Notes on 1 st Gulliver’s Travels timed, in-class essay, 2009

1. Notes on 1stGulliver’s Travels timed, in-class essay, 2009 Mr. Cleon M. McLean A.P. English Ontario High School

2. FYI • Not all the historical and anecdotal information I give you should be used in your essay. I am just covering all my bases, so you can many tools in your bag of tricks to handle any which prompt • By the 18th century, England’s economy had already transformed from agrarian to mercantile. This transformation actually begun in the Renaissance, i.e., 16th century

3. Sweet French Words to Know! • nouveau riche(noun)—a person who is newly rich • Milieu (noun)—surroundings, esp. of a social and cultural nature • Ennui(noun)—a feeling of boredom or discontent • fantastical (not French)—means of fantasy

4. FYI • Gulliver does not travel to any of the fantastic islands. He has several misadventures or mischance adventures • The word “echelon” means level of rank, authority or power. So you have to say “social echelons” if you are referring to the various social classes • To discuss what is being satirized, think about using the transition phrase, “under the satire”

5. FYI • In Brobdingnag, Gulliver is accepted not as an animal, but as a “creature”—something peculiarly “other” • In Brob., Gulliver is, satirically, a lower class work horse (a la Orwell’s Boxer) • Rather than say “Swift’s feelings” (which no one but Swift knows about), say “Swift’s stance,” for which we have evidence to prove.

6. FYI • Had Gulliver’s Travels not been a work of satire, then its absurdity would be taken as just entertainment, not the critical enlightenment treatise it is beneath the satire. • The novel genre set sail in the literary world in the mid to late 18th century • The novel genre became more pronounced (salient) in the mid to late 18th century

7. FYI • Because of the malleable, i.e., changeable nature of comparing and contrasting, it is prudent to make use of transitional phrases, esp. when shifting from one side to another • 18th century British/European monarchies/governments were not like that of the US, so be careful with your “what ifs”

8. What is wrong with the following? • A point that Swift delivers to the reader • Gulliver represents the higher class • In Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, the author… • What is the difference between “societies” and “society’s”?

9. Gulliver’s Travels is… • Man’s hermeneutical—i.e.,the science of interpretation (esp. of the Scriptures) search for an utopian society • Escapist, adventure on the high seas novel • A fantastical exploration of modern man’s absurdity • Modern man and his institutions under a microscope

10. 18th century European milieu means… • Rationality • Wit • Enlightenment • Decorum • Sense • Urbanity • Civility • Conservatism

11. When you write that Swift satirizes various social and political institutions of England, specifically, and Europe, generally, you need to specify the time period=18th century