Full version 2.5 hours (≈50 A4 pages), summary 15 minutes.
Main characters
Lemuel Gulliver, Emperor of the Lilliputians, Lord Munodi, Struldbrugs, Flimnap, Reldresel, King of Brobdingnag, Glumdalclich, Yahoo, Houyhnhnms, Pedro de Mendes.
At the very beginning, the author said that the book was written by his friend and relative, Lemuel Gulliver. He wanted to create it for young nobles. The novel was reduced by fifty percent with pages devoted to maritime details.
The following is a letter from Gulliver addressed to his relative Simpson. In it, Lemuel expressed his dissatisfaction with the removal of certain passages from the book and the insertion of other text. The reason for this was the reluctance to conflict with the authorities. Gulliver believed that the printing of his book had no practical benefit because it had no effect on the vices of society. On the contrary, he was accused of being disrespectful and creating books that he had nothing to do with.
The first part “Journey to Lilliput”
First chapter
Gulliver was the fifth son of the owner of a small estate. In his youth he studied at Cambridge. Then for about three years he studied medicine in Leiden. Then Gulliver became a surgeon on the Swallow. There he served for three and a half years. After this, he married the daughter of a stocking merchant and began to live in London. Two years later, when his teacher Betts died, Gulliver's affairs went badly. Therefore, he again went to serve as a surgeon on a ship. He spent six years in the navy. Then for three years he tried to settle down on land. However, he gave up again and returned to the ship. In May 1699, Gulliver set sail across the South Sea.
The ship was caught in a strong storm. It was carried north-west of Australia. There was thick fog and the ship crashed. All team members died. The hero was able to swim to the shore. There he fell and spent nine hours sleeping.
In the morning, the emperor and his retinue met him at the city gates. The hero was settled in an ancient temple, which after the terrible murder was used as a public building. For safety, his left leg was chained with a large number of chains.
Chapter two
The hero examined the surroundings. For the first time he relieved himself in his place of residence, and again he went to the toilet far from the place of his own imprisonment. The height of the local ruler was no more than the length of Gulliver's fingernail. The emperor with his family and retinue visited the hero and took care of everything necessary for him.
For the first two weeks, Gulliver slept on the floor. Later a mattress was made for him and bed dress. The inhabitants of the country came to see the hero. The ruler of the country met every day with a council of ministers, at which he decided what to do with the giant. He could run away or cause famine in the country. Gulliver treated well the mischievous children whom the guards handed over to him. And this saved him from death. The emperor gave the order to provide the giant with food, allocated him six hundred servants, three hundred tailors and six teachers who taught the hero the local language.
Three weeks later, the hero began to speak a little with the Lilliputians in their language. He asked the ruler to release him. two officials searched him and made an inventory of Gulliver's property. A saber, two pistols, bullets for them and gunpowder were confiscated from Gulliver. The hero kept his glasses and a pocket telescope, as he managed to hide them during the search.
Chapter Three
The hero began to receive the emperor's favor. The country's population began to increasingly trust him. Gulliver was entertained with a dance on a rope. It was performed by those who wanted to obtain a high position in the state. The hero's hat lay on the shore. The inhabitants of the country returned it to Gulliver. The hero has found a mortal enemy. He was Admiral Bolgolam. He drew up a document in which he indicated the conditions for Gulliver's release.
Chapter Four
The hero examined Mildendo, the capital of Lilliput, and the emperor’s palace located in its center. Chief Secretary Reldresel explained to him the political situation within the state and told him about the threat of attack from the Blefuscu empire, which was located on the neighboring island.
Chapter Five
The hero delivered fifty ships of Blefuscu to the port of Lilliput, cutting off their anchors and tying them together. The ruler of the country dreamed of the absolute enslavement of the enemy. However, Gulliver refused to help him. The hero was called to put out a fire in the imperial palace. Gulliver fell out of favor because he urinated on the fire.
Chapter Six
The hero told about the growth of Lilliputians, animals and plants available in the country. He described the customs of the local population. They wrote on the page from one corner to another, buried the dead with their heads down, and cruelly punished judges who falsely accused informers. Ingratitude in this country was considered a criminal offense. Children owed nothing to their own parents. And they were raised separately from the family and divided depending on their belonging to a particular gender.
During the entire time the hero was present in this country, he made a table and a chair, and received other clothes. During dinner with the emperor, Flimnap, who was the Lord Chancellor, became jealous of his own wife. Therefore, he stated that the maintenance was very expensive for the state.
