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  • Alternative Character Interpretation:
    • More than a few readers can be left asking themselves if Gulliver loves being In Harm's Way given that he always swears to never travel again only to end up somewhere else.
    • Some critics, particularly Swift's contemporaries, have questioned if, given the increasingly fantastical lands Gulliver visits, if Gulliver is going insane over the course of the story with everything being seen Through the Eyes of Madness. After all he spends his days back home talking to horses.
  • Anvilicious: Swift isn't shy about hiding his contempt for the English society of his day, or for human beings in general. However, what kind of society he advocates as a better alternative (or even whether he thinks a better alternative is possible) remains hotly contested.
  • Applicability: Certainly relevant here.
  • Base Breaker: Of all the four main cultures that Gulliver visits, it is the Houyhnhnms who garner the most mixed reception, people asking if they should be admired as something society should aspire to emulate or are just Holier Than Thou Jerkasses.
  • Fanfic Fuel: Four varied lands each with their own culture.
  • Crowning Moment of Funny: Many, particularly if you're inclined to Swift's unique blend of comedy.
  • First Installment Wins: Everyone's heard of Lilliput, few of Brobdingnag, only anime fans of Laputa, and almost no-one of the Houyhnhnms (the coinage yahoo, meaning "ill-mannered cretin", comes from the fourth voyage).
  • Hilarious in Hindsight:
  • Mary Suetopia/Dystopia: The Houyhnhnms, again based on the reader's interpretation.

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