Gulliver\'s Travels

Infidel Castro

Infidel Castro

New member
Has anyone read this as an adult? I think I read it as a kid, possibly saw it on telly, but I\'ve picked it up again and I\'ve been blown away by it.

300yrs old the book (not mine, the authorship!) and totally relevant. He rips the piss out of humanity\'s darker side, laying religion, politics and human behaviour to waste. I never knew how clever it all was. It\'s a proper grown up book :D

Glad my lady stocked this in her collection.
 
freakinacage

freakinacage

Well-known member
never even thought of this tbh. everyone knows at least bits of the story but i have never considered reading it. consider it on the list!
 
Dragonsreach

Dragonsreach

Super Moderator
Staff member
Yes read it wat back in my 20\'s.
Swift\'s work is one of the very few pieces which have never really aged in its sharp satire. I suppose that it\'s because he targeted the three greatest areas of bombast and hypocrisy that there are.

Other satirists like Lord Byron while scathing in their time have now become diluted, as the targets of their ire have passed and the terms are no longer relevant.
A bit like how Spitting Image was such a great show in the 80\'s but is so dated now.
 
U

usurpator

New member
Gulliver

I seem to remember that at the time the book was considered a shoking daring pamphlet about human society and got the author into some trouble.
Have you seen the tv version with Ted Dawson (spelling?) it\'s the best, very very cruel to humans.
Ah.... Yahoos... no wonder I love Orks and Eldars and dogs!
:beer: Love to all!
Usurpator
 
B

Beelzebrush

Active member
Originally posted by Dragonsreach
Yes read it wat back in my 20\'s.
Click to expand...

Shouldn\'t that read \'back in THE 20\'s\' Mike lol :D

I read it years and years ago but was probably too young to pick up on the satire.
 
P

philologus

Subgenius
I have read and re-read this one. It is truly a book with depth. I think the longevity of its relevance is owed to the fact that Swift satirized the human condition, and its attendant foibles rather than institutions which may be short-lived. A great read, for those who like this sort of thing I would recommend re-reading Alice in WOnderland and Through the Looking Glass. Caroll does his share of cleverly disguised satire as well. I just finished AW & TLG for the umpteenth time.
 
Sand Rat

Sand Rat

New member
Been on a kick for a while where I\'m reading a lot of the classics - inspired in part by wanting the background on the characters in the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen -

Read Gulliver last summer - its held up pretty well over the years and I think that everyone has hit the nail on the head - the satire is directed at humanity in general, not just the specifics of his era.
 
G

Gilvan Blight

New member
This past weekend I was vacationing in Southwest Ontario when my Wife decided we had to hit Every Chapter\'s we could find (big block chain bookstore). I can\'t for the life of me remember what she was looking for, but every single one of the ones we were in (which was like 7) there was a table that just laughed at me.

It was a table that said Children and Young Adult must reads. It was filled with a ton of books I know of, Charlotts Web, Guliver, Narnia, etc. The part where I heard the table laugh at me was when I realized that I hadn\'t read a single book on the table. All 7 stores, 7 different set ups, and not a single book I have read.

Now I\'ll be the first to admit I\'m not an avid reader, but I do read. I read a heck of alot more then the average TV loving bloke. I had no idea, that I somehow missed all the classics though. I hadn\'t even read them in school.

If this display had been some type of sale with great prices, instead of just a good collection of classic books, I would have been tempted to pick up every single one.

FYI: currently reading Heretics of Dune by Frank Hebert.
 
G

Gilvan Blight

New member
Two books strike me as being totally ruined by being over analysed back in school. One was the Great Gatsby which due to school I consider one of the biggest pieces of shite I have ever read.

I know people that like it though, but I can\'t stand it. \"What does the Green light mean?\" ARGH!

The second was The Count of Monte Cristo. I was really enjoying the book, until we started drawing relationship trees, and linking this chapter to that chapter and this characters this to that characters what? I actually tried to read ahead of the class and teacher so that I could actually enjoy the story, but alas in the end I grew to loath it.

Can\'t say the same for 1984 though, bought a copy after reading it in class, and actually try to re-read it at regular intervals. I\'m also a fan of the Paranoia RPG though... The Computer IS my friend.
 
Dragonsreach

Dragonsreach

Super Moderator
Staff member
Originally posted by Gilvan Blight


The second was The Count of Monte Cristo. I was really enjoying the book, until we started drawing relationship trees, and linking this chapter to that chapter and this characters this to that characters what? I actually tried to read ahead of the class and teacher so that I could actually enjoy the story, but alas in the end I grew to loath it.
You what? Relationship trees for The Count of Monte Cristo? Stuff that for a lark. It\'s one of the many books I thoroughly enjoyed reading. In fact I think I\'ve read it 7 or 8 times.
In English literature we were required to read Jane Eyre and Rebecca and do a comparative analysis of the two books. How easy was that as they are basically the same story (Dauphne Du Maurier admitted as much in an interview.)
Trouble was that I was always an avid reader so therefore somewhat faster reader than the majority of my class and was mostly bored while they played catch up. Didn\'t help my grades though. :)
.
Click to expand...
 
