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Talk Page Draft

Post to the article's Talk Page what you think remains to be done to improve the article as a whole, inviting future editors to contribute. Demonstrate you have thought beyond your own contributions.

Comic Misanthropy: The comic misanthropy section that we added involves scholars that see the misanthropy as comic, as I [[user:AshMillette]] only came across this view in the references that I used. However, if other users are able to find scholars that think the misanthropy was not comic, but rather cynical, then adding this view would balance the section.

Reception: I did my best to write the reception section with a balance between praise and criticism; however, I would appreciate if someone could confirm that this section indeed sounds neutral and balanced. Moreover, I believe it would be helpful if there were more specific forms of criticism on the novel, such as more criticism dating back to its first release.

Weaknesses elsewhere in the article (content or style):

The Major themes section has bullet points of three broad themes, but these themes are not explained in depth. The paragraphs before the three broad themes are listed seems a bit disjointed from the purpose of it being a themes section.The section about Gulliver after the listing of the three broad themes might be best moved to a section devoted to the character of Gulliver (ideally before the themes section) rather than under the themes section.--AshMillette (talk) 17:57, 5 May 2018 (UTC)

The second and third paragraphs under "Composition and history" does not contain any sources. Would someone be willing to find sources for all of the claims in this paragraph? --Gdalrymp (talk) 19:32, 6 May 2018 (UTC)

AshMillette

Note on Links

The Wikipedia articles for misanthropy, Jonathan Swift, and Lemuel Gulliver already have links to the Gulliver's Travels Wikipedia page.

Article Draft

Comic Misanthropy

Misanthropy is a theme that scholars have identified in Gulliver's Travels. Arthur Case, R.S. Crane, and Edward Stone discuss Gulliver's development of misanthropy and come to the consensus that this theme ought to be viewed as comical rather than cynical.

In terms of Gulliver's development of misanthropy, these three scholars point to the fourth voyage. According to Case, Gulliver is at first averse to identifying with the Yahoos, but, after he deems the Houyhnhnms superior, he comes to believe that humans (including his fellow Europeans) are Yahoos due to their shortcomings.  Perceiving the Houyhnhnms as perfect, Gulliver thus begins to perceive himself and the rest of humanity as imperfect.  According to Crane, when Gulliver develops his misanthropic mindset, he becomes ashamed of humans and views them more in line with animals. This new perception of Gulliver's, Stone claims, comes about because the Houyhnhnms' judgement pushes Gulliver to identify with the Yahoos. Along similar lines, Crane holds that Gulliver's misanthropy is developed in part when he talks to the Houyhnhnms about mankind because the discussions lead him to reflect on his previously held notion of humanity.  Specifically, Gulliver’s master, who is a Houyhnhnm, provides questions and commentary that contribute to Gulliver’s reflectiveness and subsequent development of misanthropy. However, Case points out that Gulliver's dwindling opinion of humans may be blown out of proportion due to the fact that he is no longer able to see the good qualities that humans are capable of possessing.  Gulliver’s new view of humanity, then, creates his repulsive attitude towards his fellow humans after leaving Houyhnhnmland. But in Stone's view, Gulliver’s actions and attitude upon his return can be interpreted as misanthropy that is exaggerated for comic effect rather than for a cynical effect.  Stone further suggests that Gulliver goes mentally mad and believes that this is what leads Gulliver to exaggerate the shortcomings of humankind. Over time, though, Gulliver is able to get used to humanity again.

Another aspect that Crane attributes to Gulliver’s development of misanthropy is that when in Houyhnhnmland, it is the animal-like beings (the Houyhnhnms) who exhibit reason and the human-like beings (the Yahoos) who seem devoid of reason; Crane argues that it is this switch from Gulliver’s perceived norm that leads the way for him to question his view of humanity.  As a result, Gulliver begins to identify humans as a type of Yahoo.  To this point, Crane brings up the fact that a traditional definition of man – Homo est animal rationale (Humans are rational animals) – was prominent in academia around Swift’s time.  Furthermore, Crane argues that Swift had to study this type of logic (see Porphyrian Tree) in college, so it is highly likely that he intentionally inverted this logic by placing the typically given example of irrational beings – horses – in the place of humans and vice versa.

