这是一部奇书,它不是单纯的少儿读物,而是饱寓讽刺和批判的文学杰作,英国著名作家乔治·奥威尔一生中读了不下六次,他说:“如果要我开一份书目,列出哪怕其他书都被毁坏时也要保留的六本书,我一定会把《格列佛游记》列入其中。”在这本书中,斯威夫特的叙事技巧和讽刺才能得到了淋漓尽致的反映。作品的主人公里梅尔·格列佛是个英国外科医生,后升任船长;他受过良好教育,为祖国而自豪,在职业和政治两方面似乎都颇有见识,可是他本质上却是一个平庸的人,而斯威夫特正是利用了主人公的这种局限达到了最充分的讽刺效果。
Considered one of English literature’s first and greatest satirists, Jonathan Swift possessed a timeless genius for pointing out the foibles of human nature that still has the power to provoke, amuse, and, at times, even outrage our modern sensibilities. This representative collection of Swift’s major writings includes the complete Gulliver’s Travels as well as A Tale of a Tub, “The Battle of the Books,” “A Modest Proposal,”“An Argument Against Abolishing Christianity,”“The Bickerstaff Papers,”and many more of his brilliantly satirical works. Here too are selections from Swifl’s poetry and portions of his Journal to Stella. Swifl’s savage ridicule, corrosive wit, and sparkling humor are fully displayed in this comprehensive collection.
Introduction
GULLIVER’S TRAVELS
A TALE OF A TUB
BATTLE OF THE BOOKS
A DISCOURSE CONCERNING THE MECHANICAL
OPERATION OF THE SPIRIT
THE ABOLISHING OF CHRISTIANITY IN
ENGLAND
THE BICKERSTAFF PAPERS
Predictions
The Accomplishment
A Vindieation
THE EXAMINER: NO. 14, NOV. 9, 1710
THE DRAPIER’S LETTERS: THE FIRST LETTER
A MODEST PROPOSAL
SWlFT’S CORRESPONDENCE
Journal to Stella, Letters II, L
Swift to John Gay
Swift to Alexander Pope
SWIFT’S POEMS
A Description of the Morning
A Description of a City Shower
Verses on the Death of Dr.Swift,D.S.P.D.
On Poetry:A Rhapsody
Chronology
Selected Bibliography