Gulliver's Travels Literary Devices

Explanation and Analysis—The Travellers' Tale:

During the 18th century, British audiences were eager to hear about cultures and people in the lands where explorers were claiming colonies for England. As such, diaries and first-person accounts by explorers such as Captain James Cook and William Dampier were immensely popular. Though advertised as truthful, many of these accounts contained embellishments and falsehoods. Gulliver's Travels is a parody of this "traveller's tales" literary sub-genre, and it satirizes the dishonesty of these accounts as well as the gullibility of English readers. What's more, the novel contains numerous allusions to contemporary works in this genre.

In Preface 1: "The Publisher to the Reader," Richard Sympson introduces Gulliver's Travels as a truthful account by his friend Lemuel Gulliver. This prefatory letter is one of several tactics used by Jonathan Swift to add an air of legitimacy to the novel, but the name of the invented publisher may also serve as a signal to the reader that Gulliver's Travels is actually a parody. "Richard Sympson" is possibly an allusion to William Symson, the pseudonymous author of A New Voyage to the East Indies, a work of travel literature published in 1715. Both Symson and his voyages were entirely fictional, but the main narrative was fairly convincing, since it heavily plagiarized A Voyage to Surat in the Year 1689, a legitimate travel account by John Ovington. This allusion indicates that Gulliver's Travels, like A New Voyage, is also a fictitious imitation.

Preface 2: "A Letter from Captain Gulliver to his Cousin Sympson" contains another allusion to a contemporary work of travel literature:

[...] as my Cousin Dampier did by my Advice, in his Book called, A Voyage Round the World.

In this letter, Gulliver claims to be related to English pirate, explorer, and naturalist William Dampier, who published the autobiographical A New Voyage round the World in 1697. This sensational account served as the inspiration for the fictional Robinson Crusoe, published in 1719 by Daniel Defoe. Gulliver also claims to have given Dampier advice concerning this book, further adding to his air of legitimacy and implying that his account will be equally dramatic.

Explanation and Analysis—Tories vs. Whigs:

In Book 1, Chapter 4 of Gulliver's Travels, Gulliver receives a visit from Redresal, the principal secretary of Lilliput, who explains certain aspects of Lilliputian politics. He describes the struggle between the nation's two major political parties: the Tramecksan, who wear high-heeled shoes, and the Slamecksan, who wear shoes with low heels. This superficial difference is the cause of fierce conflict, and it's ultimately a satirical allegory of the conflict between the Tory and Whig parties in England:

The Animosities between these two Parties run so high, that they will neither eat nor drink, nor talk with each other.

The high and low-heeled shoes worn by the Lilliputians is a nod to the "high" and "low" churches in Anglican Christianity. The Tories were the high church, meaning they supported a Christian tradition that emphasized formality and ritual. The Whigs, by contrast, placed little emphasis on ritual and were regarded as the low church. Redresal goes on to note that the current Lilliputian emperor wears low-heeled shoes and only employs members of the Slamecksan party in his administration. The emperor's preference symbolically references King George I, who favored the Whig party.

By making Lilliput's main political conflict a trivial disagreement based on superficial differences, Jonathan Swift implies that the Tories and Whigs are far more similar than they appear. Although Swift himself identified as a "high-churchman" and was a member of the Tory party, he sympathized with many Whig political causes.

Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

Explanation and Analysis—Big-Endian/Little-Endian:

In Book 1, Chapter 4 of Gulliver's Travels, Swift satirizes a well-known British conflict through the use of an allegory. In this section, Gulliver learns that the ancient conflict between the nations of Lilliput and Blefuscu is rooted in a petty disagreement over whether to break eggs on the bigger or smaller end. Redresal, the principal secretary of Lilliput, explains that the struggle began when the great-grandfather of the current Lilliputian emperor passed a controversial law commanding all of his subjects to break their eggs on the small end:

The people so highly resented this Law, that our Histories tell us there have been six Rebellions raised on that account; wherein one Emperor lost his Life, and another his Crown.

The conflict between the Big-Endians and Little-Endians is intended as a satirical allegory of the historic conflict between the Catholic Church and the Church of England. This conflict began in 1534, when King Henry VIII separated the Church of England from papal authority in order to divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. This event resulted in decades of political upheaval in Great Britain, including the execution of King Charles I (the emperor who lost his life) during the English Civil War and the deposition of King James II (the emperor who lost his crown) during the Glorious Revolution.

By grounding the conflict between Lilliput and Blefuscu in something as trivial as a disagreement over eggs, Jonathan Swift implies that the religious differences that have inspired so much bloodshed in Europe are equally inconsequential.

Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

Explanation and Analysis—English Laws:

Throughout Gulliver's Travels, Jonathan Swift contains a number of allegories that satirize the English legal system, and the novel contains many veiled references to English acts and laws.

