Why Gulliver's Travels is Not Entertaining

There are a lot of things in Gulliver's Travels that are used in comedies: Satire, sarcasm, and a few jokes for good measure. And all of these things are funny, if done right and with the right audience, but Jonathan Swift (the author of Gulliver's Travels) had narrowed in on his intended audience.

The satire is of people. They are most commonly poking fun at people's dumb or selfish actions, but Jonathan Swift also made jokes out of real problems. The problems were not big, and if anything, Swift was raising awareness of the problem. (Higgitt) Today these issues are big and affect most people, so it's a little hard to find them funny, but at the time they were written, they were probably funny jokes. A lot of his jokes no longer have the context that made them funny. It's like saying an inside joke to a complete stranger. They won't think it's funny or just won't know you are telling a joke.

Gulliver's Travels is a classic and should be treated as such, but I truly believe that it's no longer a good comedy. It was once, but as time changes, so does what we think is entertaining. I ask you, if you read Gulliver's Travels did it ever make you laugh? If it did, then maybe I'm just not the intended audience, but I think most people will say no.

sores “Gulliver’s Travels in Science and Satire.” The Guardian, 14 Mar. 2013, www.theguardian.com/science/the-h-word/2013/mar/14/science-history-satire-politics-swift-gulliver.Swift, Jonathan. Gulliver’s Travels. Modern Pub, 1726.