Stone points out that Gulliver's Travels takes a cue from the genre of the travel book, which was popular during Swift's time period. From reading travel books, Swift’s contemporaries were accustomed to beast-like figures of foreign places; thus, Stone holds that the creation of the Yahoos was not out of the ordinary for the time period. From this playing off of familiar genre expectations, Stone deduces that the parallels that Swift draws between the Yahoos and humans is meant to be humorous rather than cynical.  Even though Gulliver sees Yahoos and humans as if they are one and the same, Stone argues that Swift did not intend for readers to take on Gulliver’s view; Stone states that the Yahoos’ behaviors and characteristics that set them apart from humans further supports the notion that Gulliver's identification with Yahoos is not meant to be taken to heart. Thus, Stone sees Gulliver’s perceived superiority of the Houyhnhnms and subsequent misanthropy as features that Swift used to employ the satirical and humorous elements characteristic of the Beast Fables of travel books that were popular with his contemporaries; as Swift did, these Beast Fables placed animals above humans in terms of morals and reason, but they were not meant to be taken literally.

Reception

The book was very popular upon release and was commonly discussed within social circles. Public reception widely varied, with the book receiving an initially enthusiastic reaction with readers praising its satire, and some reporting that the satire's cleverness sounded like a realistic account of a man's travels. James Beattie commended Swift’s work for its “truth” regarding the narration and claims that “the statesman, the philosopher, and the critick, will admire his keenness of satire, energy of description, and vivacity of language,” noting that even children can enjoy the novel. As popularity increased, critics came to appreciate the deeper aspects of Gulliver’s Travels. It became known for its insightful take on morality, expanding its reputation beyond just humorous satire.

Despite its initial positive reception, the book faced backlash. One of the first critics of the book, referred to as Lord Bolingbroke, criticized Swift for his overt use of misanthropy. Other negative responses to the novel also looked towards its portrayal of humanity, which was considered inaccurate. Swifts’s peers rejected the novel on claims that its themes of misanthropy were harmful and offensive. They criticized its satire for exceeding what was deemed acceptable and appropriate, including the Houyhnhnms and Yahoos’s similarities to humans. There was also controversy surrounding the political allegories. Readers enjoyed the political references, finding them humorous. However, members of the Whig party were offended, believing that Swift mocked their politics.

British journalist William Makepeace Thackeray described Swift’s novel as “blasphemous,” citing its critical view of mankind as ludicrous and overly harsh. He concludes his critique by remarking that he cannot understand the origins of Swift’s critiques on humanity.

Annotated Bibliography for Gulliver’s Travels Wikipedia Article

Case, Arthur E. “From ‘The Significance of Gulliver’s Travels.’” A Casebook on Gulliver Among the Houyhnhnms, edited by Milton P. Foster, Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1961, pp. 139–47.

           Gulliver is at first averse to identifying with the Yahoos, but, after he deems the Houyhnhnms as superior and virtuous, he comes to believe that humans (including his fellow Europeans) are Yahoos due to their shortcomings.  Perceiving the Houyhnhnms as perfect, Gulliver begins to perceive himself and the rest of humanity as imperfect.  His dwindling opinion of humans may be blown out of proportion due to the fact that he is no longer able to see the good qualities that humans are capable of possessing.  Gulliver’s new view of humanity, then, creates his repulsive attitude towards his fellow humans.  Over time, however, Gulliver is able to get used to humanity again.

·        Ideal versus actual humankind

o  “The Houyhnhnms and the yahoos represent the extremes between which human behavior may range” (Case 145).  Own words: The spectrum of humanity has the Houyhnhnms on one end and the yahoos on the other.

·        Comic Misanthropy

o  “The actions of men in the mass infuriated Swift by their folly and criminality: for individuals he had boundless affection” (Case 147).  Own words: Swift’s temporarily misanthropic Gulliver was not in the traditional sense of misanthropy; rather, Swift was providing a commentary on the shortcomings and corruption of humans as a collective, but he loved humans as individuals.

