Why did I love this book?
The standard bearer of idiotic journeys. This eighteenth-century
funhouse mirror displays the underbelly of the human condition from many absurd
angles, including but not limited to xenophobic violence, intellectual hubris,
and false idol worship.
2 authors picked Gulliver's Travels as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
'Thus, gentle Reader, I have given thee a faithful History of my Travels for Sixteen Years, and above Seven Months; wherein I have not been so studious of Ornament as of Truth.'
In these words Gulliver represents himself as a reliable reporter of the fantastic adventures he has just set down; but how far can we rely on a narrator whose identity is elusive and whoses inventiveness is self-evident? Gulliver's Travels purports to be a travel book, and describes Gulliver's encounters with the inhabitants of four extraordinary places: Lilliput, Brobdingnag, Laputa, and the country of the Houyhnhnms. A consummately skilful…