Satiric Criticism of the English Government and the Enlightenment in Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift

Abstract

The aim of this bachelor thesis is to describe the satiric criticism of the English politics and society influenced by the Enlightenment in Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift. The paper is not divided into theoretical and practical part, instead, both parts are fused into one unit. The paper is initiated by the brief introduction of satire and satiric tools used by Swift. Then, the content focuses on the English politics with emphasis on parties Whigs and Tories, the English monarchy and the prosecution of Jacobite movement. The paper proceeds with the criticism of Anglo-French rivalries, which influence domestic and foreign policy. Finally, the chapter on the Enlightenment science illustrates the misuse of Isaac Newton in political affairs, which triggered the criticism of the whole scientific branch named natural philosophy.