The tribute to Swift carries on this week, his novel "Gulliver Travels can be considered as the first dystopian novel written in the world literature. He already was concerned with the injustices and abuse of power in the beginning of the XVIII century. We must work every day to improve democracy, human rights and justice. This post is a summary of a dissertation, This paper was published at http://www.academia.edu/31811384/GULLIVERS_TRAVEL_AS_A_DYSTOPIAN_NOVEL
Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver Travels" is one of the most famous satires written in the history of English Literature. Unlike utopias, dystopias often refer to totalitarian societies and restricted personal freedom. They appeared in the 19th century and their number increased strongly during the last hundred years. Dystopias critically reflect social imbalances and the lack of essential and personal liberty. This novel contains utopian and dystopian elements within with the broader scope of satire. Jonathan Swift with the use of irony and sarcasm talks about both of an ideal society which is a utopia and of the real world which is dystopia in all the four parts of the novel, through various aspects. Swift generates "parallel universes", inhabited by weird beings and illogical realities, yet this can not be done without the characteristics traits of a world outlined with powerful objectivity. Eventough the novel contains utopian elements, still we find dystopian elements as well, beautifully portrayed by Swift through the images of the Houyhnhms and the Yahoos respectively. The utopian and dystopian outlook has been clearly conveyed in this novel. "Gulliver Travels" is a dystopian novel because Gulliver faces the same ups and downs, witnesses certain human follies as Swift had endured in England. Swift's sufferings and struggles, his wrath against the Queen of England and the English society made him write this great satirical novel. Swift like many others of his age, contributed a great deal to the development of what is called the "modern" prose style. Swift's writing is clear, pointed and precise. Swift's satire is pre-eminently intellectual. He has an incisive power of logic. Even those who have criticised his works, have not denied the "sheer force of his mind." Dystopian novel refers to a society that is dysfunctional and characterized by general suffering of the people, an opposite of utopia. The dystopian stories are often stories of survival, their primary theme is oppression and rebellion. The environment plays an important role in dystopian depiction. Dystopian stories take place in the large cities devastated by pollution. In every dystopian story, there is a back story of war, revolutions, and even some disaster. Dystopian novels consist in few common traits: 1) A hierarchical society where divisions between upper, middle and lower classses are definitive and unbending. 2) A nation-state ruled by an upper class with few democratic ideals. 3) Propaganda controlling people's minds. 4) Free thinking and independent thought is banned. Many works combine utopias and dystopias. Typically, an observer will travel to another place or time and see one society the author considers ideal, an another representing the worst possible outcome. Dystopias are frequently written as warnings or satires, showing current trends extrapolated to a nightmarish conclusion. Dystopian fiction is the portrayal of a setting that completely disagrees with the author's ethos. Swift's dramatic satire led to the creation of his dystopias which is essentially fruitful, and thus capable of generating an undeniable curative function. Gulliver's Travels is considered one of the most important works in the history of world literature. The general theme is a satirical examination of human nature, man's potential for depravity, and the dangers of the misuse of reason. In this novel, the notion of estrangement can be traced in all four books. in book 1, Gulliver's Travel to Lilliput inhabited by small humans, resembles the world of similar social and political systems of monarchy and hierarchies. This place sounds like a miniature and more absurd England, as the description of the land and government continues it becomes clear that the Lilliputian suffer from the same flaws inherent in English society ( pompous government, rebellions over relatively minor issues, and a tendency to over-regulate the more mundane aspects of life ). By emphasising the short height of the Lilliputians, he graphically diminishes the stature of all human nature. And using the fire in Queen's chamber, the rope dancers, and the inventory of Gulliver's pockets, he presents a series of illusions that were identifiable to his contemporaries as critical of Whig politics. The legal codes in Lilliput are based on European models, but they all have an added clause that differentiates them from England. The Lilliputian decree in one of the important quotes, "All crimes against the state are punished with the utmost severity; but if the person accused make his innocence plainly to appear on his trial, the accuser is put to death, and the person that was accused is compensated for his trouble." The Lilliputians have a well-established class system that is similar to that of England. Gulliver remarks on the fact, "Whoever there can bring sufficient proof that he hath strictly observed the laws of his country for seventy-three moons, hath a claim to certain privileges. This eliminates class privileges." In the second book, Swift reverses the size relationship used in book 1. Now in Brobdingnag, Gulliver is a midget. Swift uses this difference to express a difference in morality. The Brobdingnagians are not perfect but are moral. Only the immature and the psycological deformed are intentionally evil. After relating the details of English society and politics to ttheir king, The king was perfectly astonished with the historical accounts given by conspiracy, murders, massacres, revolutions, the very worst efects that avarice, hypocrisy, cruelty, rage, madness, hatred, lust, envy, mallice and other evil could produce. The king calls the English as "odious vermin." In book 3, the "Floating Island" of Laputa itself contains all science fictional elements. Laputan systematizing is a manifestation of proud rationalism. Swift shows that philology and scholarship betray the best interests of the Luggnaggians; pragmatic scientism fails in Balnibardii; and accumulated experience does not make the Struldbruggs either happy or wise. In his topical political references, Swift demonstrates the viciousness and cruelty, as well as the folly, that arise from abstract political theory imposed by selfish politicians. the common people, Swift says, suffer. In book 4, Gulliver's crew abandons him on an island where he is plunged into a world governed by the Houyhnhnms who live in accordance with pure reason and nature, that is also populated by a race of savage human beings called Yahoos, who live only for vice and squalor. The Houyhnhnms represent utopia and the Yahoos represent dystopia. The Houyhnhnms embody prefection, they have not word in their language to express lying or falsehood. Friendship and benevolence are the two principle virtues among them. Yahoos seem to represent the filth, greed, hatred and selfishness of human nature. These speechless humans and exemplify human flaws in primitive ways. The Yahoos were known to hate one another. They are dual charactered humans. Man is an infinitely complex animal; he is a mixture of intellect and reason, charity and emotion. But few people see Man as the grey matter of varying qualities. Gulliver's Travels represents a "double-edged" satire which simultaneously shows that humanity does not measure up to its own standard. The societies experienced by Gulliver during his voyage have certain flaws more or less similar to the English society. This novel shares some aspects of science fiction genre in its use of the estrangement technique and the use of utopia and dystopia in its context. The questions raised in this book are, our realization of social faults and the depiction of man in several conditions with its strengths and weakness both in body and mind.
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