On Satiric Skills in Gullivers Travels.docx

1、On Satiric Skills in Gullivers TravelsOn Satiric Skills in Gullivers Travels. IntroductionGullivers Travels is one of the greatest satirical works, which has attracted readers and critics for nearly three hundred years since its publication. And its author, Jonathan Swift is also a master of satire.

2、1.1 Brief Introduction about the Author and His WorksJonathan Swift was born in Dublin on November 30, 1667. His father, an English lawyer, died before the birth of his son, who grew up to be a graduate of Trinity College, a Tory party member and a highly political writer. Swift served as secretary

3、to Sir William Temple at Moor Park in Surrey from the year 1689 to 1695. And Sir William Temple who was a courtier, statesman and writer had the most powerful influence on Swifts adult life. The time Swift lived in was full of changes in the British political situation. 1688 saw a coup detat in Brit

4、ain, called The Glorious Revolution”, and it was ended up with the compromise between the bourgeois and the nobles, the foundation of constitutional monarchy. And inside the ruling class, between the major partiesthe Whigs and the Tories, in order to get power and wealth, there were also constant co

5、ntradiction.The eighteenth century in English literature is an age of prose, and one of the most famous and greatest masters in the first part of the century was Jonathan Swift. His language was simple, clear and vigorous. He said: “Proper words in proper places, makes the true definition of a style

6、.”Swifts first notable works, The Battle of the Books (the full name is A Full and True Account of the Battle Fought Last Friday, Between the Ancient and the Modern Books in St James Library), written in 1697 but published in 1704, was a satire upon both parties and the literary world of the time. I

7、t was not a mature work, for it just showed some basic ideas and styles of Swifts ironical allegory. His another satirical masterpiece, A Tale of a Tub, published in the same year of 1704, was a satire upon the various churches of the day. It was more mature and serious in his writing skills. Swifts

8、 political proses are also popular and well known. In 1729, A modest Proposal(the full name is A modest Proposal, for Preventing the Children of Poor People in Ireland fro being a Bruden to their Parents or Country; and for Making them Beneficial to the Public), one of the most aggressing satirical

9、proses in English literature came out. Swift seemed to have no difficulty in finding words to express exactly the impression he wishes to convey. In simple, direct and precise prose, Swift was almost unsurpassed in English literature.1.2 Main Idea and Background Knowledge of the NovelGullivers Trave

10、ls was just set in the dark situation in Britain which Swift lived in. What he described in the book responded things and persons in Britain and Europe. As a masterpiece of satiric works, many critics have given comments on different aspects of the work. In the first three volumes, the satire was di

11、rected against the English political parties, philosophers, historians and men of sciences. In the last volume, the climax of the book, Swift is attacking the entire human race. He exposed the most ugly aspect of humanity, from the figure to the behavior, and from physiology to psychology. Therefore

12、, Swift and his novel have received attacks from some critics.It was said that Gullivers Travels was the outcome of an “assigned homework”. Along with Pope and other great literary figures, Swift was a member of a certain club. The purpose of this club was to satirize the foolishness of modern man.

13、Each member was given a topic, and Swifts was to satirize the current “boom” in travel literature. The final result was the publication of the great workGullivers Travels in the year 1726. Brief Introduction of SatireSince the novel of Swift, Gullivers Travels, is a keen satire upon the whole Britis

14、h society at that time, in order to analyze the satiric skills of Swifts, it is necessary to know what “satire” is and what its definition is.2.1 Definition of SatireAccording to A Handbook to English and American Literature, satire is a literary manner with a critical attitude with humor and wit. T

15、he purpose of satire is to improve human institutions or humanity. True satirists are conscious of the frailty of institutions of human devising and attempt through laughter not so much to tear them down as to inspire a remodeling. If critics simply abuse, they are writing invective; if they are per

16、sonal and splenetic, they are writing sarcasm; if they are sad and morose over the state of society, they are writing irony or a jeremiad. As a rule modern satire spares the individual and follows Addisons self-imposed rule: “to pass over a single foe to charge whole armies.”Satire consists of two m

