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3.29 AVERAGE
3.29 AVERAGE
Livros da ilha deserta #7.
Me caiu em mãos essa versão da Lispector, não sei o quanto ela foge do texto original, mas achei obra-prima do mesmo jeito. A sátira sócio política por excelência, além de ter referências que se se tornaram icônicas na cultura popular.
Me caiu em mãos essa versão da Lispector, não sei o quanto ela foge do texto original, mas achei obra-prima do mesmo jeito. A sátira sócio política por excelência, além de ter referências que se se tornaram icônicas na cultura popular.
I'd be surprised to find anyone my age that doesn't know the story of Gulliver's Travels. Indeed, the book is one of the best known works of all time. At least, so far as our selective memories are concerned. At time of writing, I've only started Part 2 of the book (about 30% of the way through). It is Part 1 that everyone is familiar with. Although it is a quite well-known story, some spoilers are ahead. Unless you've read the whole text, I'm sure there are plenty of little details you have no idea of.
Gulliver awakes on an island after a shipwreck, tied with cords around his entire body, lashed to his hair, and arrows with lines stuck into his face and hands. Tiny, 6 inch tall people have captured Gulliver, whom to them appears to be an absolute giant. He goes on, meets and befriends these tiny folk, eats amazing amounts of their tiny vegetables and livestock, helps them in one of their tiny wars, and departs.
That was basically my knowledge of this book going in. In somewhat recent memory I can recall learning that there was more to the story and, in the next part, he would arrive to another island where HE was the tiny person and all others were giants. I've just reached that point now. That is the full extent of my knowledge at this time - for all I know there's yet a third part, but I can't fathom what that would be.
My thoughts thus far - in very short research, I found a quote of Jonathan Swift, where he says he wrote Gulliver's Travels to "vex the world rather than divert it". Certainly in those days I can see how vexing this book would be. GT was published in 1726, and the events are dated as happening in the 25-years preceding publication. What do we know about world history? It had just been a few hundred years beyond the point where we thought the Earth was flat. Instead, we found a whole half of a globe that we'd not yet explored. Who knows what else was out there.
The idea that there could be full other races of tiny and giant people, and that we were somewhere in the middle? It's easy to see how that could be vexing, if not downright horrifying!
With the luxury of time and advancement, I've been reading this with far different eyes. This absolutely reads to me like an expose of geopolitical forces of the time (perhaps of all time). At first, Gulliver is brought to an island of tiny people. They have some knowledge, power, manners, customs, etc. and, over time, Gulliver begins to understand, appreciate and respect them. Through it all, however, they remain tiny people, and he a giant. They could never fully cohabitate because of their basic differences, but they made a go at it for some time. Eventually, Gulliver finds a way to leave this land, returns home, and sets out on another sailing. This next sailing leads him to an island of giants. Same story, over time he learns their language and can exist with them (though in quite an opposite fashion than he did with the Lilliputians.)
The allegory is easy to see - Gulliver, an educated sailor from a properly powerful country arrives at a new land full of, who appear to be, savages. Over time, he realizes these aren't so much savages as they are simply different. They have knowledge, power, culture, etc. and Gulliver can learn to appreciate them and the people. Over time a friendship is formed, but as more time passes their stark differences drive a wedge and they end up going separate ways.
Next, Gulliver arrives to an even more powerful land than his own and this time HE's seen as the savage. He has relatively no power, but finds himself a slave and plaything for the giants. Over time he, again, learns their language and ways and can communicate. While I'm barely into this part, I expect that time, again, will force a separation. He could not stay with the tiny folk because of their fear of him, and his incredible power over them; likewise he can't stay with the giants because he will detest being their slave and will endeavour to escape.
I read this allegory as a reminder that in our own lives we may be powerful, we may believe we're hot shit, and we may hold considerable influence over others, we must remember that there will always be someone bigger and stronger than us. We may not know it, we may never see them (be it God, aliens, wildlife, etc.), but our individual or collective power is fleeting, and in the end, we're all just people and should strive to live at peace.
Beyond the allegory, there have been a few other things popping out at me. For instance, we are such a pack of dithering idiots when it comes to infighting, politics, and division. There are two kingdoms among the tiny folk - did you know that? The Lilliputians and Blefuscudians. They used to be one kingdom, but split at one point. What was the cause of their division into two separate kingdoms? One side cracked their eggs on the big side, the other cracked their eggs on the small side. It was absolutely outlawed - forbidden - to go against the ways of your particular kingdom.
