DIFFERENZE
Swift’s work is a satire on human nature and a parody of the "travellers' tales". (In fact, Swift is so critical of the
human condition in general, satirizing its origin, comparing people with animals putting them in the same
level); whereas Defoe exalts his contemporary society, for this reason we can talk about political propaganda.
Robison Crusoe is considered a fictious narrative, where realistic elements are of the greatest importance,
instead of Gulliver travel mixed the fantastic with the real.
Robinson is a flat character, that is, he does not change his attitude, while Gulliver is a round character, as the
experiences he lives make him mature, making him aware of the 'mental backwardness' ''arretratezza
mentale'' of his time.
Robinson represents the archetype of the British colonizer, who bends the cultures of others and imposes
himself on them. In contrast, the character of Lemuel Gulliver, protagonist of the book by Jonathan Swift, is a
"colonized".
-is exploited for his height in the war between Lilliput and his neighbour
-is used as a toy for the gigantic inhabitants of Brobdingnag
There is, in fact, a sort of reverse colonialism, where the role of settler and colonizer is reversed.
SIMILITUDINI
A common point between the two authors is the main theme of the masterpiece: the journey
In both cases, the protagonist is an ordinary man.
In either work, we can talk about ‘ first-person narrator’. In fact, the story is told by an ‘I’, who may have a
name.
A further point in common is stories are quite close to diaries, and not too distant from autobiographies. Thus,
the reader has the impression of listening to a “first- hand account of things”, to a confession: he feels
emotionally involved.
In any case, these two prose genres contributed much to the modern novel.
