Gulliver's Travels, by Jonathan Swift, is a satire through which the folly of man is examined. Gulliver, through a series of unfortunate events spanning several sea voyages, meets a variety of fantastic species in exotic lands. First up is Lilliput, where the inhabitants are exceedingly small compared to humans; next, Brobdingnag, where a race of giants resides; a floating island follows, and we finish in Houyhnhnmland, where the horses are rational, and the human-like Yahoos are brutes good for little. Being fond of discourse on human nature, I was very excited to read this. Sadly, I was a bit disappointed.
There was some excellent insights, certainly, into the human condition. My main beef with this work is that the insights occupied so few pages- perhaps 10% total- and the rest was an "adventure tale" wherein (to quote Swift) "my principal design was to inform, and not to amuse thee." And so, while the 10% of interest was excellent, I don't think it was worth slogging through the other 90%.
If you are interested in the reflections on human condition, it's best to read Part IV, where the author ends up in the lands of the Houyhnhnms. That portion, sadly occupying only 20% of the book, was excellent, and where the majority of interesting discourse resides.
Rating: B-
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