In Book 1, Chapter 4, Gulliver learns about the historical conflict between Lilliput and Blefuscu, which is intended as an allegory for the conflict between England and France. The source of this conflict is a disagreement over whether to break eggs on the bigger or smaller end, which informs many aspects of law and politics:

[T]he Books of the Big-Endians have been long forbidden, and the whole Party rendered incapable by Law of Holding Employments.

This law forbidding Big-Endians from holding employment is a reference to the Test Acts, a series of English penal laws that served as a religious test for holding public office. As a result of these acts, Catholics and other individuals who did not belong to the Church of England were rendered incapable of wielding political power. This reference serves as a clue to the reader that the struggle between the Big-Endians and the Small-Endians is meant to allegorically represent (and satirize) the conflict between the Catholic Church and the Church of England.

Book 3, Chapter 3, which details the rebellion of Lindalino against Laputa, contains another reference to English law:

By a fundamental Law of this Realm, neither the King nor either of his two elder Sons are permitted to leave the Island.

This Laputian law parallels the English Act of Settlement, which prevented English monarchs and heirs from leaving England, Scotland, or Ireland without the consent of parliament. George I, a native of Hanover, Germany, controversially convinced parliament to repeal this part of the Act. Swift likely included this allusion as a jab at George I, whom he opposed politically.

Swift's use of allegory demonstrates that lands like Lilliput and Laputa, despite their fantastical nature, are more similar to England than they initially appear. By referring to English laws without explicitly naming them, Swift is also able to highlight their inherent absurdity.

Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

Explanation and Analysis—Biblical Allusions:

In addition to his work as an author and satirist, Jonathan Swift was also an Anglican cleric who served as Dean of Saint Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin. He was the author of numerous sermons, prayers, and works of religious scholarship, and his extensive knowledge of religious doctrine informed much of his satirical writing. Swift's preoccupation with religion is also present in Gulliver's Travels, which contains numerous biblical allusions (some of which are rather ironic).

In Book 1, Chapter 7, Gulliver learns of a plot by the Lilliputians to blind him. The Lilliputians declare:

"That the loss of your Eyes would be no impediment to your bodily strength, by which you might still be useful to his Majesty."

This plot may be an allusion to the story of Samson in the Old Testament. According to the Book of Judges, Samson was an Israelite upon whom God bestowed immense strength, which allowed him to perform superhuman feats. However, if Samson's long hair were ever cut, he would lose his strength. Samson is betrayed by his lover Delilah, who cuts his hair while he is sleeping and turns him over to his enemies, the Philistines, who gouge out his eyes. This allusion aligns the Lilliputian ministers, who are intended as caricatures of Swift's political enemies, with the treacherous Philistines.

In Book 2, Chapter 7, Gulliver reads a book by a Brobdingnagian moralist, which contains a biblical reference:

He said it was very reasonable to think, not only that the Species of Man were originally much larger, but also that there must have been Giants in former Ages.

This line is an allusion Genesis 6:4, which claims that the Earth was inhabited by a race of giants prior to the arrival of humans. The Brobdingnagian moralist uses this assumption to argue that humanity has declined in both size and greatness over time. The fact that the massive Brobdingnagians still consider themselves small is ironic and suggests that feelings of inadequacy are universal.

Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

Explanation and Analysis—Biblical Allusions:

In addition to his work as an author and satirist, Jonathan Swift was also an Anglican cleric who served as Dean of Saint Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin. He was the author of numerous sermons, prayers, and works of religious scholarship, and his extensive knowledge of religious doctrine informed much of his satirical writing. Swift's preoccupation with religion is also present in Gulliver's Travels, which contains numerous biblical allusions (some of which are rather ironic).

In Book 1, Chapter 7, Gulliver learns of a plot by the Lilliputians to blind him. The Lilliputians declare:

"That the loss of your Eyes would be no impediment to your bodily strength, by which you might still be useful to his Majesty."

This plot may be an allusion to the story of Samson in the Old Testament. According to the Book of Judges, Samson was an Israelite upon whom God bestowed immense strength, which allowed him to perform superhuman feats. However, if Samson's long hair were ever cut, he would lose his strength. Samson is betrayed by his lover Delilah, who cuts his hair while he is sleeping and turns him over to his enemies, the Philistines, who gouge out his eyes. This allusion aligns the Lilliputian ministers, who are intended as caricatures of Swift's political enemies, with the treacherous Philistines.

In Book 2, Chapter 7, Gulliver reads a book by a Brobdingnagian moralist, which contains a biblical reference:

He said it was very reasonable to think, not only that the Species of Man were originally much larger, but also that there must have been Giants in former Ages.

