Gulliver’s Travels, by Jonathan Swift

Gulliver’s Travels is a satirical novel published in 1726 by the author Jonathan Swift. The story is illustrated through the detailed travel diary of Lemuel Gulliver who is shipwrecked in different islands where he is introduced to peculiar inhabitants. Gullible Gulliver meets absurd Lilliputs, crude Brobdingnag, intelligent Houyhnhnms, and selfish Yahoos. Swift’s brilliantly savage satire unveils the boorish nature of human behavior through these strange creatures. This book magnifies our flawed characteristics and makes us pause to reflect over our vacuous behaviors.

After reading Gulliver’s travels, I must admit that the snarky satire of Jonathan Swift has made me recognize him as one of the cleverest author. Swift does a marvelous job in exposing the flaws of our society which sadly is just as relevant as it was during the 18th century as today. His parodies and satires are not only scholarly germane but it also is terrifically humorous. The fictional worlds in this series of adventures of Gulliver is fantastically well crafted and it really stands out from majority of the other books which is why I would highly recommend everyone to give this book a read.

Reviewed by Anonymous, Grade 12

Glendale Central Library