Historical Overview of “Gulliver’s Travels” by Jonathan Swift
TITLE: Gulliver’s Travels
AUTHOR: Jonathan Swift
TYPE OF WORK: novel
TIME AND PLACE WRITTEN: Approximately 1712–1726, London and Dublin
DATE OF FIRST PUBLICATION: 1726 (1735 unabridged)
SETTINGS: Primarily England and the imaginary countries of Lilliput, Blefuscu, Brobdingnag, Laputa, and
the land of the Houyhnhnms
PROTAGONIST: Lemuel Gulliver
ANTAGONIST: The antagonist is human society—it just presents itself in different ways throughout the
story.
PLOT: It is the story of Lemuel Gulliver, a practical-minded Englishman trained as a surgeon who takes to
the seas when his business fails. In a deadpan first-person narrative that rarely shows any signs of self-
reflection or deep emotional response, Gulliver narrates the adventures that befall him on these travels.
POINT OF VIEW: 1st person
THEME:
The story talks about might versus right. It is about the people who are all powerful once they are
together. Even if they are people who disrespect, they are still very powerful for they all think the same
you will never know what everyone is capable of.