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Overview
REA's MAXnotes for Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's TravelsMAXnotes offer a fresh look at masterpieces of literature, presented in a lively and interesting fashion. Written by literary experts who currently teach the subject, MAXnotes will enhance your understanding and enjoyment of the work. MAXnotes are designed to stimulate independent thought about the literary work by raising various issues and thought-provoking ideas and questions.
MAXnotes cover the essentials of what one should know about each work, including an overall summary, character lists, an explanation and discussion of the plot, the work's historical context, illustrations to convey the mood of the work, and a biography of the author. Each chapter is individually summarized and analyzed, and has study questions and answers.
The voyages of an eighteenth-century Englishman carry him to such strange places as Lilliput, where people are six inches tall, and Brobdingnag, a land peopled by giants.
Synopsis
Swift's masterful satire is as entertaining today as it was when first published in 1726. Written with great wit and invention, Gulliver's Travels has captivated readers for nearly three centuries.
Children's Literature
As noted in the introduction to this adaptation which features the basic story plus background facts and photographs, the story of Lemuel Gulliver and his fascinating world travels has been engaging readers since Jonathan Swift wrote it in 1726. Far from being written as a children's story, the original Gulliver's Travels was a satire of the political leadership and social customs of the time. To help modern readers of all ages understand the satirical side of the story, the DK publishers have produced this version which retells the story in the main text, and, in the margins, explains many story references in notes, pictures, photographs, and diagrams. The technique works, and the explanations embellish rather than intrude on enjoyment of the story. Readers will get to know Gulliver as the braggart he is, while also hanging onto his every word. For those readers who have only met Gulliver through his relationship with the little Lilliputians, there are big surprises here; as he travels to many lands and encounters many cultures and people who are as fanciful as they are memorable. 2000, Dorling Kindersley Publishing, Ages 10 up, $14.95. Reviewer: Judy Katsh—Children's Literature