论《格列佛游记》中对乌托邦的讽刺与追求

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浙江财经学院硕士学位论文

摘要

“乌托邦”一词最早由托马斯•莫尔提出并使用，意指一个拥有完美社会、

法律和政治体系的虚幻的理想城邦。自莫尔的《乌托邦》（1516）问世以来，随

着时代的变迁，“乌托邦”这个词也逐渐派生出新词汇，如：“优乌托邦”、“讽

刺乌托邦”、“反乌托邦”。且在多种文学创作中，对该词意义的解读有了进一步

的扩展和诠释。乌托邦文学作为一种文学体系经历了历时的发展和变化。斯威

夫特的代表作《格列佛游记》则是其中的一部乌托邦作品。本文试图以格列佛

的冒险历程为线索探究斯威夫特对乌托邦的讽刺和追求。围绕乌托邦为主题阐

释乌托邦文学作品《格列佛游记》，及该游记如何揭示斯威夫特的乌托邦思想。

《乌托邦》作为最早的乌托邦正式文本，为斯威夫特提供了在地理环境、城市、

教育和法制方面构思理想社会的资源和范本。此外，作为一部讽刺乌托邦，《格

列佛游记》揭示了对一些乌托邦理想——培根式科学构想、斯多葛主义和人性

本善的质疑和讽刺；同时又暗示了斯威夫特对社会改革的构想,如：政治公平、

科学合理、理性和欲望的人性平衡。特别是理性和欲望，作为人类灵魂中的重

要部分关系着人性和谐、社会平稳发展的乌托邦理想。

关键词：乌托邦；讽刺乌托邦；社会改革；人性

浙江财经学院硕士学位论文

Contents

Introduction..................................................................................................................1

Chapter 1 Literary Review..........................................................................................3

1.1 Utopia and Utopian Literature .........................................................................3

1.2 Gulliver’s Travels and Utopia ..........................................................................7

Chapter 2 A Utopian Model for Gulliver’s Travels..................................................10

2.1 The Similarity in Characters ..........................................................................10

2.2 The Condition of Geography and City...........................................................12

2.3 Education and Laws.......................................................................................16

Chapter 3 Swift’s Critical Exploration of Utopia ...................................................20

3.1 Political Justice ..............................................................................................20

3.2 Reasonable Future Progress...........................................................................28

3.3 Reason and Passion........................................................................................33

3.4 Harmony in Human Nature............................................................................40

Conclusion ..................................................................................................................48

Bibiorgraphy ..............................................................................................................51

Acknowledgement......................................................................................................55

III

浙江财经学院硕士学位论文

Introduction

Once it first came out in 1726, Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels gave rise to a

great attention from contemporaries, and still attracts people during the following

centuries. George Orwell, a great figure in the 20th-century English literature, once

wrote that “[if] I were to make a list of six books which were to be preserved when

all others were destroyed, I would certainly put Gulliver’s Travels among

them.”(Orwell, 1968: 220) In English literature, Gulliver’s Travels is a significant

work with abundant imagination, complicated details, various themes and profound

meanings. The fiction has thrown a great matter open to discussion and aroused

critics’ constant interest either related to its author or the work itself.

Many critics and scholars abroad and at home have done a vast study of this

work from various perspectives in terms of biographical research, the satirical

devices, philosophical background and so forth. Under the solid foundation of

valuable views by previous scholars, this thesis attempts to probe into the text of

Gulliver’s Travels, exploring Swift’s critical pursuit of utopia. This study takes the

characteristics of utopian genre into consideration to explain why Gulliver’s Travels

belongs to utopian novel; in what way Swift hints his utopian thought throughout the

whole book; and how Swift expresses the concerns of utopia.

Gulliver’s Travels consists of four parts and each part introduces an exotic

island. Through the analysis of Gulliver’s adventures in Lilliput, Brobdingnag,

Laputa and Houyhnhnmland, the utopian characteristics can be found. Thomas

More’s Utopia as one of the most important utopian modes greatly affects the

Travels concerning the similarities in describing the ideal societies1. In another sense,

as a satirical utopian novel, Gulliver’s Travels also implicates doubts and satire of the

1 Swift’s private library reveals he owned a copy of Sir Thomas More’s Latin version of Utopia published in

Amsterdam, 1631.Swift not only perused the version, but also felt a lifelong admiration for More’s magnum ops.

