pocket, made of the same metal. What this item is is unknown. One of its walls is transparent as ice, and twelve black signs arranged in a circle and two long arrows are clearly visible through it.
Inside this round object, obviously, some mysterious creature is sitting, which incessantly knocks either with its teeth or with its tail. The Mountain Man explained to us, partly by words and partly by hand movements, that without this round metal box he would not know when to get up in the morning and when to go to bed in the evening, when to start work and when to finish it.
8. In the lower left pocket of the vest, we saw a thing similar to the lattice of the palace garden. With the sharp rods of this lattice, the Mountain-Man combs his hair.
9. Having finished the examination of the camisole and vest, we examined the belt of the Man-Mountain. It is made from the skin of some huge animal. On the left side of it hangs a sword five times longer than the average human height, and on the right - a bag divided into two compartments. Each of them can easily accommodate three adult midgets.
In one of the compartments we found many heavy and smooth metal balls the size of a human head; the other is full to the brim with some kind of black grains, quite light and not too large. We could put several dozen of these grains in our palms.
This is the exact description of the things found during the search at the Man-Mountain.
During the search, the aforementioned Mountain Man behaved politely and calmly.
Under the inventory, the officials put a seal and signed:
Clephrin Freloc. Marcy Frelock.
"Gulliver's Travels"(English) Gulliver's Travels) is a satirical-fiction book by Jonathan Swift, in which human and social vices are brightly and wittyly ridiculed.
The full title of the book is "Travels to some remote countries of the world in four parts: a work by Lemuel Gulliver, first a surgeon, and then a captain of several ships" (Eng. Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World, in Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of several Ships ). The first edition was published in -1727 in London. The book has become a classic of moral and political satire, although its abbreviated adaptations (and film adaptations) for children are especially popular.
Plot
"Gulliver's Travels" - the program manifesto of Swift the satirist. In the first part of the book, the reader laughs at the ridiculous conceit of the Lilliputians. In the second, in the country of the giants, the point of view changes, and it turns out that our civilization deserves the same ridicule. The third ridicules, from different angles, the arrogance of human pride. Finally, in the fourth, vile Yehus appear as a concentrate of primordial human nature, not ennobled by spirituality. Swift, as usual, does not resort to moralizing instructions, leaving the reader to draw their own conclusions - to choose between Yahoo and their moral antipode, fancifully dressed in a horse form.
Part 1. Journey to Lilliput
The knowledge of this people is very insufficient; they confine themselves to morality, history, poetry and mathematics, but in these areas, to be fair, they have achieved great perfection. As for mathematics, here it has a purely applied character and is aimed at improving agriculture and various branches of technology, so that it would receive a low rating from us ...
In this country it is not allowed to formulate any law with the help of a number of words exceeding the number of letters of the alphabet, and in it there are only twenty-two of them; but very few laws reach even this length. All of them are expressed in the clearest and simplest terms, and these people are not distinguished by such resourcefulness of mind as to discover several senses in the law; writing a commentary on any law is considered a great crime.
The last paragraph brings to mind the "Contract of the People", a political project of the Levellers during the English Revolution, discussed almost a century earlier, which stated:
The number of laws must be reduced in order to fit all the laws into one volume. Laws must be written in English so that every Englishman can understand them.
During a trip to the coast, a box made especially for him to live on the way is captured by a giant eagle, who later drops it into the sea, where Gulliver is picked up by sailors and returned to England.
Part 3. Journey to Laputa, Balnibarbi, Luggnagg, Glubbdobdrib and Japan
Gulliver and the flying island of Laputa
Gulliver ends up on the flying island of Laputa, then on the mainland of the country Balnibarbi, whose capital is Laputa. All the noble inhabitants of Laputa are too keen on mathematics and music, therefore they are utterly absent-minded, ugly and not arranged in everyday life. Only the mob and women are distinguished by sanity and can maintain a normal conversation. There is a Projection Academy on the mainland, where they try to implement various ridiculous pseudo-scientific undertakings. The authorities of Balnibarbi indulge aggressive projectors, introducing their improvements everywhere, because of which the country is in terrible decline. This part of the book contains a biting satire on the speculative scientific theories of his time. While waiting for the arrival of the ship, Gulliver makes a trip to the island of Glubbdobdrib, meets a caste of sorcerers who can summon the shadows of the dead, and talks with the legendary figures of ancient history, comparing ancestors and contemporaries, convinced of the degeneration of the nobility and humanity.
Swift goes on to debunk humanity's unjustified conceit. Gulliver comes to the country of Luggnegg, where he learns about the struldbrugs - immortal people doomed to eternal, powerless old age, full of suffering and disease.
