Soupçon III In Memoriam Series III.ix
Most interesting is the plot structure of "Gulliver's Travels." The four separate books remain stringed together due to Gulliver's presence. The entire book may not enjoy the classical 'beginning, middle, end' pattern imminently present in each separate book though. In fact, it might even be argued that the Freytag formula of linear plot construction fits each separate book perfectly.
The entire book sure begins with the details of Gulliver's childhood and youth, his life so far. Unmistakable is, however, the fact that each fantasy-istic voyage , every adventure has its own linear beginning-muddle-end structure. In a way, it can hence be argued that the novel has a mise-en-scène structure.
The Sheherzade like story within story narrative helps cyclically repeat the human cupidities which adds hugely to the satirical impact of the novel. The novel has two layers of plot. The first one is the straight faced narration of adventures which has over the time reduced the book in to a children's story.
On a deeper level, however, the book is a trenchant satire. Hence even today, three hundred years later, when some of the immediate contexts have faded, the novel is a superb read.
Pratima Agnihotri
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