Chapter seven
The palace friend acquainted the hero with the act of accusation, which was drawn up by Bolgolam and Flimnap. He was accused of urinating on the emperor's palace, refusing to conquer Blefuscu and wanting to go to the island next door. He did not wait for punishment and fled the country.
Chapter Eight
Three days later, the hero found a boat and asked the ruler of Blefuscu for permission to return home. In Lilliput he was declared a traitor and they demanded that he return to the country. The ruler of Blefuscu did not hand over the hero. He left the island. two days later, Gulliver was picked up by a ship. In mid-April the following year he arrived on the Downs. For two months he lived with his family. Then he went on a journey again.
Part two "Journey to Brobdingnag"
First chapter
In the second half of June 1702, the hero left England. The following year in April, the ship he was traveling on was caught in a storm. Two years later, the ship began to lack fresh water. The hero and the sailors landed on an unfamiliar continent. He witnessed that the sailors were being chased by a giant. He himself found himself in a very large field where tall barley grew. There he was discovered by a peasant and given to his own owner. The hero showed him his good side. He ended up in the giant's house. There he sat at a common table with his household.
The hostess put the hero on her own bed. When he woke up, he had to fight rats that were the size of mongrels. He went to relieve himself in the garden, into which the giant’s wife carried him out.
Chapter two
The giant's daughter made a bed for the hero in the cradle of her own doll, sewed shirts for him, taught him the language and named him Grildrig. The giant's neighbor offered to show Gulliver at the fair for money. In Green Eagle the hero performed twelve times. Two months later, the giant took him around the country. Over the course of ten weeks they visited eighteen large cities and large quantities small villages. The giant's daughter was also on this trip. In October, the hero was brought to the capital.
Chapter Three
Due to regular performances, the hero began to lose weight. The giant thought that Gulliver would soon die. He sold it to the queen. The giant's daughter remained next to the hero. He told the queen about his treatment. The queen introduced the hero to the king. At first Tom thought he saw a small animal. Then he decided that there was a mechanism in front of him. The king talked with the hero. Then three scientists examined Gulliver, but could not find out the secret of his appearance in the world.
They made a small house for the hero and sewed new clothes. He regularly attended dinner with the Queen. And on certain days with the king. The royal dwarf was jealous of his fame. So he dipped Gulliver in cream. Huge flies and wasps were dangerous for the hero.
Chapter Four
The queen took the hero to travel around the country. The kingdom was a peninsula surrounded by ocean on three sides. On the fourth side there were high mountains. The capital was located on two banks of the river.
Chapter Five
In the kingdom, the hero was exposed to constant dangers. The royal dwarf shook apples onto his head, the hail hit his back hard, the white spaniel mistook him for a toy to be brought to his owner, the monkey decided that he was her cub. The maids of honor took off all his clothes and placed them on their chests. The Queen gave orders to make a boat and a long basin for him to row.
Chapter Six
The hero made a comb, chairs and a purse from the royal hair, and played the spinet for the royal spouses. He told the king about England and received criticism of the court, finances and army with justification.
Chapter seven
The hero suggested telling the king about gunpowder. He was horrified and asked not to remember this weapon in his presence in the future.
The hero told the reader the scientific, legislative features and character traits art of Brobdingnag.
Chapter Eight
Two years later, the hero with the king and queen headed to the southern coast. The page carried Gulliver to the beach so that he could get some air. While the page was looking for birds' nests, the hero's travel box was stolen by an eagle. This eagle was attacked by other birds. Gulliver found himself in the sea. There he was picked up by a ship. The captain thought that the hero was crazy. He realized that Gulliver was not sick when he saw things from the kingdom. Early in June 176 he arrived in the Downs.
The third part "Journey to Laputa, Balnibarbi, Luggnegg, Glubbdobbrib and Japan"
First chapter
At the beginning of August 1706, the hero left England. At sea, the ship was attacked by pirates. Gulliver tried in vain to obtain mercy from the villain from Holland. But the Japanese showed some mercy towards him. The team was captured. The hero was put into a shuttle and released into the ocean. There he ended up on one of the islands.
Four days later, Gulliver noticed a flying island in the sky. The islanders responded to his plea for help.
Chapter two
The islanders had an unusual appearance. Their heads were sloping to the right or left. The first eye looked inward, and the second eye looked upward. The nobles were accompanied by servants who carried air bubbles and small stones. With them they brought their owners out of deep thoughts.
