Gulliver's travels
Subtitle: the politics of satire
By: Ronald Knowles.
Series: Twayne's masterwork studies ;; no. 158
Publisher: Twayne Publishers
Published: 1996
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 169
Subjects: Swift, Jonathan, 1667-1745; Politics and literature -- Great Britain -- History -- 18th century; Political satire, English -- History and criticism; Voyages, Imaginary -- History and criticism; Imaginary societies in literature; Travelers in literature
Description: The underlying thesis of Knowles's study is that Gulliver's Travels explores a dialectic between the commonplace and the wondrous, the fictive Whiggish Gulliver and the factual "Tory" Swift.

Knowles views Gulliver's Travels as a major document in eighteenth-century Europe's struggle between progress and reaction, with Swift's combative skepticism resisting all forms of "modernism." Swift's ironic viewpoint, incisive humor, and fecund imagination lend Gulliver's Travels a richness that has secured its status as a literary masterpiece; readers of Knowles's lucid commentary will come away with a renewed appreciation and understanding of this important classic.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 155-161) and index.