The Three Levels of Narration in Gulliver’s Travels

In his book Gulliver's Travels, Jonathan Swift presents his realistic style through a narrative that has three levels of depth. The first level of narration is that of Gulliver's story through his own eyes. The story reads like a personal travelogue, starting with the birth and upbringing of the narrator, and details the places he has traveled to.

"My Father had a small Estate in Nottinghamshire; I was the Third of Five Sons. He sent me to Emanuel-Colledge in Cambridge, at Fourteen Years old, where I resided three Years, and applied my self close to my Studies." pg 15

The writing flows along as the narrator's thoughts and memories surface within his mind, with some ideas sparking new ones, which leads to a chain of connected clauses. This style gives the writing a diary or travelogue like quality, where one continues the train of thought unabated. Another particular style found in the writing is the deadpan explanation of details, especially quantitative details. The narrator rarely elaborates on how he is feeling or thinking, but supplies the reader with an abundance of facts and figures of his surroundings and situation.

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The second level is viewed from the perspective of Swift, who is writing a fantasy story with unreal occurrences and characters. Swift tells the grand story of Gulliver who is shipwrecked on an island inhabited by people who stand 6 inches tall. Gulliver is entrapped by the miniature people but eventually befriends them. He then travels to an island of gigantic proportions, where everything and everyone towers over him. The actual writing style of this second narrative is the same as the first narrative, since it is the same text. But viewing the story as fantasy reveals the creative style within it. Swift creates a complex little world ran by miniature people, who have their own language, customs, and laws. This elaborate society is as real as our own. Their language, though a figment of Swift's imagination, could be a real language. Their customs of dress and hierarchal power resemble our own, and their system of law involves courts, trials, and punishments just as ours does. Swift illustrates out an imaginary society.

"The City is an exact Square, each side of the Wall being five hundred foot long.... The Town is capable of holding five hundred thousand Souls. The Houses are from three to five Stories. The Shops and Markets well provided." pg 38

Swift's attention to detail is very evident in the above passage. This detail makes the society more believable and realistic and causes the reader to become immersed into the fantasy.

The third level of narration arises from the fantastical level, and it entails the satirical quality Swift interjects into his writing. This level contains arguably the most realistic view of Swift's worlds since it describes the actual world the author lives in. Swift critiques English society and government. In the following passage, he runs a parallel between the English governments mode of appointing positions with the ridiculous method in which the miniature society conducts this job

"The Diversion is only practiced by those Persons who are Candidates for great Employments, and high Favour at Court. They are trained in this art from their Youth, and are not always of noble Birth, or liberal Education. When a great Office is vacant either by Death or Disgrace (which often happens) five or six of those Candidates petition the Emperor to entertain his Majesty and the Court with a Dance on the Rope, and whoever jumps the highest without falling, succeeds in the Office." pg 31

Swift may be relating the absurd method of this miniature society to the English government's methods because he doesn't think it aptly appoints people to positions. Or, perhaps he believes that the people appointed in the English government are not competent enough for their high positions. Swift places irony and satire throughout the novel very well by allowing for a balance between the real and fantastical aspects of the story. If he were to write the story as completely as a fantasy, it would be hard for the reader to take it seriously or see the parallels it forms with the real-world. Therefore, he carefully strikes a balance in his writing style. He supplies enough realism by way of a travelogue like form and attention to detail, which both help the reader see it as a grand satire.

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