The hero was fed, taught to speak their language, and clothes were sewn. After some time, the island flew to the capital. Gulliver noted for himself that the islanders studied only music and geometry, and most of all they were frightened by cataclysms in space. The islanders' wives constantly cheated on their husbands with less thoughtful foreigners.
Chapter Three
The island was held by a large magnet that was located in a cave in the middle of Laputa. The king managed to prevent popular uprisings on the mainland by blocking the sun or lowering the island above the city. The king and his sons could not leave the island.
Chapter Four
The hero descended to the islanders' mainland. In the capital he lived with Munodi. The hero saw the poor clothes of the inhabitants and the fields without vegetation. But the peasants, despite this, were engaged in their cultivation. Munodi said it was a new way of cultivating the soil, developed at the Projector Academy, which was created four decades ago by people who came to the island. he himself ran his own farm as before. Therefore, everything was fine with him.
Chapter Five
The hero visited this Academy. There he met professors who were trying to obtain rays of the sun and cucumbers, food from excrement, and gunpowder from ice. Create a house starting from the roof, adapt pigs for plowing, get yarn from spider webs, normalize the functioning of the intestines with the help of furs. Mechanize the process of cognition and make the language simpler by eliminating some parts of speech or all words completely.
Chapter Six
Spotlights associated with politics advised the government to act in the interests of the people. The hero thought this was crazy. For those who are against such proposals, doctors advised to exchange the back parts of the brain. It was proposed to take taxes from shortcomings or advantages.
Chapter seven
The hero headed to Maldonada, intending to go from there to Luggnegg. While waiting for the ship, he visited the island of Glabbdobbrib, where wizards lived. The ruler called upon him the spirits of great people.
Chapter Eight
The hero communicated with Homer, Aristotle, Gassendi, Descartes, the kings of Europe and ordinary people.
Chapter Nine
The hero returned to Maldonada. Fourteen days later he sailed for Luggnagg. There Gulliver was arrested before orders from the ruler. He then got the opportunity to meet the king. When approaching this ruler, it was necessary to lick the floor.
Chapter ten
The hero remained in Luggnagg for three months. The residents were courteous and good-natured. Here he learned that the inhabitants were giving birth to immortal people. He enthusiastically described his immortal life. However, he was told that immortality was not so wonderful, because in their ninth decade such people became gloomy and melancholy, dreaming of youth or death. They began to get sick, forgot their language and led a miserable life.
Chapter Eleven
From Luggnagg the hero came to Japan. The emperor, respecting the Laggnagg king, freed Gulliver from punishment. At the end of the first ten days of April 1710, the hero found himself in Amsterdam. And six days later - to the Downs.
The fourth part “Journey to the Country of the Houyhnhnms”
First chapter
In September 1710, the hero became captain of the Adventurer. Due to his inexperience, he recruited sea robbers into his team. They arrested him. In May 1711, the hero was landed on an unfamiliar shore, which was covered with forests and fields. Gulliver was attacked by monkeys. A strange horse saved him. Soon another horse appeared. The animals spoke, felt the hero, were amazed at his clothes, and taught him new words.
Chapter two
The horse brought the hero to his house. There Gulliver again met human-like monkeys. Horses kept them as pets. Gulliver was offered food from these monkeys. However, he preferred cow's milk. The horses dined on porridge with milk. The hero tried to make oat bread.
Chapter Three
The hero learned the language of horses. Three months later, he told the horse his own story. The nobility came to see the hero.
One day a bay horse found Gulliver naked. He showed him his own body. The horse was convinced that Gulliver was practically no different from monkeys. However, he agreed to keep everything secret.
Chapter Four
The hero told the horse about the civilization of Europe and how they treat horses.
Chapter Five
The hero told the horse about how things were going in England, about the wars in Europe and state legislation.
Chapter Six
The hero explained to the horse what money, alcohol, medicine, the first minister of state, and the degenerating nobility of England were.
Chapter seven
The hero explained to the reader why he presented the British in a bad light. He liked the simplicity and sincerity of the horses. The horse concluded that the British used their own minds only to consolidate existing vices and acquire new ones. He told the hero about the abomination of the nature of the local monkeys.
Chapter Eight
The hero observed the habits of the monkeys. In horses, he noted a strict adherence to rationality, friendship and goodwill. There was no passion in horse families. Families were created here to produce offspring. Each family had a foal of each sex.
