Gulliver's Travels into Several Remote Regions of the World
Jonathan Swift
Book Club
Gulliver's Travels into Several Remote Regions of the World
8 ways to start a deeper conversation.
Contains spoilers for the entire book.
Discussion topics
Topic 01 of 08
Lilliput
What is Swift mocking in the tiny Lilliputians and their quarrels?
Keep the conversation going
- What did you make of the war over which end to break an egg?
- Why does Gulliver fall from favour after putting out the palace fire?
There is no single right answer. Bring your own reading.
Discussion topics
What is Swift mocking in the tiny Lilliputians and their quarrels?
Keep the conversation going
- What did you make of the war over which end to break an egg?
- Why does Gulliver fall from favour after putting out the palace fire?
How does seeing humans as tiny change Gulliver's sense of his own country?
Keep the conversation going
- What does the King of Brobdingnag conclude about Europeans after Gulliver describes them?
- Why does Gulliver offer him gunpowder?
What is Swift saying about scientists and thinkers in the flying island of Laputa?
Keep the conversation going
- Which of the Academy of Lagado's projects did you find funniest?
- Are there 'projectors' like these today?
What do the immortal Struldbruggs teach Gulliver about living forever?
Keep the conversation going
- Why is he so eager at first to meet them?
- Would you want their gift?
Are the Houyhnhnms an ideal society, or a cold one?
Keep the conversation going
- What does their lack of a word for lying say about them?
- What did you make of their plan to rid themselves of the Yahoos?
Why does Gulliver come to see humans as Yahoos?
Keep the conversation going
- Is Swift agreeing with him, or mocking him too?
- What do the Yahoos say about human nature?
How reliable is Gulliver, and how does he change?
Keep the conversation going
- How did you react to Gulliver turning from his own family when he gets home?
- Is he a satirist's mouthpiece or a target?
Which of Swift's targets still feels relevant today?
Keep the conversation going
- Is the book misanthropic, or does it hope for improvement?
- Why has it so often been read as a children's book?
There is no single right answer. Bring your own reading.