Gulliver's Travels

a fictitious travel book written by Jonathan Swift

Composition and Publication

Today it is mostly agreed that Gulliver's travels has been written between 1721 and 1725, but there has been some inconsistency before. Early biographies about Jonathan Swift put the composition between the years 1715 and 1720. However this date is not supported by a letter that Swift wrote to one of his friends at the beginning of 1721, telling him that he was momentarily writing a travel book. The first publication of Gulliver's travels was on 28 October 1726 under the title Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World, stating that it had been written by Lemuel Gulliver, a surgeon and captain.

Reception

Most of the people recognize it as a book for children, but it is actually much more: a parody of travel literature, a political satire, a philosophical tract about humankind.

Structure

Gulliver´s Travels contains four parts and it is written as a pseudo-authentic travel narrative.

Part 1: A Voyage to Lilliput

In the first part Gulliver comes to the Land named Liliput, the land of miniature people.

Part 2: A Voyage to Brobdingnag

In the second part he travels to Brobdignag, the land of the giants.

Part 3: A Voyage to Laputa, Balnibarbi, Luggnagg, Glubbdubdrib, and Japan

In the third part he visits Laputa, Balnibarbi, Glubbdubdrib, Luggnagg and Japan.

Part 4: A Voyage to the country of the Houyhnhnms

In the fourth and last part he comes to the land of the Houyhnhnms and Yahoos. Swift's work is a very critical satire concerning the society in which he lived.