Gulliver’s Travels: With original illustrations – annotated

Gulliver’s Travels”” is a satirical novel by Jonathan Swift, first published in 1726. It is one of the most famous works in English literature and is known for its biting satire on human nature, society, and the politics of the time. The novel is divided into four parts, each detailing the voyages of Lemuel Gulliver to various fantastical lands. Plot Summary Lemuel Gulliver is a ship’s surgeon who embarks on several voyages, each leading to a different strange and remote land. Part I: A Voyage to Lilliput Gulliver is shipwrecked and finds himself in Lilliput, a land inhabited by tiny people about six inches tall. Initially captured and bound by the Lilliputians, Gulliver eventually gains their trust and becomes a favorite at the court. He learns about their petty political conflicts, which satirize the British government and its trivial disputes. Gulliver helps the Lilliputians in their war against the neighboring island of Blefuscu but eventually falls out of favor and is forced to leave. Part II: A Voyage to Brobdingnag Gulliver’s next voyage takes him to Brobdingnag, a land of giants. Here, Gulliver is the tiny one, and he is taken in by a farmer and later presented to the King and Queen. The giants’ perspective on human society makes Gulliver reflect on the pettiness and corruption of European politics and culture. The King of Brobdingnag, in particular, expresses his disdain for European customs after listening to Gulliver’s descriptions. Gulliver is eventually carried off by an eagle and rescued at sea by a passing ship. Part III: A Voyage to Laputa, Balnibarbi, Luggnagg, Glubbdubdrib, and Japan In this section, Gulliver visits several places. He first arrives at Laputa, a floating island inhabited by people obsessed with mathematics and music but incapable of practical affairs. On the ground below, in Balnibarbi, he finds a land ruined by the impractical ideas of Laputan philosophers and scientists. Gulliver also visits Glubbdubdrib, where he meets and converses with historical figures such as Julius Caesar and Aristotle. In Luggnagg, he encounters the Struldbrugs, people who are immortal but perpetually old and miserable. Finally, Gulliver travels to Japan and manages to arrange passage back to England. Part IV: A Voyage to the Country of the Houyhnhnms In the final part, Gulliver finds himself in a land ruled by the Houyhnhnms, intelligent and rational horses. The human-like Yahoos in this land are primitive, brutish, and degenerate. The Houyhnhnms live by reason and are free from the vices and passions that plague humanity. Gulliver comes to admire the Houyhnhnms and adopts their disdain for human beings, whom he now sees as Yahoos. However, the Houyhnhnms eventually see Gulliver as a threat and order him to leave. He returns to England, but his experiences have left him misanthropic and disillusioned with human society. —- ISBN: 9798328075992