Chapter Nine
The hero found himself at a meeting of the entire nation, held once every four years. The question of the destruction of all monkeys was raised. The horse made a proposal to use a different method - to sterilize the existing monkeys.
Chapter ten
The hero lived with the horses for three years and dreamed of staying with them forever. The Great Council decided that Gulliver should be kept with other monkeys or sent home. For two months the hero built the pirogue. Then he went to a distant island.
Chapter Eleven
The hero managed to get to Australia. The savages hit him in the knee on his left leg with an arrow. Gulliver was picked up by a ship. He made an attempt to escape from it because he did not want to be among the Yahoos. The captain dropped him off in Lisbon, helped him adapt to life among people, and sent him home. At the beginning of December 1715, the hero met with his own family.
Chapter Twelve
Gulliver traveled for sixteen years and seven months. After returning to England, he stated that the main task of a writer who tells about his own adventures is the truthfulness of events.
Year: 1727 Genre: novel
Main characters: Lemuel Gulliver is the son of a landowner, a surgeon on a ship, and a traveler.
Jonathan Swift's novel Gulliver's Travels tells the adventures of the hero of the same name. He is a navigator. Often his ship is in disaster, and the main character finds himself in amazing countries. In the land of Lilliputians, Gulliver is a giant, in the land of giants - vice versa. On the floating island, the hero saw what excessive ingenuity can lead to...
Meaning. Swift's novel shows the political structure of England, contemporary to Jonathan, namely its morals and way of life of the people inhabiting it. Moreover, the author does this ironically. He also ridicules the vices of the people inhabiting his native country.
Summary of Gulliver's Travels in parts
Part 1. Gulliver in the land of Lilliputians
Main character works of Lemuel Gulliver - sea traveler. He is sailing on a ship. The first country he enters is Lilliput.
The ship is in distress. Gulliver comes to his senses already on the shore. He feels that he is tied hand and foot by very small people.
The Mountain Man, as the Lilliputians call the main character, is peaceful towards the local population. For this reason, he is fed and provided with housing.
The head of the Lilliputian state himself comes out to talk with Gulliver. During the conversation, the emperor talks about the war with a neighboring state. Gulliver, in gratitude for the warm welcome, decides to help the little people. He attracts the entire enemy fleet into the bay, on the shores of which the Lilliputians live. For this act he was awarded the highest award in the state.
The local population further calls Gulliver “the horror and joy of the Universe.” One fine day he becomes displeasing to the emperor, and the hero has to emigrate to Blefuscu (a nearby state). But even in the neighboring state, Gulliver is a burden to the residents... He eats a lot... Then the hero builds a boat and sails into the open sea. While traveling, purely by chance he encounters a ship belonging to England and returns home. Gulliver brings Lilliputian sheep with him to his homeland, which, according to him, have bred well.
Part 2. Gulliver in the land of giants
Gulliver cannot sit at home; as they say, the wind of wanderings calls him. He goes on a sea voyage again and this time ends up in the land of giants. He is immediately brought before the king. The king of this country cares about the well-being of his subjects. Gulliver notices that the people inhabiting the land of giants are not very developed...
The king's daughter paid special attention to Gulliver's person. She considers him her living toy. She even creates all the conditions for his life. It’s funny for her to watch her living toy, but he is offended and even, at times, hurt by the games.
The whole country of giants is disgusting to Gulliver. And in their faces he notices all the little things. And it would be a sin not to notice a hair that looks like a log from a hundred-year-old oak tree.
Perhaps the greatest hostility towards Gulliver is felt by the royal dwarf, the former favorite of the royal daughter. After all, Gulliver is now a rival for him. Out of anger, he takes revenge on Gulliver. He puts him in a cage with a monkey, who almost tortured the main character to death.
Gulliver himself tells the king about the structure of life in England. And no matter how well His Majesty treats him, he wants with all his might to return to his homeland.
And again His Majesty chance bursts into Gulliver’s fate. The eagle grabs the main character's house and takes him to the open sea, where Gulliver is picked up by a ship from England.
Part 3. Gulliver in the land of scientists
The life of the main character is filled with events. By coincidence, he ends up on an island that floats in the sky, and then descends to the capital of this island, which is located on the ground.
What catches the traveler's eye? This is terrible poverty, wretchedness. But, as strange as it may seem, in this world of devastation and chaos it is possible to identify islands where prosperity and order flourish. Why is this happening?
This state of affairs is caused by the reforms of the country's government, which in no way improve the lives of ordinary citizens.
