Gulliver’s Travels Background: Satire

The profusion of travel narratives in full and episodic formats in eighteenth-century England gave Swift the opportunity to satirize the genre. These first-person accounts and diary entries were eagerly awaited by the reading public; the genre’s demand could be explained by the vicarious thrills it offered readers. Coinciding with Britain’s pursuit of colonizing other lands, Swift points out that the genre was especially susceptible to pandering and glamorization.

When George I assumed power in 1714, the political tides in England shifted, and the Whigs gained popularity. Jonathan Swift, who belonged to the Tories, reflects on this political struggle; in fact, this struggle is depicted as a fictional political situation in the land of Lilliput.