Gulliver’s Travels Book Summary

Introduction to the Novel :

• ​Swift's Most Popular Work.
• ​Begin in 1721 and finished by 1725.
• ​It is a highly gripping Tale of the various adventures of Lemuel Gulliver.
• ​It is Swift's most comprehensive and brilliantly worked-out satire on man and civilization.
• ​For its element of fantasy it has become a children's classic
• ​Gulliver's on the land of Lilliput is one of the most popular stories for children in England.
• ​Gulliver's Travel shows us pretensions, treachery, Cowardice, and vanities of human nature but on the other hand its endurance, curiosity, and spirit of adventure.
• ​This book is divided into four parts.
• ​Each book describes a new kind of encounter and experience for Gulliver.
• ​Each part begins with the Sea voyage undertaken by him.
• ​Each time he reaches a place where he meets a new kind of experience which is not to be found in the day-to-day World.

​Part I: A Voyage to Lilliput

In the very first part of this novel Gulliver reaches the land of Lilliput where men and women are not more than 6 inches. The Lilliputians are a group of tiny people who are twelve times smaller than normal humans. Thus this is the reason that they are very fearful of the giant Gulliver he convinces them that he is not going to harm anyone he his kind-hearted but the Lilliputians captive the Gullivers and they trap him with the rope, he soon establishes himself as the favorite of the Lilliputian emperor, who uses Gulliver as a weapon of war against the kingdom's neighboring nation of Blefuscu. Blefuscu is the enemy of the Lilliputians they want to destroy their kingdom but Gulliver saves him from the group of Blefuscus and becomes the favorite of all the Lilliputians. But later when Gulliver comes to know the reason behind this conflict then his thoughts against the Lilliputians are changed Gulliver considers them as small-minded people. And then he escapes to Blefuscu's and builds a boat to return to their home in England.

​Part II: A Voyage to Brobdingnag

After the tragedy of Lilliput Gulliver reaches his home and stays there for two months and then again he plans for another Voyage for some more adventure and this time his sail is blown off to the land of Brobdingnagians and the interesting thing is the giant size of the people of Brobdingnang who tower over the Gulliver

Gulliver is amazed to watch the people of this place and after some time he is captured by a farmer and the farmer forces him to work the Gulliver. Further, the farmer handed over the Gulliver to his queen who considered him as an entertainer. Gulliver is very threatened by the pets of Brobdingnang he is frustrated by the giant's people every by due to his magnified size.

One day Gulliver hides him in a box and this box is carried by an eagle who dropped it in the ocean and then Gulliver escapes from the Brobdingnang.

And rescued by the sailors and reached again at his home in England.

​Part III: A Voyage to Laputa, Balnibarbi, Luggnagg, Glubbdubdrib and Japan

Gulliver stayed at home approximately for 10 days then the captain of the ship came to meet Gulliver and invited him for another Voyage which was departing for two months. After sailing for 3 days a heavy storm arrives and their boat is attacked by the pirates they are unable to defend themselves also Gulliver punishment by the captain of the pirates for making a joke about him, Gulliver is left on a small Canoe with paddles and four days provisions but on fifth days he reaches on a small island named Balnibarbi where he spends his night. In the morning he realized that he was on a floating Island and started shouting to get help and then the people down the valley pulled Gulliver up. Then Gulliver strange to see the people as their heads are slanted to the left or right and their clothes have pictures either of any musical instrument or astronomical signs, then Gulliver finds that he is at a place named Laputa. Gulliver realized that the houses built in Laputa were very poor with no proper angles even, so far he found Laputa too boring and requested permission to leave Laputa: Then Gulliver reached Balnibarbi again where he met Munadi and stayed with him visited the island and found some part of the island is barren. Gulliver travels to the Grand Academy where he finds people researching different topics he finds it pointless afterward he leaves and reaches the island of Magicians where he requests to bring back Alexander the Great but it's not possible for the magician but still, he starts his conversation with many the great such as Aristotle and Hamer and many more by bringing them back then Gulliver visits Luggnagg where he hides his true identity for which he is made prisoner for some time but at last, he got a license to leave with 444 pieces of gold and valuable red diamonds then he took the ship and back to his home at England.

​Part IV: A Voyage to the Land of the Houyhnhnms

The fourth part of the novel starts with Gulliver who stayed at home five months after his third trip and now Gulliver is ready to go for his other adventureous trip. On the trip, Gulliver was left on an unknown shore. After wondering on the island for a long time he meets with such creatures who look human in appearance but they are uncivilized with long hair, long beard, and sharp claws such as animal then Gulliver attacks the animals with his sword and hits Yahoo with the flat side of the sword then animal roars loudly and then other animals look like he comes to attack Gulliver but Gulliver hides him securely.

After some time Gulliver came outside and saw a horse named Houyhnham who protected Gulliver from Yahoo's. The horse looks well civilized and then Gulliver visits the horse's house. After 3 months of stay Gulliver learns their language and can answer the question of horses and how he got deceived by his sailors. Horses consider Gulliver as a Yahoo but think he is superior to them, Gulliver explains to him the relationship between Horses and humans in England. The master of horses considered Gulliver as an offense to stay at the horse's house and requested him to leave. Then Gulliver finds land and sees a ship and tries to hide from the sailors but the sailors find Gulliver and strange to see Gulliver as he is behaving like a horse at last Gulliver is carried to his home by these sailors.​

​About the Author:

• ​One of the greatest Prose writers.
• ​Came from an English Family, and settled in Dublin, Ireland.
• ​Born on 30th November 1667
• ​When he was just three years old his mother left him and then further he was looked after by his uncle.
• ​Later, he attended Trinity College.
• ​Went to a politician's Secretary which provided materials for his satire about the political and religious corruption of his society.
• ​Swift's major Satirical work includes "A Tale of Tub, " Gulliver's Travel, " The Battle of Books