Summary
Published in 1726, Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels is a satirical adventure novel that blends fantasy, political commentary, and biting social critique.
The story follows Lemuel Gulliver, an English surgeon and sea captain, as he embarks on a series of extraordinary voyages to distant and imaginary lands.
Gulliver first finds himself in Lilliput, a kingdom of tiny people, where human pride and political absurdities are magnified in miniature. Later, in Brobdingnag, he encounters giants who view European society with contempt.
His travels then take him to Laputa, an island of impractical intellectuals, and finally to the land of the Houyhnhnms, a race of rational horses who contrast sharply with the brutish, human-like Yahoos.
Through Gulliver’s experiences, Swift satirizes politics, science, colonialism, and human nature itself, making the book both a fantastical tale and a sharp critique of 18th-century society.