Almost all people are academics. They are so passionate about their research that they do not notice anything around them.
The trouble with academics is that their scientific projects are not implemented. Scientific discoveries are “discovered” only on paper. Therefore, the country is falling into decline... You could say that all these people are reinventing the wheel. But life doesn’t stand still!
Picture or drawing Swift - Gulliver's Travels
Other retellings and reviews for the reader's diary
- Summary of Turgenev Living Relics
The narrator and the hero, named Ermolai, go hunting for black grouse together. It starts to rain heavily. Continuing to be without cover in such weather could cause serious harm to the health of the heroes. They are trying to find a way out of a difficult situation. The main character of Flaubert's novel, in fact, Madame Bovary, was a provincial with the mindset of a metropolitan socialite. She married a widowed doctor early, who treated her father's broken leg, and he himself looked after the young Emma, the future Bovary.
The satirical writer Jonathan Swift was born in the Irish city of Dublin in 1667. The mother had to make a lot of efforts to give a decent education to her sickly son. After graduating from the best gymnasium in the country, he continued his studies at the university. The unrest that broke out in the country forced the young man to move to England and start a new life. He tried to build his career in the political field, but he was truly fascinated by literary activity.
Returning to his homeland, Jonathan took holy orders and became rector of a small community near Dublin. All subsequent years he did not forget about creativity, but Swift’s works first saw the light in 1704. Soon he headed the weekly and plunged into the creation of political pamphlets. When the Tories with whom he collaborated were in danger of being overthrown, he returned to Ireland and was appointed dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral. Here he created his most famous work Gulliver's Travels, which was published in 1726.
What is the novel about?
At first glance, it seems that the novel “Gulliver's Travels” simply tells about the adventures of the main character. He is a navigator and loves traveling to different countries. When a ship suffers a disaster, fate takes it to amazing lands. And then his future fate depends only on his own ingenuity and ingenuity. But Jonathan Swift is a great master of satire. In the novel, he managed to reflect the political structure of England at that time and talk about the lives of his contemporaries. Morals and way of life are shown with irony; he especially vividly ridiculed the vices that suffered from most of his compatriots. The writer really hoped that many would recognize themselves in the characters in the book.
The book consists of four parts. Each of them tells about the adventures of Gulliver at different times.
The first part “Journey to Lilliput”
At the beginning of the work, the author introduces readers to the main character. Lemuel Gulliver graduated from Cambridge and then studied medical sciences in Leiden. Gulliver alternated serving as a doctor on a ship with work on land; his wife was waiting for him in London.
In May 1699, the surgeon set out as part of a crew on the South Sea. After a strong storm, the ship was carried to the north-west of Australia. In the fog, he crashed on the coastal rocks; none of the crew survived. Only Gulliver swam to the deserted shore, fell powerless and was asleep for nine hours. When Gulliver woke up, he felt that his arms and legs were tightly tied with ropes, and dozens of little people were moving around his body. When the sailor tried to shake them, arrows rained down on him in response. A platform was built near Gulliver, and an important dignitary climbed up to it. His language was not understandable to the hero, so he had to express himself with gestures. The traveler was fed, and a sleeping pill was added to the wine. The bound prisoner was taken to the capital on a large cart and placed in the temple, and his left hand was chained.
The unusual country was called Lilliput. Its inhabitants, a little taller than Gulliver's fingernail, called the captive "man-mountain." The population treated the traveler peacefully, and he responded in kind. Every day dozens of people came to the temple to gaze at the unprecedented giant. The emperor provided him with food and servants, and teachers taught him the language.
Every day the head of state gathered a council and decided the same question: what to do with the prisoner? After all, he could run away or his presence could lead the country to famine. Together with the emperor's mercy for his release, the hero was given the opportunity to walk around the country. I had to give up the weapon; I only managed to hide a telescope and glasses. First he visited the capital of Mildendo and the main palace. On the rope he saw people dancing - this is how they tried to earn a position. On the seashore, the traveler discovered his hat, and was very happy about it. The sailor aroused the confidence of the Lilliputians, but he had an enemy - Admiral Bolgolam. From the chief secretary, Gulliver learned that Lilliput was at war with the neighboring country of Blefuscu. In gratitude for the warm welcome, he agreed to help his rescuers. Gulliver set off on foot to a neighboring island, cut off the anchors of the enemy fleet and brought all fifty ships to the capital port of Lilliput.