17、ajor types: 1. direct satire, in which the satiric voice speaks, usually in the first person narration, either directly to the readers or to a character in the satire. 2. indirect satire, in which the satire is expressed through a narrative. Characters or groups, who are the satire butt are ridicule

18、d not by what is said about them but by what they say and do. Much of the great literary satire is indirect; one of the principal forms of indirect satire is Menippean satire. Direct satire can be further divided into two types: (1)Horatian satire, which is gentle, urbane, and smiling. It aims to co

19、rrect by gentle and broadly sympathetic laughter. (2)Juven alian satire, which is biting bitter and angry. It points with contempt and moral indignation to the corruption and evil of human beings and institutions. Addison is a Horatian satirist, Swift a Juvenalian one.For centuries the word satire,

20、which literally means “a dish filled with mixed fruits”, was reserved for long poems, such as the poems of Juvenal and Horace, Chaucer, Butler, Pope and Lowell, Almost from its origins, however, the drama has been suited to the satiric spirit, and from Aristophanes to Shaw, it has commented with pen

21、etrating irony on human foibles. There was a notable concentration of its attention on Horatian satire in the comedy of manners of Restoration Age. But it has been in the fictional narrative, particularly the novel, that satire has found its chief vehicle in the modern world.2.2 Function of SatireIf

22、 the readers want to make clear the novel thoroughly and deeply, it is necessary for them to know the authors writing purpose first. The writing purpose of Swift is to criticize the British society at that time. Therefore, all the writing skills Swift employed in his novel such as satiric skills sho

23、uld serve as a way to achieve his writing purpose. That is to say, the function of satire in Gullivers Travels is a way of criticizing the British society.Swift was not satisfied with the current situation of British society at that time, but because of some historical and political reasons, he coul

24、d not criticize the society or express his dissatisfaction directly, therefore, he chose another way. Swift used satire to reveal the corruption of society and express his disaffection toward the British government. Satire served as a powerful weapon for Swift to attack the society, and that was the

25、 function of satire in Gullivers Travels.Authors Satiric Skills in the NovelBecause of the special historical background, the author had employed many kinds of satiric skills to show his point of view indirectly. 3.1 ContrastBy using contrast, the author made the difference more obviously, and it wa

26、s much easier for the readers to make sense of Swifts satiric tone in the novel.3.1.1 Contrast between the Manner and Content of NarrationSwift invited Gulliver as the first person to narrate the whole stories, which made his words even more satiric. Because for the manner of the novel, it was a des

27、cription of Gullivers travels to several countries and regions, therefore, the manner should be formal. However, for the content of the narration, it was, on the contrary, quite ridiculous and unimaginable. For example, in part three, when Gulliver traveled to Balnibarbi, he was permitted to see gra

28、nd academy of Lagado. The author made a lot of description of both the academy and the professors there. From Gullivers point of view, he saw a man “with sooty hands and face”, who has been “eight years upon a project for extracting sunbeams out of cucumbers”. From the description of what the man sa

29、id we could find that he was so convinced that from the cucumbers we certainly could extract sunbeams, which could be used to warm the air in cold days. However, it is known to everyone that to extract sunbeams from cucumbers was infeasible. Another typical example was that, when Gulliver continued

30、to visit the academy, he saw another man whose “face and beard were of a pale yellow” and “his hands and clothes daubed over with filter”. Whats more, the mans employment was an operation to reduce human excrement to its original food. From the scientific point of view, it was the funniest scientifi

31、c project. While, the man was “the most ancient student of the academy” who has worked on this operation from “his first coming into the academy”. There were countless examples in the academy, which showed to the readers those ridiculous projects. But those scientists all insisted on their original

32、projects for many years. And the scientists of the eighteenth century in England were the targets of Swifts satire. He made fun of these scientists because they did not serve for the people, but served as a tool for the government. However, those scientific programs could not promote the development

33、 of society, but to hinder its development. From this contrast it is clear that the author narrated those funny things in a serious manner in order to show us his satiric attitude toward those bogus scientists of the eighteenth century in England.3.1.2Contrast between CharactersExcept the contrast between the man