Abstract
Written by
the Irish author Jonathan Swift (1667-1745), and first published in 1726, Gulliver’s
Travels can be roughly summed up as a personal narrative of several voyages
that Capt. Lemuel Gulliver goes on within a time span of 16 years, extending
from 1699 to 1715. The novel begins with Gulliver’s own narrative of his first
voyage to Lilliput (the country of dwarfs), continues with his next voyages to
Brobdingnag (the country of giants) first and subsequently to Laputa,
Balnibarbi, Luggnagg, Glubbdubdrib and Japan, and finally closes with an
account of his experiences which he had during as well as following his last
voyage to the country of the Houyhnhnms. Gulliver’s status as a stranger to the
inhabitants of each country he visits remains unchanged till his voyage to the
country of Houyhnhnms where he begins to feel he should belong. This study is
particularly aimed at explaining why Gulliver begins to feel he is now part of
the Houyhnhnms by arguing that considered as a whole, his experiences among the
Houyhnhnms work progressively towards and eventually culminate in forming what
can be called a particular case of estrangement, or alienation, on his part.
Especially the final pages of the novel depict Gulliver in a state of
quasi-delirium which can best be phrased as a case of estrangement from the
human race in general, and from the English society, his family and even
himself in particular. The presence of the human Gulliver among the Houyhnhnms
causes his ontological relation with himself as a human being to undergo an
unexpected transformation, and consequently he splits from his human
self—something which can most clearly and easily be spotted in instances where
the reader finds him referring to human beings, including himself, as Yahoos,
even after the publication of the novel.
Keywords
References
- Çelikel, M. A. (2011). Gulliver's Travels and The Satanic Verses: Migration, alienation and monstrosity. In D. Cmeciu, & Ş. Avadanei (Eds.), Cultural Perspectives, 16, pp. 21-30.
- Ehrenpreis, I. (1957, Dec.). The Origins of Gulliver's Travels. PMLA, 72(5), p. 880-899.
- Fleischmann, R. (2013). A Survey of English Literature in its Historical Context. Mainz: Universität Koblenz-Landau.
- Josephson, E., & Josephson, M. (1966). Introduction. In E. Josephson, & M. Josephson (Eds.), Man alone: Alienation in modern society (A Laurel Edition ed., pp. 9-53). New York: Dell Publishing.
- Swift, J. (1966). Gulliver's Travels. London: Everyman's Library.
- Tarbox, K. (1999). Interview with John Fowles. In D. L. Vipond (Ed.), Conversations with John Fowles (pp. 149-167). Jackson: University Press of Mississippi.
- Wedel, O. T. (1926). On the philosophical background of Gulliver's Travels. Studies in Philology, 23(4), pp. 434-450.
- Williams, K. M. (1951). Gulliver's voyage to the Houyhnhnms. ELH, 18(4), pp. 275-286.
Abstract
İrlandalı yazar Jonathan Swift
(1667-1745) tarafından yazılan, ve ilk olarak 1726 yılında neşredilen Güliver’in Gezileri kabaca Kaptan Güliver’in
1699 yılından 1715 yılına uzanan 16 yıllık bir zaman diliminde gerçekleştirdiği
bir çok seyahatin kişisel bir anlatısı olarak özetlenebilir. Roman Güliver’in cüceler
ülkesi olarak da bilinen Lilliput’a olan ilk seyahati ile başlar, önce devler
ülkesi olarak da adlandırılan Brobdingnag ve sonrasında Laputa, Balnibarbi,
Luggnag ve Glubbdubrib ve Japonya’ya olan seyahatleriyle devam eder, ve
nihayetinde Houyhnhnmlerin (Tekboynuzlar) ülkesine yaptığı son seyahat
sırasında ve sonrasında edindiği tecrübelerini anlatan bölümle sona erer. Güliver’in
ziyaret ettiği her ülkenin yerleşik halklarına olan yabancılığı, ait olmayı
arzu ettiği Houyhnhnmlerin ülkesine yaptığı ziyarete kadar değişmez. Bu çalışma
özellikle bir bütün olarak ele alındığında Houyhnhnmlerin arasında geçirdiği
süre zarfınca Güliver’in edindiği tecrübelerinin kendisi adına bir tür yabancılaşmaya
evirildiğini öne sürerek Güliver’in neden kendisini Houyhnhnmlerin bir parçası
olarak görmeye başladığını açıklamayı amaçlamaktadır. Özellikle romanın son
sayfaları Güliver’i genel anlamda insan ırkına, bilhassa İngiliz toplumuna,
ailesine ve hatta kendisine karşı bir yabancılaşma durumu olarak ifade
edilebilecek bir tür delirme hali içerisinde resmetmektedir. Güliver’in
Houyhnhnmlerin arasındaki varlığı bir insan olarak kendisiyle olan ontolojik münasebetinin
beklenmedik bir değişime uğramasına sebep olmuş, ve sonuç olarak kendisi insani
benliğinden ayrılmıştır. Bu durumun en net ve kolay gözlemlenebildiği yerler romanın
neşriyatından sonra dahi okurun Güliver’i kendisi dahil tüm insanları Yahoo
olarak adlandırırken görebildiği yerlerdir.
Keywords
References
- Çelikel, M. A. (2011). Gulliver's Travels and The Satanic Verses: Migration, alienation and monstrosity. In D. Cmeciu, & Ş. Avadanei (Eds.), Cultural Perspectives, 16, pp. 21-30.
- Ehrenpreis, I. (1957, Dec.). The Origins of Gulliver's Travels. PMLA, 72(5), p. 880-899.
- Fleischmann, R. (2013). A Survey of English Literature in its Historical Context. Mainz: Universität Koblenz-Landau.
- Josephson, E., & Josephson, M. (1966). Introduction. In E. Josephson, & M. Josephson (Eds.), Man alone: Alienation in modern society (A Laurel Edition ed., pp. 9-53). New York: Dell Publishing.
- Swift, J. (1966). Gulliver's Travels. London: Everyman's Library.
- Tarbox, K. (1999). Interview with John Fowles. In D. L. Vipond (Ed.), Conversations with John Fowles (pp. 149-167). Jackson: University Press of Mississippi.
- Wedel, O. T. (1926). On the philosophical background of Gulliver's Travels. Studies in Philology, 23(4), pp. 434-450.
- Williams, K. M. (1951). Gulliver's voyage to the Houyhnhnms. ELH, 18(4), pp. 275-286.
Details
| Primary Language | English |
|---|---|
| Subjects | Creative Arts and Writing |
| Journal Section | English Language and Literature |
| Authors | |
| Publication Date | April 1, 2019 |
| Submission Date | September 28, 2018 |
| Acceptance Date | March 14, 2019 |
| Published in Issue | Year 2019 |