The next part of the story is like a fairy tale. The giant continued to study the peculiarities of the life of the state. In the country of Lilliputians, pages were written diagonally, and the dead were placed in the grave upside down. Ingratitude was considered a criminal offense, and judges were punished for false denunciations. What struck the Englishman most of all was that the children were raised away from their parents and believed that they did not owe them anything. One day Gulliver got into trouble when the Lord Chancellor became jealous of his own wife. When a fire suddenly broke out in the imperial palace, the giant urinated on him, and for his rescue he received a high reward and a new accusation from Bolgolam.
After defeating Blefuscu with the help of Gulliver, who received the name “the horror and joy of the Universe,” the emperor wanted to completely subjugate the neighboring state. This time the giant refused, for which he fell out of favor. He was declared a traitor and forced to flee to a neighboring country. The hero considered his stay in Blefuscu too burdensome, so he made a boat and went in search of a house. He was lucky when an English ship met on the path of the desperate daredevil, and it was it that delivered the traveler to his homeland.
Part two "Journey to Brobdingnag"
The traveler's diary continued with a new adventure. Less than two months had passed before he set off on his next voyage. When the ship ran out of fresh water, the sailors landed on an unfamiliar shore. Gulliver and other members of the team began to be pursued by a giant, and the hero ended up in a barley field. A local peasant rescued him and brought him home. They treated the unprecedented creature with respect, seated him at a common table and put him to sleep on the bed. Gulliver was especially loved by the owner's daughter; she took care of him and gave him a new name, Grildrig.
Two months later, the giant began to take our hero to fairs and cities across the country, where he gave performances and entertained the audience. So one day they ended up at the royal court. Court scientists tried to unravel the secret of its mechanism, but to no avail. The king and queen fell in love with Gulliver. They gave him new clothes and shelter, and he became a regular guest at royal dinners. The only one who was angry and jealous of the sailor was the dwarf. He constantly exposed the hero’s life to danger: he dipped him in cream, shook apples on his head, and put him in a cage with a monkey, which almost took the little man’s life. Around the ship's doctor, dangers arose every now and then in the form of huge rats, flies and wasps. Ordinary hair seemed to him as thick as a log, and in the basin he could row.
The hero was struck by the ignorance of the head of state. He listened with interest to his stories about England, but was categorically against the emergence of something new, progressive in his country. Gulliver traveled a lot with the royal family. An unexpected incident changed the hero's fate. His travel box was grabbed by an eagle and thrown into the sea, where the traveler was picked up by English sailors.
The third part "Journey to Laputa, Balnibarbi, Luggnegg, Glubbdobbrib and Japan"
In the summer of 1706, the doctor's ship fell into the hands of pirates during a new voyage. The Dutch villains were merciless, the team was captured. The Japanese took pity on Gulliver and gave him a boat. The lone wanderer was noticed by the inhabitants of the island floating in the sky, held in place by a large magnet. The island's population was passionate about music and geometry, but at the same time seemed disorganized and scattered. On the flying island, almost everyone was considered an academic. The professors engaged in useless research, such as obtaining sun rays from cucumbers and gunpowder from ice, they tried to build a house from the roof and use pigs to plow the land. They “reinvent the wheel,” as if life had stopped in one place. The country is falling into decay, poverty reigns all around, and valuable “scientific discoveries” are only on paper. Taxes on the island depended on the presence of a person's shortcomings or advantages, and everyone who thought differently was offered to exchange part of the brain.
The hero met wizards who knew how to summon the spirits of celebrities. Gulliver was able to communicate with Homer, Arstotle, and Descartes. In Luggnagg the traveler met good-natured people, because they were immortal from birth. However, immortality turned out to be not as wonderful as the inhabitants dreamed of it. When old age and illness approached, eternal life seemed gloomy to them, and they increasingly remembered their youth. After this, the ship's doctor ended up in Japan, and from there returned to Europe.
The fourth part “Journey to the Country of the Houyhnhnms”
Gulliver set off on a new journey four years later. On the way, most of the crew was struck down by illness, and the new crew members turned out to be robbers. The villains abandoned the captain on a deserted island, but intelligent animal people came to his aid. Horses had their own language, they were modest, well-mannered and noble. The complete opposite of them are monkeys, disgusting creatures that horses considered pets. Having lived for almost three years in this country, Gulliver decided to stay on the island, but the Island Council announced a verdict: the captain must take his place among the monkeys or leave the island. After this, the sailor returned home, where the long-awaited meeting with his wife and children took place.
