Abstract:

This paper aims to study the use of satire in Gulliver’s Travels. The first part includes introduction to the author, his works and his literary position as well as a brief introduction to satire. Furthermore, the paper analyzes how Swift uses such satirical techniques as irony, comparison, hyperbole, humor and innuendo, with detailed examples respectively to expose the corruption and evil of the England ruling class in the early 19th century. The paper enables readers to have a profound understanding of the theme of the novel and evokes deep thought while laughing. The paper concludes that the author’s life experience and social environment make his satire sharp and successful.

Key words: Gulliver’s Travels; satire; society reality

摘要：

本文旨在研究《格列佛游记》中讽刺修辞手法的运用。在简要介绍了作者、作品及其文学地位，并阐述讽刺的特点及效果后，笔者结合原文具体例子，分别具体分析了反语、对比、夸张、幽默、影射等讽刺手法在小说中的成功运用，使读者对小说的主题有了更深刻的理解，让18世纪英国社会的腐败黑暗暴露无遗，令人发笑也引人思考。文章同时也论证了作者的生活经历及当时的社会环境，为其写作提供丰富的素材，使《格列佛游记》的讽刺意味更深刻。

关键词：《格列佛游记》；讽刺；社会现实

1. Introduction
1.1 Introduction to Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift is regarded as the best satirist in the early 18th century. Chen Jun(2012) points out that “As a distinguished satirist, Jonathan Swift is almost unsurpassed in literature”. Thackeray gave Swift the famous comment: “So great a man he seems to me, that thinking of him is like thinking of an empire falling” (qtd in Xu & Luo, 2006:93).
Swift was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1667. His family was very poor and his father died before Swift was born. His mother was unable to raise him and his uncle unwillingly provided help for them. Although Swift entered Dublin University, he hated the routine curriculum and only studied what he was interested in. After he left the university, he went to England and became a private secretary of William Temple, who was a distant relative of him. Temple was a diplomat and a writer with a little fame. During that period, Swift was treated as a servant and lived an unhappy life, but he read and studied a lot, which had a great influence on his later writings.