U

usurpator

New member
Originally posted by Dragonsreach
faster reader than the majority of my class and was mostly bored while they played catch up. Didn\'t help my grades though. :)[/color]
.
Click to expand...

That\'s the very story of my school days!!
We should create a club, Dragonsreach: for mini painters who love books and got in trouble at school because of it :=D
Of course you have read Jasper Fforde\'s books, I imagine...
Usurpator
 
Fizl

Fizl

Secret Crocodile
Originally posted by Gilvan Blight
This past weekend I was vacationing in Southwest Ontario when my Wife decided we had to hit Every Chapter\'s we could find (big block chain bookstore). I can\'t for the life of me remember what she was looking for, but every single one of the ones we were in (which was like 7) there was a table that just laughed at me.

It was a table that said Children and Young Adult must reads. It was filled with a ton of books I know of, Charlotts Web, Guliver, Narnia, etc. The part where I heard the table laugh at me was when I realized that I hadn\'t read a single book on the table. All 7 stores, 7 different set ups, and not a single book I have read.

Now I\'ll be the first to admit I\'m not an avid reader, but I do read. I read a heck of alot more then the average TV loving bloke. I had no idea, that I somehow missed all the classics though. I hadn\'t even read them in school.

If this display had been some type of sale with great prices, instead of just a good collection of classic books, I would have been tempted to pick up every single one.

FYI: currently reading Heretics of Dune by Frank Hebert.
Click to expand...

Heretics of Dune - good book!

Shaz
 
P

philologus

Subgenius
Originally posted by Fizl
Originally posted by Gilvan Blight
This past weekend I was vacationing in Southwest Ontario when my Wife decided we had to hit Every Chapter\'s we could find (big block chain bookstore). I can\'t for the life of me remember what she was looking for, but every single one of the ones we were in (which was like 7) there was a table that just laughed at me.

It was a table that said Children and Young Adult must reads. It was filled with a ton of books I know of, Charlotts Web, Guliver, Narnia, etc. The part where I heard the table laugh at me was when I realized that I hadn\'t read a single book on the table. All 7 stores, 7 different set ups, and not a single book I have read.

Now I\'ll be the first to admit I\'m not an avid reader, but I do read. I read a heck of alot more then the average TV loving bloke. I had no idea, that I somehow missed all the classics though. I hadn\'t even read them in school.

If this display had been some type of sale with great prices, instead of just a good collection of classic books, I would have been tempted to pick up every single one.

FYI: currently reading Heretics of Dune by Frank Hebert.
Click to expand...

Heretics of Dune - good book!

Shaz
Click to expand...

All of the Dune Books are great! I am eagerly awaiting the next release from his son (original series finale!)
 
L

Logan

New member
I studied it at \'A\' level and really enjoyed it (which is rare \'cos I usually dig my heels in when forced to do something).

I think it suffered in the past \'cos of the adaptations and the kids cartoon versions of it - (people wrongly assume it\'s a child\'s book). Humorous, incisive and still scarily relevant today.
 
G

Gilvan Blight

New member
Originally posted by philologus
Originally posted by Fizl
Originally posted by Gilvan Blight
This past weekend I was vacationing in Southwest Ontario when my Wife decided we had to hit Every Chapter\'s we could find (big block chain bookstore). I can\'t for the life of me remember what she was looking for, but every single one of the ones we were in (which was like 7) there was a table that just laughed at me.

It was a table that said Children and Young Adult must reads. It was filled with a ton of books I know of, Charlotts Web, Guliver, Narnia, etc. The part where I heard the table laugh at me was when I realized that I hadn\'t read a single book on the table. All 7 stores, 7 different set ups, and not a single book I have read.

Now I\'ll be the first to admit I\'m not an avid reader, but I do read. I read a heck of alot more then the average TV loving bloke. I had no idea, that I somehow missed all the classics though. I hadn\'t even read them in school.

If this display had been some type of sale with great prices, instead of just a good collection of classic books, I would have been tempted to pick up every single one.

FYI: currently reading Heretics of Dune by Frank Hebert.
Click to expand...

Heretics of Dune - good book!

Shaz
Click to expand...

All of the Dune Books are great! I am eagerly awaiting the next release from his son (original series finale!)
Click to expand...

I wasn\'t a big fan of God Emperor. Took me two tries to get through it. Really enjoying Heretics though. The original is still my favourite book of all time.

Haven\'t read anything by Hebert Jr. as of yet, but have started collecting the books and adding them to an growing To Read pile.

@DR - I could tell Count was good. I was even enjoying it. Studying it under Sister Reniac (of the golden Eyebrows) totally ruined it for me at the time. I really should try it again now that it\'s qutie a few years later. Just need to get through that To Read pile first :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back To Top
Top