DEFOE AND SWIFT - A COMPARISON
DEFOE VS SWIFT
THE TWO great prose writers of the Age of Queen Anne stand out as representatives of
two!worlds, of two cultures in conflict: the last of the aristocrats and the herald of the
middle!!class.
Here are just a few hints to reflect on the differences between them
Lemuel Gulliver:
an adventurer: he visits a multitude of strange lands.
brave : he undergoes several unnerving experiences
at the end of his adventures : he is completely transformed ( he can no longer take part
in European society, even with his friends and family.
Robinson Crusoe
He is perseverant: he spends months making a canoe, pottery…
He is resourceful : he manages to build a house, a goat stable..from practically nothing
He is a business man: he manages to make a fortune in Brazil despite his long absence
!
ROBINSON VS GULLIVER
DANIEL DEFOE
JONATHAN SWIFT
English
Irish
Liberal ( Whig)
Conservative (Tory)
Dissenter
Anglican
Optimistic
Pessimistic
Exalted the use of reason
Satirized the use of reason
Championed individualism
Condemned individualism
Realistic novels
Imaginary voyages!
!
origins
reasons for
travelling
kind of journey
response to
situations
writer’s aim
ROBINSON
Middle
class
For transgression
and for money
To real places
Reacts
positively
To exhalt the ideals
of English 18th
century society
GULLIVER
Middle
class
To seek profits
fantastic
Finds himself
displaced
To use Gulliver as a
mask behind which
his criticism can be
easily delivered
