Authorship and Inspiration in the Odd Piece: Gulliver's Travels Part III

Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels has long created debate for a number of reasons. One of the sources of debate has been Part III of Swift's novel, notably because it was the last portion of the work Swift wrote. Questions have been raised as to what exactly Swift was trying to do with Part III, as well whether or not it even belongs in the novel. However, there are two very interesting takes on Part III. One thing that sticks out about this portion is where Swift was at the time, and the inspiration that could have been taken from it. On the other hand, the incidences with the people of Laputa are interesting looks at not only the effects of the advancement of science on art, but also as they concern authorship, which is present in the novel from the outset.

The first thing to look at with regards to Part III is where Swift was when he wrote it and what was going on at the time. At the time he began writing Part III in 1724, Swift had just returned from a visit to a friend of his, the Reverend Thomas Sheridan, in Quilca, and may have possibly returned there during spring. Swift's time with Sheridan may have actually given him a model for both the king and people of Laputa. Sheridan has been described by Swift as forgetful and absent-minded, even ignoring important business for "peripheral occupations". This is very akin to the Laputians, as demonstrated in their need for the Flappers. The Flappers are required to accompany their Masters on walks because the Laputians are so deep in thought that they ignore the very important fact that they are on a floating island and would very likely fall of the edge if they did not have their Flappers to remind them of their state by giving them a simple flap on the eyes. While this is certainly an exaggeration, the effect Sheridan had on Swift's work can be seen. The Laputians, while not a mockery of Sheridan, who was a very close friend of Swift's, were at least partially inspired by him, which only makes sense because of the amount of time Swift spent with Sheridan while he was writing this portion of the novel. This can further be seen when looking at some of Swift's poetry regarding Quilca, such as "To Quilca, a Country House Not in Good Repair":

Let me thy Properties explain,

A rotten Cabin, dropping Rain;

Chimnies with Scorn rejecting Smoak;

Stools, Tables, Chairs, and Bed-steds broke:

Here the Elements have lost their Uses,

Air ripens not, nor Earth produces:

In vain we make poor Sheela toil,

Fire will not roast, nor Water boil.

Thro' all the Vallies, Hills, and Plains,

The Goddess Want in Triumph reigns;

And her chief Officers of State,

Sloth, Dirt, and Theft around her wait.

The description of the home at Quilca that Swift gives is very much like the language he uses to describe his surroundings while in Laputa. The houses he sees are not very well built, the soil not every well cultivated. Like house at Quilca, Laputa is in very bad shape. For this reason, as well as the similarities the Laputians seem to have with Sheridan, it is argued that Swift's depiction of the Laputians was based off of Sheridan and the home Swift stayed in while he was with Sheridan.

Despite this view on the Laputians, Part III of Gulliver's Travels, in the context of when it was published, seems to be more than just Swift poking a little bit of fun at his friend. The encounters Swift has in Laputa show a problem in authorship. This is something important to Gulliver's Travels simply because Swift himself had several versions of his book published because of changes that were made by his various publishers. This is a problem which Swift lets Gulliver sound off to begin his work, saying that the urgency to publish the book has resulted in an account of his travels that are not as accurate as they should be. The problem with authorship as it regards to the Laputians is brought up with the machine which would allow anyone to write a book by putting together random words. The problem this offers with authorship to some is that if everyone and anyone can write a book, there really are no authors. It is an interesting parallel to the problems Swift had in publishing Gulliver's Travels in that his publishers almost became the authors of Swift's work as they made changes which Swift, through Gulliver, expressed much displeasure with to begin the book. Much like what is seen with Franklin, Swift uses the voice of Gulliver as his own, offering a medium through which Swift can voice his complaints.

The other thing many have taken from Gulliver's encounters with the Laputians is a critique of the Enlightenment. Swift, in describing the Laputians, mentions their love of mathematics and scientific theory. However, this love of theory has yet to do anything for the Laputians. People spend their time trying to extract sunbeams from cucumbers and even to turn excrement back into food. Meanwhile, as described earlier, Laputian society remains in ruin. This is not to say Swift was against the Enlightenment. In fact, Gulliver remarks at how the people of Laputa are not good at using reason, one of the key components of the Enlightenment. Rather, the Laputians help to make the point of how some of the ideas of the Enlightenment have been taken too far. If this is indeed the case, then it makes Gulliver's near obsession with observations and measurements another tool of Swift's satirical style. Gulliver describing all of the measurements he takes and trying to report things as objectively as possible can then be seen as a critique of not only how the Enlightenment has led to too much observation in science, but also in literature, as we have seen in class through various readings. Gulliver's Travels can be seen as a satire on not only the travel genre that was popular during his time, but also the large amount of observation that was done in both science and literature.

However, even with all of this, it is hard to imagine how Part III ended up with the rest of Gulliver's Travels. While it is true that Swift's satirical style as demonstrated in Parts I and II is also present in Part III, the subject of satire takes a shift. In the first two parts of the novel, Swift made obvious references to the political situation of the time. In Part III, he could be speaking about problems in authorship as well as some of the negative effects of the Enlightenment, both in terms of science and fiction. It is even fairly clear where Swift drew inspiration from when writing about the Laputians. But even with these, Part III of Gulliver's Travels remains the odd piece, at least so far, in Swift's most recognizable work.

References:

Ehrenprei, Irvin. “The Origins of Gulliver’s Travels”. PMLA 72.5 (1957): 880-899.

Rodino, Richard H. “‘Splendide Mendax’: Authors, Characters, and Readers in Gulliver’s Travels”. PMLA 106.5 (1991): 1054-1070.

Swift, Jonathan. “To Quilca, a Country House Not in Good Repair”. Poems on Several Occasions. Dublin: George Faulkner, 1737.