• Colombo, Alice. “Reworkings in the Textual History of Gulliver’s Travels: A Translational Approach.” University of Portsmouth, 2013.

Colombo discusses how early critics of the novel responded to Swift’s satirical take on travel narratives. Her article explains that many critics who read the first edition of the novel criticised Swift for his usage of themes, such as misanthropy, and how they were offended by how humanity was depicted in Gulliver’s Travels. Additionally, the criticism centers around scientific, religious, and feminist criticism, and therefore gives specific reasons to why Travels was criticised. She outlines the controversy related to such themes, including Swift’s worry about the satirical content in the book.

• Accounts of early reactions
• (Predominantly negative)
• Focus on literary critics rather than general public reaction

Crane, R. S. “The Houyhnhnms, the Yahoos, and the History of Ideas.” Twentieth Century Interpretations of Gulliver’s Travels: A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by Frank Brady, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., Prentice-Hall, 1968, pp. 80–88.

       According to Crane, when Gulliver develops his misanthropy, he becomes ashamed of humans, viewing them more in line with animals.  This misanthropy is developed in part when Gulliver talks to the Houyhnhnms about mankind because it causes him to reflect on his previously held notion of humanity.  Specifically, Gulliver’s master, who is a Houyhnhnm, provides questions and commentary that contributes to Gulliver’s reflectiveness.  Another aspect that contributes to Gulliver’s misanthropy is the fact that when in Houyhnhnmland, it is the animal-like beings (the Houyhnhnms) who exhibit reason and the human-like beings (the Yahoos) who seem devoid of reason; Case argues that it is this switch from Gulliver’s perceived norm that leads the way for him to question his view of humanity.  As a result, Gulliver begins to identify humans as a type of Yahoo.  Case also brings up the fact that a traditional definition of man – Homo est animal rationale (Humans are rational animals) – was prominent in academia around Swift’s time.  Case further argues that Swift had to study this type of logic (see Porphyrian Tree) in college, so it is highly likely that he intentionally inverted the logic by placing the typically given example of irrational beings -horses – in the place of humans and vice versa.

·        Comic Misanthropy

Gerace, Mary. “The Reputation of ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ in the Eighteenth Century.” University of Windsor, 1967.

Gerace summarizes the political climate Swift’s tale was released in: science and politics regarding traveling, and long-distance exploration was at its height. This source does well in that it carefully details the effects this had on the story’s release and on its reputation in a world where overseas exploration was expanding. Gerace’s includes reasons as to why people appreciated Gulliver’s Travels, such as humor, satire, and credibility. The satire was particularly subject to controversy, with some readers enjoying the satirical take on humanity while others greatly offended by it. The detailed, specific accounts of how some critics responded negatively will be useful

-Balance between positive and negative reviews

-Original quotes from critics of first edition

-Emphasis on history and society in which Travels was released

Lund, Roger D. Johnathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels: A Routledge Study Guide. Routledge, 2006.

Lund provides a collection of primary reviews by critics alive when Gulliver’s Travels was published, including Swift’s friends. Each reviewer is given historical information and their relation to Swift, then their original review of Gulliver’s Travels. The reviews are mixed, providing a wide variety of opinions on the story, and therefore does not sway the reader one way or the other. This allows the reader to get a better understanding of the controversy surrounding Swift’s story. Lund follows the early criticism with modern criticism and prefaces it with historical context, so the reader understands Swift’s rationale for why he choose to satirize humanity.

-Original reviews/quotes from early critics

-Mixture of support/harsh criticism

-Focus is on individual reaction, rather than general public

Stone, Edward. “Swift and the Horses: Misanthropy or Comedy?” A Casebook on Gulliver Among the Houyhnhnms, edited by Milton P. Foster, Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1961, pp. 180–92.

