Gulliver's Travels: Roads Classics

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'Thus, gentle Reader, I have given thee a faithful History of my Travels for Sixteen Years, and above Seven Months; wherein I have not been so studious of Ornament as of Truth.'In these words Gulliver represents himself as a reliable reporter of the fantastic adventures he has just set down; but how far can we rely on a narrator whose identity is elusive and whoses inventiveness is self-evident? Gulliver's Travels purports to be a travel book, and describes Gulliver's encounters with the inhabitants of four extraordinary places: Lilliput, Brobdingnag, Laputa, and the country of the Houyhnhnms. A consummately skilful blend of fantasy and realism makes Gulliver's Travels by turns hilarious, frightening, and profound. Swift plays tricks on us, and delivers one of the world's most disturbing satires of the human condition.This new edition includes the changing frontispiece portraits of Gulliver that appeared in successive early editions. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

In this narrative of the gullible ship's doctor Lemuel Gulliver and his extraordinary travels, Jonathan Swift takes readers through a series of apparently child-like fantasy worlds of tiny people and giants, floating islands and talking horses. But through this fantastic journey, he also gave to literature an enduring model of mankind's follies, vulnerabilities, vanities, and self-destructiveness. Dangerously topical in its own time and much debated ever since, Gulliver's Travels is among those works of English literature that entrap and challenge readers in every period. This edition uses the 1735 edition as the copy text, retaining the original, unmodernized text. Historical appendices provide a context for the novel's literary models, scientific influences, and complex political and religious allusions.

Jonathan Swift was an Anglo-Irish satirist, author, essayist, political pamphleteer (first for the Whigs, then for the Tories), poet, and Anglican cleric. He rose to the position of dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, earning him the moniker "Dean Swift." He lived from 30 November 1667 to 19 October 1745. A Tale of a Tub (1704), An Argument Against Abolishing Christianity (1712), Gulliver's Travels (1726), and A Modest Proposal are among Swift's best-known writings (1729). He first published all of his works anonymously or using aliases, such as Lemuel Gulliver, Isaac Bickerstaff, and M. B. Drapier. He was a master of the Horatian and Juvenalian satirical genres. His writing is deadpan and sardonic, especially in "A Modest Proposal", which is why such satire has come to be known as "Swiftian." On November 30, 1667, in Dublin, in the Kingdom of Ireland, Jonathan Swift was born. He was the only son and the second child of Frisby on the Wreake residents Jonathan Swift (1640-1667) and Abigail Erick (or Herrick). After 1700, Swift lived in Trim, County Meath. Many of his works were written by him at this time. Swift graduated with a Doctor of Divinity degree from Trinity College Dublin in February 1702.

'David Womersley's massive, magnificent edition of Gulliver's Travels is cause for celebration … No edition of Gulliver's Travels approaches this one in scope and authority.' David Oakleaf, The Review of English Studies
'David Womersley's new edition of Gulliver's Travels is a scholarly feat - and feast … splendid … readers have never been better positioned to experience the manifold pleasures and surprises of this journey.' Notes and Queries
'… [this] scholarly edition of Gulliver's Travels is a treasure.' Karen Swallow Prior, Books and Culture (booksandculture.com)
'This weighty tome fulfils with aplomb the considerable demands required of a new standard edition of Swift's masterpiece, and will be essential reading for scholars of the eighteenth century.' Greg Lynall, Modern Language Review
'This is a vast contribution to the Cambridge Swift Project … [It] will stand for many years as the premier edition of the work …' Jonathan Lamb, SEL Studies in English Literature 1500–1900

New edition of one of the most popular classics of English Literature

General editors' preface; Chronologies; Introduction; Gulliver's Travels; Long notes; Appendices; Textual introduction; Emendations; Historical collation; Line-end hyphenation; MS readings from particular copies; Bibliography; Index.