The pointed social commentaries of master satirist Jonathan Swift are heavy with irony, but Swift rarely left any doubt about his true meaning. In the case of
Gulliver's Travels
, however, Swift's meaning has been the subject of debate among scholars for almost 300 years. Here, Elaine Robinson offers a new and fascinating interpretation for this literary classic.
Pointing out clues throughout
Gulliver
, Robinson demonstrates Swift's uses of
Everyman
, Bernard of Clairvaux, Bonaventure, Boccaccio, Dante, Chaucer, Shakespeare and Milton to define real Christianity as a basis for protesting the African slave trade and racism. In doing so, she illuminates Swift's insight, honesty, piercing irony, and brilliant wit, and calls attention to the disturbing relevance of
in the 21st century.