This line is an allusion Genesis 6:4, which claims that the Earth was inhabited by a race of giants prior to the arrival of humans. The Brobdingnagian moralist uses this assumption to argue that humanity has declined in both size and greatness over time. The fact that the massive Brobdingnagians still consider themselves small is ironic and suggests that feelings of inadequacy are universal.

Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

Explanation and Analysis—Science and Philosophy:

Gulliver's Travels contains several allusions to 18th-century concepts in science and philosophy. Jonathan Swift uses these allusions to satirize European scientists and philosophers, whom he depicts as out of touch with the real world.

In Book 3, Chapter 2, Gulliver encounters the Laputians, who are so absorbed with abstract matters of mathematics, astronomy, and music that they are practically blind and deaf to physical matters. Their ears, according to Gulliver's Laputian tutor, are instead "adapted to hear the Music of the Spheres." The musica universalis, or "music of the spheres," is a Pythagorean idea of cosmic harmony further developed in the 17th century by German astronomer Johannes Kepler. This allusion is likely intended to satirize Kepler, who was so convinced of the existence of this cosmic harmony that he ignored all evidence to the contrary, including a number of inaccuracies present in his own work. Like Kepler, the Laputians are incredibly capable when it comes to abstract theorizing, but they fail to make practical use of their knowledge.

At other points in Book 3, Swift's depiction of the Laputians is intended as a satire of English mathematician Isaac Newton. Like Newton, the Laputians consider themselves to be eminently rational, but they put their faith in the entirely unscientific field of astrology. Later on in Chapter 2, Gulliver also comments on the tendency of Laputian scientists to involve themselves in politics, a tendency he has also observed among scientists in Europe:

I rather take this Quality to spring from a very common Infirmity of Human Nature, inclining us to be more curious and conceited in Matters where we have the least Concern, and for which we are least adapted either by Study or Nature.

These mathematicians are meant to resemble Newton, who supported Wood's Halfpence, a financial scheme that would have seriously damaged the Irish economy. Swift, a native of Dublin, ardently campaigned against the scheme, and his support likely contributed to its ultimate failure. This allusion suggests that Swift carried a lasting grudge against Newton for his role in the affair.

Later on in Book 3, Swift also references Newton's nasty feud with the German polymath Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz over who had invented calculus. Through these allusions, Swift seeks to dismantle the notion that scientists are inherently rational and impartial. His satirical portraits of thinkers like Kepler and Newton demonstrate that scientists are just as capable of ignorance, personal bias, and pride as anyone else.

Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

Explanation and Analysis—English Laws:

Throughout Gulliver's Travels, Jonathan Swift contains a number of allegories that satirize the English legal system, and the novel contains many veiled references to English acts and laws.

In Book 1, Chapter 4, Gulliver learns about the historical conflict between Lilliput and Blefuscu, which is intended as an allegory for the conflict between England and France. The source of this conflict is a disagreement over whether to break eggs on the bigger or smaller end, which informs many aspects of law and politics:

[T]he Books of the Big-Endians have been long forbidden, and the whole Party rendered incapable by Law of Holding Employments.

This law forbidding Big-Endians from holding employment is a reference to the Test Acts, a series of English penal laws that served as a religious test for holding public office. As a result of these acts, Catholics and other individuals who did not belong to the Church of England were rendered incapable of wielding political power. This reference serves as a clue to the reader that the struggle between the Big-Endians and the Small-Endians is meant to allegorically represent (and satirize) the conflict between the Catholic Church and the Church of England.

Book 3, Chapter 3, which details the rebellion of Lindalino against Laputa, contains another reference to English law:

By a fundamental Law of this Realm, neither the King nor either of his two elder Sons are permitted to leave the Island.

This Laputian law parallels the English Act of Settlement, which prevented English monarchs and heirs from leaving England, Scotland, or Ireland without the consent of parliament. George I, a native of Hanover, Germany, controversially convinced parliament to repeal this part of the Act. Swift likely included this allusion as a jab at George I, whom he opposed politically.

Swift's use of allegory demonstrates that lands like Lilliput and Laputa, despite their fantastical nature, are more similar to England than they initially appear. By referring to English laws without explicitly naming them, Swift is also able to highlight their inherent absurdity.

Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

Explanation and Analysis—The Royal Academy:

Book 3, Chapter 5 of Gulliver's Travels, in which Gulliver visits the Academy of Lagado, is intended as an extended satirical allegory for the actions of the Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge. During the 18th century, the scientists of the Royal Society were viewed as supreme arbiters of good science and held a large amount of power and prestige. Jonathan Swift, by contrast, viewed these scientists as out of touch with the real world and questioned whether their work had any practical use.

