Gulliver's Travels (Qualitas Classics) (Qualitas Classics. Fireside) - Softcover

Swift, Jonathan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1897093586 ISBN 13: 9781897093580

Publisher: Qualitas Classics, 2016

Synopsis

Gulliver's Travels was written by Jonathan Swift and first published in 1726. The original book presents itself as a simple traveller's narrative with the title Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World, in Four Parts, its authorship attributed to "Lemuel Gulliver, first a surgeon, then a captain of several ships." Different editions contain different versions of the prefatory material. The main body of the book is divided into four parts: (i) A Voyage to Lilliput (May 4, 1699 - April 13, 1702); (ii) A Voyage to Brobdingnag (June 20, 1702 - June 3, 1706); (iii) A Voyage to Laputa, Balnibarbi, Luggnagg, Glubbdubdrib, and Japan (August 5, 1706 - April 16, 1710); and (iv) A Voyage to the Country of the Houyhnhnms (September 7, 1710 - July 2, 1715). Despite the complexity of the work, it is often classified as a children's story because of the popularity of the Lilliput section. Broad overall themes include a satirical view of the state of European government as well as an analysis of whether men are inherently corrupt or whether they become corrupted. The book was an instant success and has become a classic in English literature. This publication of Gulliver's Travels is part of the Qualitas Classics Fireside Series, where pure, ageless classics are presented in clean, easy to read reprints. For a complete list of titles, see: http: //www.qualitaspublishing.com

About this title

Review:

"Swift's world-famous satire was an instant bestseller...his vision is dark, often verging on the obscene" (Robert McCrum Guardian)

"It is universally read, from the cabinet council to the nursery" (John Gay (author of The Beggar's Opera))

"It has entered the iconography of western culture as perhaps no other single novel, giving words to the English language and inspiring remarkably diverse acts of homage... A political comedy, an existentialist meditation, a bleak thriller about an outsider caught between worlds...at the heart of Swift's masterwork is an ennobling sadness, a lament for a world gone mad" (Joseph O'Connor Guardian)

"Among the six indispensable books in world literature" (George Orwell)

"Everyone standing for political office . . . should have a compulsory examination in Gulliver's Travels" (Michael Foot)

From the Publisher:

Lemuel Gulliver, ship's surgeon and castaway, has awaken in Lilliput, where the size of the tiny inhabitants makes their concerns and quarrels seem ridiculous. A second journey takes him to the kingdom of giants, where again his size gives him new adrift by pirates, Gulliver's final voyage brings him to the land of the Houyhnhms, horses with reason, who share their domain with the brutish Yahoos. He returns to England a changed man.

Swift's corrosive satire embraces all aspects of humanity. It is witty when dealing with foibles and frailty, bitterly when facing pride and stupidity, but compassionate and unsentimental when focused upon suffering.

About this edition

• Publisher: Qualitas Classics
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1897093586
• ISBN 13: 9781897093580
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 316