Thus ends the adventures of Lemuel Gulliver, described in the novel by writer Jonathan Swift. The main character's travels lasted a total of sixteen years. Brief retelling The novel in four parts only partially conveys the fabulous atmosphere that is inherent in the work. To experience it fully, you need to read the immortal work “Gulliver’s Travels” yourself.
Title of the work: Gulliver's Travels
Year of writing: 1727
Genre of the work: novel
Main characters: Lemuel Gulliver- son of a landowner, surgeon on a ship, traveler.
Plot
Lemuel Gulliver is a good surgeon. Works on a ship. But one day a tragedy happened - because of the fog, the ship crashed on the rocks. The surviving hero finds himself on land in the country of Lilliput, where very small people live. There he begins to learn the local language and makes friends with the emperor. The hero learns about the enmity with the neighbors of Blefuscu. But in the end, on various charges, he faces death or torture, so he runs away. The next destination is Brobdingnag. This land is inhabited by giants. The farmer shows the guest for money. Lumuel meets the royal family, but dangers lurk here too. Next he visits the flying island of Laputa, where residents are interested in mathematics and music. Immortal people live in Luggnagg, but they suffer, get sick and are sad because of it. The last journey was to the country of the Houyhnhnms, which is inhabited by horses. Gulliver traveled for over 16 years.
Conclusion (my opinion)
In the novel, Swift condemns pride and arrogance. He was concerned about the decline in morality in society. He also condemns the illogical laws of England and the hard life. By delving into the deep images, you can see the people around you in the fantastic characters.
Everyone knows the image of a sailor who is tied to the ground with ropes by little men. But in Jonathan Swift's book Gulliver's Travels, the main character does not stop at visiting the country of Lilliput. A work from a children's fairy tale turns into a philosophical reflection on humanity.
Teacher, publicist, philosopher, and also a priest, Jonathan Swift was originally from Ireland, but wrote in English, therefore he is considered an English writer. During his life he created 6 volumes of works. Gulliver's Travels was finally published in 1726-1727 in London, while Swift spent several years creating his work.
The author published the novel without indicating his authorship, and the book immediately became popular, although it was subject to censorship. The most widespread edition was the translation of the French writer Pierre Desfontaines, after which the novel was no longer translated from in English, and from French.
Later, continuations and imitations of Gulliver's story, operettas and even short children's versions of the novel began to appear, mainly devoted to the first part.
Genre, direction
"Gulliver's Travels" can be classified as a fantastic satirical-philosophical novel. The main character meets fairy-tale characters and becomes a guest in non-existent worlds.
The novel was written in the era of Enlightenment or Late Classicism, for which the travel genre was very popular. The works of this direction are distinguished by their instructive character, attention to detail and the absence of controversial characters.
The essence
The main character Lemuel Gulliver ends up in Lilliput as a result of a shipwreck, where little people mistake him for a monster. He saves them from the inhabitants of the neighboring island of Blefuscu, but despite this, the Lilliputians are going to kill him, which is why Gulliver has to escape from them.
During his second journey, Lemuel ends up in Brobdingnag, the land of giants. The girl Gryumdalklich takes care of him. Little Gulliver ends up with the king, where he gradually realizes the insignificance of humanity. The navigator gets home by accident when a giant eagle flies away with a box that was the traveler's temporary home.
The third journey takes Gulliver to the country of Balnibarbi, to the flying city of Laputa, where he observes with surprise the stupidity of the inhabitants, disguised as learning. On the mainland in the capital Lagado, he visits an academy where he sees the mindless inventions of local scientists. On the island of Glubbdobbrib, summoning the souls of deceased historical figures, he learns the truth about them, hidden by historians. On the island of Luggnagg he meets the Struldbrugs, tormented by immortality, after which he returns to England through Japan.
The fourth journey takes Gulliver to an island where intelligent Houyhnhnms horses use the labor of wild Yahoo creatures. The main character is expelled because he looks like a Yahoo. For a long time Lemuel cannot get used to people whose company becomes unbearable for him.
The main characters and their characteristics
- Lemuel Gulliver- native of Nottinghamshire. He is married to Mary Burton and has two children. To earn money, Lemuel becomes a surgeon on a ship, and then a captain of the ship. Like most Enlightenment protagonists, he is inquisitive. The traveler easily adapts to new conditions, quickly learns the languages of each place he finds himself in, and also embodies the conventional average hero.
