Gulliver's Travels

sometimes felt that this book contradicts itself. or, specifically in part 4, is trying desperately to show us perfection while also making the society sound...unbearable. i mean, a world where a bunch of dumb humans are shitting on each other amongst a bunch of honest and wise horses...does not sound like perfection to me. no love. no opinions...? there is literally a procreation cap on them hoes.

but i can still appreciate what it's satirizing and there's no denying, there are some funny details and incredibly bold moments with philosophy/dissection of human nature. at the same time, i think it's trying to do so much at once.

the misogyny here is supposedly satirizing as well, but it just didn't feel that way to me? like sure women's bodies are ugly and smell bad up close. what now? perhaps it's trying to make a mockery of this idea of our inferiority. but at the same time, most of the men in this story are not only written as bearable, but well liked or respected by gulliver. idk maybe i'm missing something. in class (sigh), it was mentioned that swift is maybe commenting on the unrealistic standard of beauty (particularly in the nobility). in other words, that rich women are godly in theory. but really we are all stinky and gross. but again, gulliver is more disgusted at women undressing than being shit on. like literally feces on the noggin.

i think i still have so much to learn about satire and politics and ENGLAND and earlier works like this so all my thoughts are literally just that...THOUGHTS.

Summary: In this satirical work, Gulliver travels to several fantasy lands, each with its own set of issues.

গালিভার'স ট্রাভেলস ছোটবেলায় যখন পড়েছি, শিশুপাঠ্য হিসেবে পড়েছি অর্থাৎ চারটি অভিযানের প্রথম দুটি। কয়েকদিন আগে ভারি ভারি বই থেকে হালকা কিছু পড়তে গুডরিডসের স্যাটায়ার জঁরায় ঢুঁ দিলাম। দেখি, গালিভার্স ট্রাভেলস। আষাঢ়ে গল্প বলা যায়, কিন্তু স্যাটায়ার! তো ভাবলাম, এমনিও পুরোটা পড়িনি, শুরু করা যাক!

ফিকশনের রিভিউয়ের বড় সমস্যা হচ্ছে স্পয়লার দেওয়ার সম্ভাবনা। কোনো কাহিনী না বলেও এটুকু বলা যায় বইয়ের তৃতীয় যাত্রাটি আমার সবচেয়ে পছন্দের। প্লেটোর ফিলোসফার কিং ও তার রাজ্যের একটা ভালো ক্যারিকেচার পাওয়া যায়।

তা বাদে সারা বইতে রাজনীতি, অর্থনীতি, ধর্ম ও বিচারব্যবস্থা এবং মোটের ওপর মানুষের বহুবিধ হিপোক্রেসী নিয়ে বেশ ভালোরকমের স্যাটায়ার আছে।

Classic among classics, it's incredible how current the themes proposed by Jonathan Swift in 1726 are.

Beh, wow. Che critica alla socie, agli uomini che dicono di essere razionali eppure poi si comportano tra di loro come esseri irrazionali, animaleschi e dotati dei peggiori difetti. :(

Filthy yahoos... xD

*Note: I tried to start listening on my Kindle Paperwhite through [b:The Adventure Collection: Gulliver's Travels, White Fang, the Jungle Book, the Adventures of Robin Hood, Treasure Island 33778589 The Adventure Collection Gulliver's Travels, White Fang, the Jungle Book, the Adventures of Robin Hood, Treasure Island Jonathan Swift https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1483396201l/33778589.SX50.jpg 45943718], however, the quality of audio was a pain to the ear. Then, I switched to this version through Audible+ which doesn't seem to be available on my Kindle.

It seems odd to give a rating to one of the great classics of English Literature, but there you go. I first read it about 40 years ago, and it was fun to revisit the countries Gulliver voyages to, but I was more interested this time around in his themes, and for that I really relied on the critical essays at the back of this edition and my other copy, the tattered Norton Critical Edition that I've had since that first reading . . .

Самое стоящее в книге - сама идея мира крошечных людей и мира великанов. Угнетает слишком частое сравнения маленьких или больших вещей и людей с нормальными “представителями человеческого рода”. Как таковым шикарным приключением это поездку я бы не назвал. Скорее, Гулливер неудачно заехал на остров, потому что потом просто рассказывается его жизнь среди лилипутов.

Хотя самой популярной является первая часть книги (про маленьких людей), мне больше понравилась вторая - про великанов. Это связано с тем, что Гулливер среди великанов сам стал лилипутом и для него это был большой стре��с, вторая часть местами читается как триллер.

В целом считаю, что если и не прочитаешь книгу, то многое не потеряешь.

Will the real Gulliver please stand up?

Is it an authentic Gulliver experience to read the children's picture book?

Or is it a more genuine experience to read it, unedited, without pictures, on a Kindle?

I read both this week. I liked the children's version better. The pictures were fun and the edited text included the best of the original and omitted the extraneous material that seemed irrelevant to the heart of the book.

I'm happy I read the original as well as the edited version. I can see the appeal of this book for readers. Funny. Thoughtful. Gulliver visits places in the world that make his entire worldview shift and crumble and, finally, evolve.

A wonderful book. Or books.

“The dog died on the spot, and we left the doctor endeavouring to recover him, by the same operation. “
And as the dog died, so dies my willingness to continue reading this book. So I DNF it. (at about 1/3)