At the end of the story, Gulliver gets from fictional countries to a very real Japan, at that time practically closed from Europe (of all Europeans, only the Dutch were allowed there, and then only to the port of Nagasaki). Then he returns to his homeland. This is the only journey from which Gulliver returns, having an idea of the direction of the return journey.
Part 4. Journey to the land of the Houyhnhnms
Gulliver and the Houyhnhnms
Gulliver finds himself in the country of reasonable and virtuous horses - Houyhnhnms. In this country there are also savage people, disgusting Yehu. In Gulliver, despite his tricks, they recognize Yehu, but, recognizing his high mental and cultural development for Yehu, they keep him separately as an honorary prisoner rather than a slave. The society of the Houyhnhnms is described in the most enthusiastic terms, and the manners of the Yehu are a satirical allegory of human vices.
In the end, Gulliver, to his deep chagrin, is expelled from this Utopia, and he returns to his family in England.
History of appearance
Judging by Swift's correspondence, the idea for the book took shape around 1720. The beginning of work on the tetralogy dates back to 1721; in January 1723, Swift wrote: "I have left the Land of Horses and am on a flying island ... my last two journeys will soon end."
Work on the book continued until 1725. In 1726, the first two volumes of Gulliver's Travels (without indicating the name of the real author) are published; the other two were published the following year. The book, somewhat spoiled by censorship, enjoys unprecedented success, and its authorship is no secret to anyone. Within a few months, Gulliver's Travels was reprinted three times, soon there were translations into German, Dutch, Italian and other languages, as well as extensive commentaries deciphering Swift's allusions and allegories.
Supporters of this Gulliver, whom we have here innumerable, argue that his book will live as long as our language, because its value does not depend on transient customs of thinking and speech, but consists in a series of observations on the eternal imperfection, recklessness and vices of the human race. .
The first French edition of Gulliver sold out within a month, reprints soon followed; in total, the defontaine version was published more than 200 times. An uncorrupted French translation, with magnificent illustrations by Granville, did not appear until 1838.
The popularity of Swift's hero brought to life numerous imitations, fake sequels, dramatizations, and even operettas based on Gulliver's Travels. At the beginning of the 19th century, greatly abridged children's retellings of Gulliver appeared in different countries.
Editions in Russia
The first Russian translation of "Gulliver's Travels" was published in 1772-1773 under the title "Gulliver's Travels to Lilliput, Brodinyaga, Laputa, Balnibarba, Guyngm country or to horses." The translation was made (from the French edition of Defontaine) by Erofey Karzhavin. In 1780, the Karzhavin translation was republished.
During the 19th century, there were several editions of Gulliver in Russia, all translations were made from the Defonten version. Belinsky spoke favorably about the book, Leo Tolstoy and Maxim Gorky highly appreciated the book. A complete Russian translation of Gulliver appeared only in 1902.
In Soviet times, the book was published both in full (translated by Adrian Frankovsky) and in abbreviated form. The first two parts of the book were also published in children's retelling (translations by Tamara Gabbe, Boris Engelhardt, Valentin Stenich), and in much larger editions, hence the widespread opinion among readers about Gulliver's Travels as a purely children's book. The total circulation of its Soviet publications is several million copies.
Criticism
Swift's satire in the tetralogy has two main purposes.
Defenders of religious and liberal values \u200b\u200bimmediately attacked the satirist with sharp criticism. They argued that by insulting a person, he thereby insults God as his creator. In addition to blasphemy, Swift was accused of misanthropy, rude and bad taste, with the 4th journey causing particular indignation.
The beginning of a balanced study of Swift's work was laid by Walter Scott (). Since the end of the 19th century, several in-depth scientific studies of Gulliver's Travels have been published in Great Britain and in other countries.
Cultural influence
Swift's book has prompted many imitations and sequels. They were started by the French translator of Gulliver Defontaine, who composed The Travels of Gulliver the Son. Critics believe that Voltaire's story Micromegas () was written under the strong influence of Gulliver's Travels.
Swift's motifs are clearly felt in many of the works of HG Wells. For example, in the novel "Mr. Blettsworthy on Rampole Island", a society of savage cannibals allegorically depicts the evils of modern civilization. In the novel " The Time Machine" two races of the descendants of modern people are bred - the bestial morlocks, reminiscent of Yehu, and their refined victims, eloi. Wells also has his noble giants ("Food of the Gods").
Frigyes Karinti made Gulliver the hero of his two stories: Journey to Fa-re-mi-do (1916) and Capillaria (1920). According to Swift's scheme, a classic book was also written