           In the genre of the travel book, Swift’s contemporaries were accustomed to beast-like figures of foreign places; thus, the creation of the Yahoos was not out of the ordinary for the time period, and the parallels that Swift draws between the Yahoos and humans is meant to be humorous rather than cynical.  Even though Gulliver sees Yahoos and humans as if they are one and the same, Swift did not intend for readers to take on Gulliver’s view, as exhibited by the Yahoos’ behaviors and characteristics that set them apart from humans.  In fact, it is the Houyhnhnms and their judgement that push Gulliver to identify with the Yahoos.  With Gulliver’s perceived superiority of the Houyhnhnms, Swift was employing the satirical and humorous elements from Beast Fables that were typical to the time period and popular with Swift’s contemporaries; these Beast Fables placed animals above humans in terms of morals and reason, but were not meant to be taken literally.  Furthermore, Gulliver’s actions and attitude upon his return can be interpreted as misanthropy that is exaggerated for comic effect rather than a cynical effect.  It can also be suggested that Gulliver goes mentally mad, which is what leads him to exaggerate the shortcomings of humankind.

·        Comic Misanthropy

Preliminary Bibliography

• Brady, Frank. Twentieth Century Interpretations of Gulliver’s Travels: A Collection of Critical Essays. Englewood Cliffs, N.J., Prentice-Hall, 1968.

• Colombo, Alice. “Reworkings in the Textual History of Gulliver’s Travels: A Translational Approach.” University of Portsmouth, 2013.

• Eddy, William A. Gulliver’s Travels: A Critical Study. Russell & Russell, 1963.

• Foster, Milton P., editor. A Casebook on Gulliver Among the Houyhnhnms. Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1961.

• Fox, Christopher, editor. Gulliver’s Travels: Complete, Authoritative Text with Biographical and Historical Contexts, Critical History, and Essays from Five Contemporary Critical Perspectives. Bedford Books of St. Martin’s Press, 1995.

• Fung, Julian. “Early Condensations of Gulliver’s Travels: Images of Swift as Satirist in the 1720s.” Studies in Philology, vol. 114, no. 2, Spring 2017, pp. 395–425.

• Gerace, Mary. “The Reputation of ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ in the Eighteenth Century.” University of Windsor, 1967.

• Greenberg, Robert A., editor. Gulliver’s Travels : An Annotated Text with Critical Essays. W. W. Norton & Company, 1961.

• Guskin, Phyllis J. “A Very Remarkable Book”: Abel Boyer’s View of Gulliver’s Travels (Book Review). Vol. 72, Fall75.

• Lund, Roger D. Johnathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels: A Routledge Study Guide. Routledge, 2006.

• Real, Hermann J. The Reception of Jonathan Swift in Europe. Thoemmes Continuum, 2005.

• Wiener, Gary. Readings on Gulliver’s Travels (The Greenhaven Press Literary Companion to British Literature). Greenhaven Press, 2000.

Chosen Article

We chose to do the Gulliver's Travels article. Gdalrymp (talk · contribs)

Plan of action:

• Content we would want to contribute:
  • critical reception
  • public/general reception
  • theme of misanthropy

• Research steps we would take to get that information:
  • Use Valpo's databases to find relevant books and journal articles

• Recommendations we would propose to the style or organization:
  • article is in need of reception section(s) and another theme section for balance (since only one theme is listed now)

Article Evaluation

Absalom, Absalom!

Contribute:

- longer introduction paragraph at the beginning.

- add section for literary devices used in the novel (such as themes).

-find sources for information in “Influence and significance;” some claims are missing citations.

- expand on “influence” section if possible.

- add images to the article to show the setting/locations used in the novel (as demonstrated in the “Light in August” article)

Research:

- academic books

- books on Faulkner’s works

- find objective articles about this novel’s reception

- for plot summary: would this require reading the book itself?

Recommendations:

- include “themes” and “characters” sections between plot summary and analysis

Articles for evaluation

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Frankenstein

And Then There Were None

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Gulliver's Travels

Top two choices:

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

The reader reception section is small, so we plan to develop this section and include information about critical reception as well. Also, we will add to the Victorian era background section and the theme section.

Gulliver's Travels

We will add a reception section to this article and information about the theme of misanthropy.

We are uninterested in the other articles because they are more developed, and there are fewer critical works written about them. This makes it more difficult to add information to them. Moreover, we are less familiar with those novels because it has been a long time since we've read them. Our top two choices have an abundance of scholarly articles written about them, so finding information will be easier.