In the third part of Gulliver’s Travels, Thomas More ranks among the celebrated Sextumvirate of the most worthy

figures of all ages, together with Brutus, Junius, Socrates etc. For the details, see William LeFanu, A Catalogue

of Books belonging to Dr Jonathan Swift (Cambridge: Cambridge Bibliographical Society, 1988) 24.

浙江财经学院硕士学位论文

utopian ideal prevailing in his times or those before, such as Baconian scientific

speculation, the Stoicism, and the positive treatment of human nature. In so doing,

Swift aims to criticize the corruption of human beings and the contemporary world;

meanwhile, to explore a utopia for the proper reformation of the contemporary

society regarding the political justice, reasonable progress, as well as the reason and

passion in human nature. Most significantly, reason and passion as two important

parts of human mind, are vitally in close relation to the harmony of human nature

and stable and peaceful social development. The debate over these two is in the

central stage for building a good life of humanity. So the co-existence and balance of

reason and passion becomes none other than the pivotal problem for man to resolve.

At any rate, this thesis studies Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels from the perspective of

a utopia in order to gain deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the novel

and Swift’s thoughts within. By discussing the utopian nature of Gulliver’s Travels in

aspects of a utopia itself and Swift’s critical attitude towards ideal social life, the aim

of Gulliver’s Travels as a satirical utopia can be achieved. In this way, Swift puts

forward his views for social reformation and betterment, and the improvement of

human nature in a higher degree.

浙江财经学院硕士学位论文

Chapter 1 Literary Review

This chapter mainly elaborates on utopia and utopian literature. Utopia, as a

neologism coined by Thomas More, begins its life lexically. However, over the

centuries, new words such as eutopia, satirical utopia, dystopia or anti-utopia, are

derived; the interpretation and extension also keep on changing. Meanwhile, utopia

as a literary genre has also developed through centuries. Various utopian writings

come into being, such as The City of the Sun(1623), New Atlantis(1626). And the

utopian writings in the 18th century are relatively more abundant. During the age of

reason, many enlighteners explore ways for social betterment through literary

creations. Various idealistic literary texts of ideal societies and commonwealths are

conceived against existing social imperfection. Jonathan Swift is one of the

outstanding representatives in this period.

1.1 Utopia and Utopian Literature

As for the concept of utopia, the study must be traced to the etymology of the

word. Utopia, as a new word, is commonly known after the publication of Sir

Thomas More’s Utopia(1516). This magnum ops consists of two parts: the first part

describing the social reality in England, especially the corruption in political practice;

the second part being mainly about harmonious life and ideal social conditions of

Utopia—an island depicted by a navigator, Hythloday. These two parts present a

stark contrast indicating the social evils in contemporary reality and an ideal vision

of the utopian society. More creates the word “utopia” as a name of an imaginary

island without giving a certain definition nor any detailed explanation directly, but

implies the connotation and denotation of utopia in his book, leaving the readers

enough space to imagine.

Etymologically, the word “utopia” is created by combining Greek words “ου”,

“ευ” and “τοποs”, which, in English, become “ou”, “eu” and “topos” respectively.

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摘要：

浙江财经学院硕士学位论文摘要“乌托邦”一词最早由托马斯•莫尔提出并使用，意指一个拥有完美社会、法律和政治体系的虚幻的理想城邦。自莫尔的《乌托邦》（1516）问世以来，随着时代的变迁，“乌托邦”这个词也逐渐派生出新词汇，如：“优乌托邦”、“讽刺乌托邦”、“反乌托邦”。且在多种文学创作中，对该词意义的解读有了进一步的扩展和诠释。乌托邦文学作为一种文学体系经历了历时的发展和变化。斯威夫特的代表作《格列佛游记》则是其中的一部乌托邦作品。本文试图以格列佛的冒险历程为线索探究斯威夫特对乌托邦的讽刺和追求。围绕乌托邦为主题阐释乌托邦文学作品《格列佛游记》，及该游记如何揭示斯威夫特的乌托邦思想。《乌托邦》作为...

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