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Definition of Irony
Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how they actually are. If this seems like a loose definition... read full definition
Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how they actually are. If this... read full definition
Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how... read full definition
Key Examples in Gulliver's Travels
Book 1, Chapter 5
Explanation and Analysis—Slavery:
Although it should be obvious to any astute reader that the fantastical lands featured in Gulliver's Travels are intended as exaggerated reflections of Europe, Gulliver himself ironically fails to notice blatant parallels between the culture of his native England and that of the bizarre lands he visits.
In Book 1, Chapter 5, for example, Gulliver helps the Lilliputians win their war against the nation of Blefuscu, but he opposes the Lilliputian emperor's plan to enslave the Blefuscan populace:
I plainly protested that I would never be an Instrument of bringing a Free and Brave people into slavery.
Related Themes:
Book 1, Chapter 7
Explanation and Analysis—Biblical Allusions:
In addition to his work as an author and satirist, Jonathan Swift was also an Anglican cleric who served as Dean of Saint Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin. He was the author of numerous sermons, prayers, and works of religious scholarship, and his extensive knowledge of religious doctrine informed much of his satirical writing. Swift's preoccupation with religion is also present in Gulliver's Travels, which contains numerous biblical allusions (some of which are rather ironic).
In Book 1, Chapter 7, Gulliver learns of a plot by the Lilliputians to blind him. The Lilliputians declare:
Unlock with LitCharts A+"That the loss of your Eyes would be no impediment to your bodily strength, by which you might still be useful to his Majesty."
Related Themes:
Book 2, Chapter 7
Explanation and Analysis—Biblical Allusions:
In addition to his work as an author and satirist, Jonathan Swift was also an Anglican cleric who served as Dean of Saint Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin. He was the author of numerous sermons, prayers, and works of religious scholarship, and his extensive knowledge of religious doctrine informed much of his satirical writing. Swift's preoccupation with religion is also present in Gulliver's Travels, which contains numerous biblical allusions (some of which are rather ironic).
In Book 1, Chapter 7, Gulliver learns of a plot by the Lilliputians to blind him. The Lilliputians declare:
Unlock with LitCharts A+"That the loss of your Eyes would be no impediment to your bodily strength, by which you might still be useful to his Majesty."
Related Themes:
Book 4, Chapter 12
Explanation and Analysis—Slavery:
Although it should be obvious to any astute reader that the fantastical lands featured in Gulliver's Travels are intended as exaggerated reflections of Europe, Gulliver himself ironically fails to notice blatant parallels between the culture of his native England and that of the bizarre lands he visits.
In Book 1, Chapter 5, for example, Gulliver helps the Lilliputians win their war against the nation of Blefuscu, but he opposes the Lilliputian emperor's plan to enslave the Blefuscan populace:
Unlock with LitCharts A+I plainly protested that I would never be an Instrument of bringing a Free and Brave people into slavery.
Related Themes:
