Gulliver's Travels.

I began reading Gulliver's Travels by Jonathon Swift a long time ago and have just recently finished it. It took such a long time, not only because of the length of the book but because of it's repetitive nature. Gulliver is safe at home with his wife and children, decides to leave to make a small fortune, is wrecked upon something or for some reason deserted and discovers a new world. Once in this new world he tells his host of his home, England, and then he has the host give his response which is always a negative view of the way society as we know it was run. He then finds his way home after several years, and within months decides to leave his family and start over again. Dal Capo al Coda. It is called one of the greatest satires existing, and that must be because the entire book is straight criticism coming from the narrator and the people he lives with. It almost reminds me of how women used to make fun of other women's habits to get ahead of the group and place herself amongst men. There were some redemptive parts, and it was very interesting to read but I was just not impressed with such criticisms that did not encourage the reader to think for himself whatsoever. The mhost enjoyable part for me was actually reading the footnotes, which included where Swift came up with the names and languages of the peoples he visited, how his own expressions actually influenced common language, and explaining which parts of history Swift was mocking. All in all, my least favorite book I have read this year. I am starting Wuthering Heights, which I have become very concerned about starting due to the dramatic preface left by the historians and Emily Bronte's sister Charlotte.

The Public Library in NYC