Gulliver's Travels: Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World.

The Lilliputians often seem to behave as a European society in miniature. In what ways do they reflect some of the social and political norms of Swift’s time? What is the wider significance of their representation in the novel?

Gulliver’s Travels is presented as a first-person travel memoir. How does Swift use and/or parody some of the conventions and tropes associated with the genre? How does Gulliver’s Travels fit into the discourse around travel, exploration, and colonialism current during his time?

Consider the gender dynamics Gulliver encounters throughout his travels. How does gender function in each of the societies he visits? How are the gender dynamics similar or different from one another? How do they relate to—or challenge—ideas of gender in 18th-century England?

Gulliver frequently blames bad luck and misfortune for his misadventures but also exercises considerable agency at various points in the text. What is the relationship between destiny and agency in Gulliver’s Travels?

Analyze Swift’s use of satire throughout Gulliver’s Travels. What literary and narrative techniques does Swift employ to create satirical commentaries on English society and humanity more generally? Is his satire effective? Why or why not?

The Laputans prize learning but seem to be lacking in practical knowledge or well-rounded intellectualism. What do Gulliver’s experiences in Laputa reveal about academia and intellectualism in Swift’s time? What intellectual trends or foibles might Swift be critiquing more broadly?

Gulliver praises the Houyhnhnms for their virtues, presenting them as practically perfect. Are there any indications that the Houyhnhnms and their society may be less perfect than they first appear? Why or why not? What critiques, if any, could be offered of their society?

In the last part of the book, Gulliver’s tone and demeanor changes. How is Gulliver influenced and changed by his travels? What are the implications of his transformation, both in terms of his characterization and in relation to the novel’s themes?