Jonathan Swift

a cura di R. Aimo e R. Palmer
 Fantasy and satire are the main ingredients of the novel, parody of travel literature, and vitriolic criticism of Swift's society and of human nature.
 Lemuel Gulliver recounts his travels to exotic lands: Lilliput, where he meets tiny beings; Brobdingnag, the country of the giants; Laputa, the flying island inhabited by scientists and philosophers; finally, he describes his encounter with rational horses, the Houyhnhnms, wise beings who live together with savages, the Yahoos, similar to men.
 The book contains in-depth analyses connected to the issues of the novel. 
 
 Teacher's Resources available online: Answer Key - Audioscripts - Key to Summing-up Activities.
 
 Fantasia e satira sono gli elementi costitutivi del romanzo, parodia della letteratura di viaggio e feroce critica della società del tempo e della natura umana.
 Gulliver narra di viaggi in terre strane: Lilliput, dove incontra minuscoli esseri; Brobdingnag, il paese dei giganti; Laputa, l'isola volante degli scienziati e filosofi; infine, la terra dei cavalli razionali, gli Houyhnhnms, esseri saggi che convivono con esseri brutali, gli Yahoos, simili agli uomini.
 Il libro contiene approfondimenti legati alle tematiche del romanzo.

Chapter 1 – Lilliput, a strange island

Extension: Famous Explorers and Navigators

Chapter 2 – Life on Lilliput

Extension: Famous British ships

Chapter 3 – Brobdingnag

Extension: Utopias

Chapter 4 – Life at court

Extension: Life in the 18th century

Chapter 5 – The flying island

Extension: Imaginary places in legend and fiction

Chapter 6 – The land of horses

Extension: Gulliver at the cinema

Summing-up activities

Glossary

E X T E N S I O N LIFE IN THE 18 TH CENTURY At the beginning of the 18 century, England was a land of villages. The majority of the population was still rural and lived in the south. In 1714, it was probably about 5.5 million. The population of London was about half a million, in Bristol it was about 50,000 and then there were Manchester, Liverpool and Cock fighting (W. Hogarth, 1735). Birmingham each with less than 40,000 people. Now let s go and have a virtual walk in London in the middle of the 18th century! The first thing we notice is the stench1, because there was no sewage2 system.The houses of the poor had one or two rooms where people, pigs and poultry3 lived. The tradesmen4 used the streets as their dustbin5. Butchers6, for example, threw the remains of dead animals in the streets. Almost all the houses were overcrowded7: up to ten people could live in one room and often the rooms did not have any furniture, even any beds! Many people got ill, especially children. Violence was very common in towns, because people had just two kinds of entertainment: drinking and gambling8. Sports such as cock fighting9 and bear baiting10 were common, too. At night, the streets were completely dark because there was no street lighting. In 1734, a new system of lamps in the streets was introduced in London. th 5. dustbin: a place where you put rubbish. 6. butcher: a person who sells meat in a shop. 7. overcrowded: with too many people. 8. gambling: playing games for money. 9. cock fighting: organized fights between two cocks. 10. bear baiting: a cruel game in which dogs attacked bears. 1. stench: unpleasant smell. 2. sewage: used water and waste substances produced by human bodies which are carried away from houses through special pipes. 3. poultry: 4. tradesmen: people that sell goods, especially in shops. 48 

5  The flying island Chapter BEFORE READING 1 2 Match the words (1-6) to their definitions (a-f). 1. goods ............. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. pirate ............. crowd ............. canoe ............. a. An instrument to make distant objects look closer. b. Very strong, thick cord. c. Things produced to be sold. d. A large group of people in the same place. e. A long light boat. f. Someone who attacks ships and steals things from them. telescope ............. rope ............. Make predictions. 1. Where will Gulliver sail? a. Eastwards. 2. What will he visit? a. A peninsula. 3. Who will he meet there? a. Very intelligent people. 4. Will he make new friends there? a. Yes, he will. 3 b. Westwards. b. An island. b. Very stupid people. b. No, he won t. In this chapter you will find some words which refer to geometrical shapes. Match the shapes to their names and circle PF (for plane figure) or SF (for solid figure). 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. cylinder: cone: square: triangle: circle: PF PF PF PF PF / / / / / SF SF SF SF SF 49 

Fantasia e satira in Gulliver, parodia dei viaggi e critica sociale. Scopri Lilliput, Brobdingnag, Laputa e gli Houyhnhnms.

Gulliver's Travels Collana RAINBOWS

Level A2 • Elementary - Collana RAINBOWS

Gulliver's Travels

Flowbooks è una piattaforma di distribuzione dedicata al mondo della scuola e dell'università.  Con questa piattaforma di distribuzione, il team di sviluppo Flowbooks  si impegna a soddisfare le esigenze degli utenti digitali, rendendo l'utilizzo accessibile e piacevole.  Entra nella tua area di interesse!

Edisco è una Casa editrice indipendente che opera prevalentemente nel settore educativo.

Edisco

Flowbooks è innovazione didattica a portata di click