Glumdalclitch
by Leo Sonderegger
Category: Fiction

In Brobdingnag, the kingdom of giants described in Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, Gulliver is cared for by a farm girl whom he calls his Glumdalclitch – “little nurse” in Brobdingnagian. GLUMDALCLITCH is the story of that girl’s adventurous progress to strong and fulfilling womanhood. Her name is Wendeling. After Gulliver’s apparent death (here this story begins), Wendeling becomes the ward and favorite of the queen. She is schooled in all knowledge by the old savant Hassflig. Her beauty, grace and daring set her apart. She marries her love, Harlbruug, and by diligent effort becomes the most influential woman in a male-dominated society, espousing equal rights for women. Through it all she cherishes memories of the tiny Englishman, and she and Harlbruug create a Gulliver museum. In the climactic event, Wendeling’s baby is dramatically saved from the clutches of the villainous Skraagnok by the crew of English sailors who have retraced Gulliver’s long-ago voyage to Brobdingnag. After the rescue their ship is trundled back to sea on a wagon and they sail for home as the giant Brobdingnagians wave farewell from shore.