Comparison Gulliver-Robinson
Defoe and Swift lived in the colonization era and their audience were interested in these voyages to unknown lands, but these two authors show different points of view. First, Robinson Crusoe is written in the form of an autobiography, and seem to be a true story; on the contrary, Gulliver’s Travels is almost a fantasy tale.
In “Robinson Crusoe” the relationship between a “civilized” man, Robinson, and a savage, Friday, is still a master-slave relationship: Friday is a "good savage", but remains wild and linked to the tolerance of his master, that represent a colonizer of that time. Friday gradually leaves his culture to identify himself with Robinson’s culture. Gulliver is instead interested in the variety of worlds and cultures with which he comes into contact; he is not a proud colonizer, he observes, respects and adapts himself to the habits and customs of the peoples visited.
Defoe's work represents bourgeois attitudes and values , while Swift’s work is associated to a satire of English society of the time and of human nature . "Robinson Crusoe" is the representation of the European idea that civilized men are superior to other cultures because of their intelligence, technology and force. "Gulliver's Travels" shows the other side of colonialism. Gulliver, in fact, is subdued by the "Houyhnhum" who are morally superior, and when he gets home he realizes that British world seems to ugly, dirty and primitive. In all the adventures of Gulliver, we are led to think that man is selfish, corrupt, ignorant and only interested in
In “Robinson Crusoe” the relationship between a “civilized” man, Robinson, and a savage, Friday, is still a master-slave relationship: Friday is a "good savage", but remains wild and linked to the tolerance of his master, that represent a colonizer of that time. Friday gradually leaves his culture to identify himself with Robinson’s culture. Gulliver is instead interested in the variety of worlds and cultures with which he comes into contact; he is not a proud colonizer, he observes, respects and adapts himself to the habits and customs of the peoples visited.
Defoe's work represents bourgeois attitudes and values , while Swift’s work is associated to a satire of English society of the time and of human nature . "Robinson Crusoe" is the representation of the European idea that civilized men are superior to other cultures because of their intelligence, technology and force. "Gulliver's Travels" shows the other side of colonialism. Gulliver, in fact, is subdued by the "Houyhnhum" who are morally superior, and when he gets home he realizes that British world seems to ugly, dirty and primitive. In all the adventures of Gulliver, we are led to think that man is selfish, corrupt, ignorant and only interested in