- Lilliputians. The word “Lilliputian” itself was coined by Swift. Residents of Lilliput and Blefuscu are 12 times smaller than an ordinary person. They are convinced that their country is the largest in the world, which is why they behave quite fearlessly with Gulliver. Lilliputians are an organized people, capable of doing difficult work quite quickly. They are ruled by a king named Golbasto Momaren Evlem Gerdaylo Shefin Molly Olly Gu. The Lilliputians are at war with the Blefuscans over a dispute over which side the egg should be broken from. But even in Lilliput itself there are disputes between the tremexene and slemexene parties, supporters of high and low heels. Gulliver's most ardent opponents are Galbet Skyresh Bolgolam and Lord Chancellor of the Treasury Flimnap. The Lilliputians represent a parody of the English monarchy.
- Giants. Residents of the island of Brobdingnag, on the contrary, are 12 times larger than the average person. They treat Gulliver with care, especially the daughter of farmer Gryumdalklich. The giants are ruled by a just king, who is horrified by Gulliver's stories about gunpowder. These people are not familiar with murder and war. Brobdingnag is an example of a utopia, an ideal state. The only unpleasant character is the royal dwarf.
- Residents of Balnibarbi. To keep the inhabitants of the flying island of Laputa distracted from thinking about the Universe, the servants have to smack them with sticks. Everything around them: from clothes to food, is connected with astronomy and geometry. The Laputians rule the country, having the right to crush any rebellion that arises at any time under the weight of the island. There are also people on earth who consider themselves smarter than everyone else, which is not true. The inhabitants of the island of Glabbdobbrib know how to summon the souls of dead people, and on the island of Luggnegg immortal struldbrugs are sometimes born, distinguished by a large spot on their heads. After 80 years of age, they experience civil death: they are no longer capable of functioning, are forever aging, and are incapable of friendship and love.
- Houyhnhnms. The island of Houyhnhnmia is inhabited by horses that can speak their own intelligent language. They have their own homes, families, meetings. Gulliver translates the word “Houyhnhnm” as “the crown of creation.” They don't know what money, power and war are. They do not understand many human words, since for them the concepts of “weapons”, “lies” and “sin” do not exist. Houyhnhnms write poetry, do not waste words, and die without sorrow.
- Yahoo. The Houyhnhnms are served as domesticated animals by ape-like savages, the Yahoos, who feed on carrion. They lack the ability to share, love, hate each other and collect shiny stones (a parody of man's passion for money and jewelry). There is a legend among the Houyhnhnms that the first Yahoos came here from overseas and were ordinary people, like Gulliver.
Topics and issues
The main theme of the work is man and the moral principles by which he tries to live. Swift raises questions about who a person is, what he looks like from the outside, whether he is doing the right thing and what his place in this world is.
The author raises the problem of the depravity of society. People have forgotten what it means not to fight, to do good and to be reasonable. In the first part of Gulliver's Travels, attention is paid to the problem of pettiness of government, in the second - to the problem of the insignificance and cruelty of man in general, in the third - to the problem of the loss of common sense, in the fourth - to the problem of achieving an ideal, as well as the decline of human morals.
main idea
The work of Jonathan Swift is an illustration of the fact that the world is diverse and incomprehensible; people still have to unravel the meaning of the universe. In the meantime, an imperfect and weak person has a gigantic conceit, considers himself a higher being, but not only cannot know everything, but often risks becoming worse than animals.
Many people have lost their humanity by inventing weapons, quarreling and deceiving. Man is petty, cruel, stupid and ugly in his behavior. The writer does not simply unfoundedly accuse humanity of all possible sins, but offers alternative options for existence. His main idea is the need to correct society through a consistent rejection of the vices of ignorance.
What does it teach?
The main character becomes a kind of observer from the outside. The reader, getting acquainted with the book, understands with him that a person needs to remain human. You should objectively assess your impact on the world around you, lead a reasonable life and not plunge into vices that gradually turn a person into a savage.
People should think about what humanity has come to and try to change the world, at least in a situation where it depends on each of them.
Criticism
The novel "Gulliver's Travels" was subjected to severe criticism, despite the fact that at first it was accepted as an ordinary fairy tale. According to reviewers, Jonathan Swift insults man, which means he insults God. The fourth part of the work suffered the most: the author was accused of hatred of people and bad taste.
For years, the church banned the book and state officials shortened it to cut down on dangerous political speculation. However, for the Irish people, the Dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral remained a legendary fighter for the rights of the oppressed poor, about him social activities Ordinary townspeople did not forget his literary talent.
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