ABSTRACT

Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels has become a model of the world’s ironic literature with its superb ideas and artistic achievements, thus creating a precedent for British realist novels. Its immortal glory and exuberant vitality made the author a thinker and writer who stood high in times. This paper will focus on Gulliver’s Travels, and analyze its satirical means from the background, characters’ image, plot development and other details through previous researches, which is of great significance for understanding comprehensively and grasping the content and characteristics of the novel, and also helps readers better understand the literature and reality of the 18th century British.

Key words: Gulliver’s Travels  Irony  Characters’ Image  Plot Development

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

ABSTRACT

中文摘要

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION-1

1.1 INTRODUCTION TO GULLIVER’S TRAVELS-1

1.2 INTRODUCTION TO JONATHAN SWIFT-1

1.3 THE PURPOSE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS STUDY-1

1.4 INTRODUCTION TO THE THEORY OF IRONY-2

1.5 THE STRUCTURE OF THE PAPER--2

CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW.4

2.1 THE APPLICATION OF IRONY IN BACKGROUND DESCRIPTION-4

2.1.1 In Historical Background-4

2.1.2 In Political Background-5

2.1.3 In Social Background-6

2.2 THE APPLICATION OF IRONY IN CHARACTERS’ IMAGE-7

2.2.1 In Their Appearances-7

2.2.2 In Their Behaviors-8

2.2.3 In Their Attitudes-10

2.2.4 In Their Language-11

2.3 THE APPLICATION OF IRONY IN PLOT DEVELOPMENT IN DIFFERENT PLACES-11

2.3.1 In Lilliput-11

2.3.2 In Brobdingnag-12

2.3.3 In Laputa-13

2.3.4 In Houyhnhnms-13

CHAPTER THREE CONCLUSION-15

3.1 CONCLUSION-15

3.2 NEW FINDINGS-15

3.3 LIMITATIONS-15

BIBLIOGRAPHY-17