At one point, Gulliver encounters an academy Projector who has for the past eight years been attempting to devise a method to extract sunlight from cucumbers. Although the Projector has great confidence in his project, he complains of a lack of funds:

[H]e entreated me to give him something as an Encouragement to Ingenuity, especially since this had been a very dear Season for Cucumbers. I made him a small Present, for my Lord had furnished me with Money on purpose, because he knew their Practice of begging from all who go to see them.

The Projector's attempt to extract sunlight from cucumbers is a reference to a real set of experiments conducted by Stephen Hales concerning plant respiration. In making this veiled comparison, Swift indicates that he views the real-life experiment to be just as impractical as the fictional one. Swift's depiction of the Projectors as money-grubbing is also an attack on the Royal Society, which relied on sponsorship by the government and other contributors to sustain itself. Swift makes it clear that he regards this spending as a waste of money.

Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

Explanation and Analysis—Bishop Atterbury:

Book 3 of Gulliver's Travels contains numerous satirical allegories for the 1722 trial of English politician and bishop Francis Atterbury. Atterbury was an influential member of the Tory party and enjoyed the favor of Queen Anne, but he was treated with distrust by the Whig party after King George I took the throne. In 1721, Atterbury led a conspiracy to depose George I and install James Francis Edward Stuart, the son of the exiled King James II, on the throne of Great Britain. The plot was discovered before it could come to fruition, and although there was insufficient evidence to convict Atterbury of treason, he was exiled.

Atterbury was a close friend and admirer of Jonathan Swift, with whom he shared many of the same political and religious views. Swift published a satirical poem about Atterbury's trial in 1722, and he also satirizes certain aspects of the proceedings in Book 3, Chapter 6 of Gulliver's Travels, which details some of the ridiculous projects being conducted by the Projectors at the Academy of Lagado. One professor in the School of Political Projectors has developed a method for discovering conspiracies against the government:

He advised great Statesmen to examine into the Diet of all suspected Persons; their times of eating; upon which side they lay in Bed; with which Hand they wiped their Posteriors; To take a strict View of their Excrements, and from the Colour, the Odour, the Taste, the Consistence, the Crudeness, or Maturity of Digestion, form a Judgement of their Thoughts and Designs.

The concept of using a person's excrement as evidence of treasonous behavior is an allegory for the fact that the prosecutors in the Atterbury trial used letters found in the bishop's chamber pot as evidence against him. This allegory, which implicitly compares these prosecutors to the vain, ineffectual Projectors, is likely meant to ridicule Atterbury's Whig enemies.

In response to hearing the professor explain his project, Gulliver tells him about a similar method employed in the fictional nation of Tribnia:

"[E]ffectual Care is taken to secure all their Letters and Papers and put the Criminals in Chains. These Papers are delivered to a set of Artists very dextrous in finding out the mysterious Meanings of Words, Syllables, and Letters. For Instance, they can discover a Close Stool to signify a Privy Council, a Flock of Geese a Senate, a lame Dog an Invader."

"Tribnia" is an obvious anagram of "Britain," and the "lame dog" in this passage is a reference to Atterbury's dog Harlequin, which was given to him as a gift by one of his co-conspirators. The prosecution used mentions of the dog in Atterbury's correspondence as evidence against him during his trial. With this allegory, Swift suggests that the Whigs, due to an absence of legitimate evidence against Atterbury, were obliged to invent some through elaborate means.

Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

Explanation and Analysis—Theological Conflict:

Throughout Gulliver's Travels, Swift alludes to and satirizes several debates in Christian theology. In Book 4, Chapter 5, for example, Gulliver attempts to explain to the Master Horse the various religious conflicts that have led to war in Europe:

"[W]hether Flesh be Bread, or Bread be Flesh; whether the Juice of a certain Berry be Blood or Wine; whether Whistling be a Vice or a Virtue; whether it be better to kiss a Post, or to throw it into the Fire; what is the best Colour for a Coat, whether is be Black, White, Red or Grey; and whether it should be long or short, narrow or wide, dirty or clean, with many more. [...]"

In this passage, Swift alludes to disagreements among different denominations of Christianity about the meaning of holy communion (flesh vs. bread, blood vs. wine), the use of music in church (whistling), the veneration of icons and images (kissing a post vs. throwing it into the fire), and the proper clothing for clergy (the best color or cut for a coat). These disagreements have been the cause of great strife, but the fact that Gulliver is easily able to sum up these conflicts in just a few sentences demonstrates how trivial they are.

This passage also serves as an example as Swift's ability to poke fun at himself. Swift identified as a High Churchman, meaning that he valued ritual and formality in religious practice, and as an Anglican minister, he placed great importance on denominational difference. But despite his identity as a religious scholar and a man of faith, he is still able to acknowledge the absurdity of many aspects of Christianity.

Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

Gulliver's Travels: Satire 9 key examples