Volyn National University of Lesia Ukrainka

Faculty of Foreign Philology

Why does Jonatan Swift`s «Gulliver`s Travels»

Appeal to Both Children and Adults?

Mokych Orysia,
Second-year Student, 
Group 2.4 (Ed.),
Full-time Ed,
English Philology Dpt.

Lutsk 2021
INTRODUCTION
Jonathan Swift (1667–1745) - Anglo-Irish satirist, essayist, poet and political
pamphleteer was born in Dublin, Ireland. He was a deadly satirist who exposed the
moral failings of his age and presented a formidable critique of Enlightenment
thought. «Gulliver’s Travels» was published in 1726.
Since «Gulliver’s Travels» first appeared, it has attracted readers, authors and
artists alike. Some of researchers of «Gulliver`s Travels» can`t give an exact
answer to question whether it appeals more to children or to adults. Nevertheless, it
is commonly suggested that it is suitable for everyone.
The goal of my research is to determine why does «Gulliver`s Travels» appeal to
both children and adult.
PART ONE : JONATHAN"S SWIFT"S "GULLIVER'S TRAVELS" AS A
CAUSTIC SATIRE OF DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THE ENGLISH SOCIETY
To start with, full title of novel is «Travels  into Several Remote Nations of the
World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel  Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of
Several Ships.», or simply "Gulliver's Travels". The genre is satire, fantasy.
Gulliver's Travels is divided into four Parts or Books, each about a different place.
Because of this structure, the book as a whole has a very sketchy plot.
In the first, he is shipwrecked in the empire of Lilliput. In the second, he visits a
land of giants Brobdingnag . In the third, he finds himself on the flying island of
Laputa, and, finally, the fourth voyage sets the hero between a race of horses with
the ability to reason.
The book has a preface, divided in two parts. The first chapter of preface is called
The Publisher To The Reader. The letter not only refers to Gulliver as a real
person, it also vouches for his honesty. The letter also defends the book’s
vagueness about geographical facts. The second chapter of preface is A LETTER
FROM CAPTAIN GULLIVER TO HIS COUSIN SYMPSON. By accusing his
cousin of falsification and libel, this letter not only calls the truth of Sympson’s
letter into question, it also implies that the text to come is itself somehow untrue,
while also therefore implying that at least some part of the narrative is true.
PART TWO : THE CAUSES OF THE NOVEl'S POPULARITY AMONG THE
ADULTS
It is impossible to say that «Gulliver`s Travels» is a story only for kids. This book
also appeals to adults and sometimes serves as a tool of depiction of our modern
society, even, Ukrainian.
Swift was a satirist. He sought to expose the hypocrisy of society, particularly the
monarchy. An author hated the huge social inequities, the luxury and greed in
English society. Nowadays, in 21st century people should hate it much more that
author hated it 18th century. That is why, reading about Gulliver and his travels,
we look in the mirror.
Each place that Gulliver visits serves to illuminate problems that Swift sees rotting
in his own society. One of major themes in Travels is abuse of power. It is depicted
in this novel through the events from his voyage to Lilliput land, and Brobdingnag.
This is an episode, attracting the adult readers' attention. In Lilliput land, though
Lilliputians are small in size they tend to take advantage of Gulliver’s non-
aggressive and gullible nature and attack him with arrows, hold him as prisoner,
and finally try to entrap him through treachery because of their power as a unity.
Lilliputians are ruled by cruel leader who tortures and executes his subjects for
insignificant matters.
«I had the fortune to break the Strings, and wrench out the Pegs that fastened my
left Arm to the Ground; for, by lifting it up to my Face, I discover’d the Methods
they had taken to bind me; and, at the same time, with a violent Pull, which gave
me excessive Pain, I a little loosened the Strings that tied down my Hair on the left
Side.»
Relationship between Individual and Society in Gulliver’s Travels is an another
theme that stimulates adult`s interest, due to it depicts the man’s search for a
perfect world.
In Travels, the strange and peculiar world with their inhabitants is depicted through
the perception and analysis of the protagonist Gulliver. The ideal and real world of
an individual is graphically portrayed by the diametrically opposed worlds of the
Houyhnhnms and the Yahoos. Houyhnhnms are paragons of perfection,
embodying an ideal relationship between individual and society. They live an
orderly and disciplined life fully governed by reason. They are completely devoted
to truth and justice. They speak clearly and act justly and have simple laws. “They
live by the grand maxim: cultivate reason and be totally governed by it. So perfect
is their society, in fact, that they have no concept of a lie, and therefore no word to
express it. The only word for evil is Yahoo.”
PART THREE : THE SECRETS OF THE NOVEL ‘S APEEAL TO THE
CHILDREN
To start with, there is no kid, who isn’t fascinated by giants and little people.
Gulliver's Travels is perhaps one of the most frequently used in adaptations for
film, stage, or television, many of which are represented toward. Gulliver`s Travels
is considered to be a satiric novel, but there a lot of contracted editions for children
This fact perhaps helps partly explain why one of the world’s most disturbing
satires has also survived as a children’s classic.
Children version is focused on the more imaginative aspects of the book, even,
supernаtural phenomena. The countries and the inhabitants of those countries
Gulliver visits are quite extraordinary—there are tiny human beings, giants,
floating islands, talking horses, et cetera.
The behaviour of these animals was . . . orderly and rational . . . acute and
judicious." Indeed, it is a horse that rescues him from the Yahoos — not by any
overt, physical action, but by simply appearing on the road — no physical action
being necessary.
It goes without saying that all these elements are valuable for development and
formation of kid`s imagination.
• “A continual garden, and the enclosed fields, which were generally forty feet
square, resembled so many beds of flowers” •
We live in a society with imposed standards of beauty. People frequently judge
others because of own stereotypes and imaginations of beauty. “Difference in
opinions has cost many millions of lives: for instance, whether flesh be bread, or
bread be flesh; whether the juice of a certain berry be blood or wine.”
Unfortunately, we can`t change such attitude, because it`s a part of upbringing.
However, we are able to educate this tolerance in kids.
Another reason why «Gulliver’s Travels» appeals to children is the idea that
everything is changeable, even in an imaginary world. Today person can be big,
but tomorrow, or in a week, month, anyway, that person can be small, as a
Gulliver. Moreover, this is an idea not about high. Small size heroes, is a hint on a
small soul. It concerns behavior, values and the way of living.
Fun and humor are very considerable element in «Travels». Despite it is a tool of
satire in a novel, there are also many funny situations absorbing to kids.
Much of the humor in Part I comes from the visual imagery of the contrast in size
between Gulliver and the Lilliputians. The image of their hundred arrows shot into
his hand that feel like the sting of needles seems funny because such little people
can be so fierce and yet cannot do much to damage such a huge visitor. Other
instances of humor revolve around Gulliver's physical needs, and again, most of
these relate to the size difference. The Lilliputians feed Gulliver plates of a meat
that he takes to be something like mutton legs, yet they look like tiny bird legs to
him
CONCLUSIONS:
1. Gulliver’s Travels is one of the first novels in English, one of the greatest
satires in all of literature, and even children’s classic.
2. Gulliver's Travels is an adventure story, involving several voyages of
Lemuel Gulliver. It is a caustic satire of different aspects of the English
society.
3. Abuse of power, pride and relationships between individual and society are
major themes in «Travels», appealing to adults. They are depicted through
voyages of main hero to Lilliput land, and Brobdingnag.
4. Gulliver’s Travels is a great book for young readers. The edition for kids is
rather about adventures, journeys and fun
 LIST OF REFERENCES:
 Swift, Jonathan. Gulliver's Travels. Ed. Albert J. Rivero. New York:
Norton, 2002.

 https://www.slideshare.net/Pritiba/gullivers-travels-as-childrens-literature
 https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/eight-surprising-things-its-
time-you-knew-about-gullivers-travels-180967328/
 https://grupotierratrivium.com/2018/03/18/was-gullivers-travels-meant-to-
be-a-childrens-book/