How trivial and stupid?!?! How does such a small thing cause such divisive behaviour? I think we could learn a lot from this currently. The focus on the insignificant, and the level of outrage we get when we're opposed are way out of whack. Perhaps not as ridiculously so as in this book - but not far off...
Other notes I made - when he was captured by the Lilliputians he was asked to allow the king to search him and took some of his belongings, and Gulliver was pretty chill about it. I can't imagine many people being captured by a race of mice, and then submitting to their demands to see everything in your pockets and for them to take what they would (even if just for safekeeping, like in the case of Gulliver's weapons being confiscated). He's literally a hundred feet tall in comparison to these little guys. He easily could have destroyed them all. But, he kept coming back to a sense of honour and having given his word. Had this been written in modern day America, our protagonist would likely have been a bit more bloodthirsty and arrogant. #Murica
He also recounts how odd the Lilliputians find it that in our legal system you're punished for breaking the law, but there is no reward for following the law. In their system, once you reach a level of consecutive months having followed the law, a title and benefits are bestowed upon you. I kind of agree - we get benefits for not crashing our cars and using insurance over time, why not something for simply following the law and not getting into trouble. Maybe an extra 5% back on income taxes - we're not using up a bunch of tax money by ending up in jail, so why not kick back that savings? Interesting topic to think about anyway.
Also, dude pissed all over the castle! Like ALL over it! Put out a fire and nearly washed the damn castle away! Man, what a ridiculous book. Dude later gets treason charges for "making water on castle grounds". Lol, insanity!
So far, this book is better than I expected, and more than I remembered. Looking forward to finishing it.
Update: Man, this book gets weird. The people he meets are starting to vex me... "Scientists" whose work revolves around shit. Seriously. They collect shit, look at it, smell it, taste it, and by their studies determine what the person was thinking at the time, or what they're up to. Superstitious palm readers...only they're shit readers...
I don't know man - Parts 1 and 2 were good. I could do without lots of Part 3.
Gulliver awakes on an island after a shipwreck, tied with cords around his entire body, lashed to his hair, and arrows with lines stuck into his face and hands. Tiny, 6 inch tall people have captured Gulliver, whom to them appears to be an absolute giant. He goes on, meets and befriends these tiny folk, eats amazing amounts of their tiny vegetables and livestock, helps them in one of their tiny wars, and departs.
That was basically my knowledge of this book going in. In somewhat recent memory I can recall learning that there was more to the story and, in the next part, he would arrive to another island where HE was the tiny person and all others were giants. I've just reached that point now. That is the full extent of my knowledge at this time - for all I know there's yet a third part, but I can't fathom what that would be.
My thoughts thus far - in very short research, I found a quote of Jonathan Swift, where he says he wrote Gulliver's Travels to "vex the world rather than divert it". Certainly in those days I can see how vexing this book would be. GT was published in 1726, and the events are dated as happening in the 25-years preceding publication. What do we know about world history? It had just been a few hundred years beyond the point where we thought the Earth was flat. Instead, we found a whole half of a globe that we'd not yet explored. Who knows what else was out there.
The idea that there could be full other races of tiny and giant people, and that we were somewhere in the middle? It's easy to see how that could be vexing, if not downright horrifying!
With the luxury of time and advancement, I've been reading this with far different eyes. This absolutely reads to me like an expose of geopolitical forces of the time (perhaps of all time). At first, Gulliver is brought to an island of tiny people. They have some knowledge, power, manners, customs, etc. and, over time, Gulliver begins to understand, appreciate and respect them. Through it all, however, they remain tiny people, and he a giant. They could never fully cohabitate because of their basic differences, but they made a go at it for some time. Eventually, Gulliver finds a way to leave this land, returns home, and sets out on another sailing. This next sailing leads him to an island of giants. Same story, over time he learns their language and can exist with them (though in quite an opposite fashion than he did with the Lilliputians.)
The allegory is easy to see - Gulliver, an educated sailor from a properly powerful country arrives at a new land full of, who appear to be, savages. Over time, he realizes these aren't so much savages as they are simply different. They have knowledge, power, culture, etc. and Gulliver can learn to appreciate them and the people. Over time a friendship is formed, but as more time passes their stark differences drive a wedge and they end up going separate ways.
Next, Gulliver arrives to an even more powerful land than his own and this time HE's seen as the savage. He has relatively no power, but finds himself a slave and plaything for the giants. Over time he, again, learns their language and ways and can communicate. While I'm barely into this part, I expect that time, again, will force a separation. He could not stay with the tiny folk because of their fear of him, and his incredible power over them; likewise he can't stay with the giants because he will detest being their slave and will endeavour to escape.
I read this allegory as a reminder that in our own lives we may be powerful, we may believe we're hot shit, and we may hold considerable influence over others, we must remember that there will always be someone bigger and stronger than us. We may not know it, we may never see them (be it God, aliens, wildlife, etc.), but our individual or collective power is fleeting, and in the end, we're all just people and should strive to live at peace.
Beyond the allegory, there have been a few other things popping out at me. For instance, we are such a pack of dithering idiots when it comes to infighting, politics, and division. There are two kingdoms among the tiny folk - did you know that? The Lilliputians and Blefuscudians. They used to be one kingdom, but split at one point. What was the cause of their division into two separate kingdoms? One side cracked their eggs on the big side, the other cracked their eggs on the small side. It was absolutely outlawed - forbidden - to go against the ways of your particular kingdom.
How trivial and stupid?!?! How does such a small thing cause such divisive behaviour? I think we could learn a lot from this currently. The focus on the insignificant, and the level of outrage we get when we're opposed are way out of whack. Perhaps not as ridiculously so as in this book - but not far off...
Other notes I made - when he was captured by the Lilliputians he was asked to allow the king to search him and took some of his belongings, and Gulliver was pretty chill about it. I can't imagine many people being captured by a race of mice, and then submitting to their demands to see everything in your pockets and for them to take what they would (even if just for safekeeping, like in the case of Gulliver's weapons being confiscated). He's literally a hundred feet tall in comparison to these little guys. He easily could have destroyed them all. But, he kept coming back to a sense of honour and having given his word. Had this been written in modern day America, our protagonist would likely have been a bit more bloodthirsty and arrogant. #Murica
He also recounts how odd the Lilliputians find it that in our legal system you're punished for breaking the law, but there is no reward for following the law. In their system, once you reach a level of consecutive months having followed the law, a title and benefits are bestowed upon you. I kind of agree - we get benefits for not crashing our cars and using insurance over time, why not something for simply following the law and not getting into trouble. Maybe an extra 5% back on income taxes - we're not using up a bunch of tax money by ending up in jail, so why not kick back that savings? Interesting topic to think about anyway.
Also, dude pissed all over the castle! Like ALL over it! Put out a fire and nearly washed the damn castle away! Man, what a ridiculous book. Dude later gets treason charges for "making water on castle grounds". Lol, insanity!
So far, this book is better than I expected, and more than I remembered. Looking forward to finishing it.
Update: Man, this book gets weird. The people he meets are starting to vex me... "Scientists" whose work revolves around shit. Seriously. They collect shit, look at it, smell it, taste it, and by their studies determine what the person was thinking at the time, or what they're up to. Superstitious palm readers...only they're shit readers...
I don't know man - Parts 1 and 2 were good. I could do without lots of Part 3.
I have to say that I did enjoy Gulliver's Travels. You can never take Swift seriously, and that is what is so great about it. From the land of the Lilliputians to the Yahoos... the worlds just get stranger and more entertaining! Great satire and fun times!
I liked the satire within this book. Swift does a pretty good job keeping his readers entertained, however, there were a lot of dry parts that I skimmed. I liked how Swift portrayed Gulliver at the end - by making his own protagonist go crazy. Altogether, not my top favorite book, but I did like it.
meh. I can see why this is a classic, but it's just not for me.
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Jonathan Swift måste ha varit en cynisk jävel med svart syn på mänskligheten och med massor av humor. Jag är glad att jag aldrig behövde läsa denna boken i skolan för jag tror att det mesta av den vassa satiren och stenhårda samhällskritiken skulle gått över huvudet på mig.
Det är en giftig beskrivning av mänskligheten man bjuds på. Det skrämmande är att inget har blivit bättre sedan Swifts tid. Vi är fortfarande korrupta, benägna att starta krig för de mest idiotiska orsaker, vi ser ner på det som är annorlunda.
Intressant bok! Och överraskande rolig.
Det är en giftig beskrivning av mänskligheten man bjuds på. Det skrämmande är att inget har blivit bättre sedan Swifts tid. Vi är fortfarande korrupta, benägna att starta krig för de mest idiotiska orsaker, vi ser ner på det som är annorlunda.
Intressant bok! Och överraskande rolig.