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3.29 AVERAGE
3.29 AVERAGE
Jonathan Swift had quite an imagination. It’s always quite enjoyable to read a book that was written hundreds of years ago. He’s very precise with his descriptions of these imaginative lands.
I didn't like it so much
i didn't find it as that good story
i didn't find it as that good story
adventurous
funny
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I'll admit I didn't give this as much attention as I suspect it deserves - life got in the way and I mislaid the book, meaning I had to read the last half on the computer.
I liked it. It is totally unlike anything else from the time that I've read (that being quite a lot, as I did a module on literature from 1780-1830). For one thing, it is a fantasy - this is not something I've ever come across from the time. And Swift certainly has a fantastic imagination. The stories get progressively weirder, and are well thought-through and very vivid, especially the giants and the horse-people.
The best bit about this novel was the description of the politics and world-view of each civilisation: it was intelligent and interesting. The treatment of women was also alrightish. And there was a vulgarity and openness about the human condition and bodily functions which was really unusual for the time and certainly for a classic book, that was refreshing.
The one thing I didn't like about it was firstly that it was completely 'tell', not 'show' - it was mostly 'Gulliver goes to a weird land, meets some weird people, makes friends, learns the language, and this is what the people are like: x, y, z'. Which got boring, and the vast reams of description meant it was quite slow and dry.
I liked it. It is totally unlike anything else from the time that I've read (that being quite a lot, as I did a module on literature from 1780-1830). For one thing, it is a fantasy - this is not something I've ever come across from the time. And Swift certainly has a fantastic imagination. The stories get progressively weirder, and are well thought-through and very vivid, especially the giants and the horse-people.
The best bit about this novel was the description of the politics and world-view of each civilisation: it was intelligent and interesting. The treatment of women was also alrightish. And there was a vulgarity and openness about the human condition and bodily functions which was really unusual for the time and certainly for a classic book, that was refreshing.
The one thing I didn't like about it was firstly that it was completely 'tell', not 'show' - it was mostly 'Gulliver goes to a weird land, meets some weird people, makes friends, learns the language, and this is what the people are like: x, y, z'. Which got boring, and the vast reams of description meant it was quite slow and dry.
I didn't like this book the first time I read it in high school. I appreciated more when I read it again in college. It's a good story, but not good enough for me to really remember a whole lot about it.
I loved this book. Swift's story of an English ship surgeon who finds himself lost on several strange off-the-map places, meeting different types of human beings, is fascinating. He discovers tiny Lilliputians, giants in Brobdingnag, floating islands, isolated scholars, necromancers, and best of all, real rational animals: the speaking horses of Houyhnhnmland. It's a scathing satire on human nature, with its criticisms on the violence, overwrought legal system, political contradictions, and religious wars of the human race. Swift's debate over whether humans really are rational animals, or more like animals capable of reason, plays out well in this ironic 18th century tale.
I had to read this as an English undergrad, and I hated it. However, I suspect this had more to do with the poor instruction than the quality of the book. What I do remember was how political it was and how difficult it was to understand the book without understanding the context.
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated