In both these works, the authors describe fictional events
in a detailed, realistic style. The key difference is that Daniel Defoe, in
Robinson Crusoe, wants to trick the reader into thinking the events
in his novel really took place, whereas Jonathan Swift, in Gulliver's
Travels, wants the reader to understand his story as an
allegory.
The events of Robinson Crusoe
are remarkable, fascinating, extraordinary--but totally possible in the real
world. A man is stranded on a remote island and manages to survive through wit, hard
work, and some good fortune. Defoe's genius is that he tells his story with such
realistic detail that we are inclined to believe it as
fact.
The events of Gulliver's
Travels, by contrast, are obviously contrived: a land of midgets, a land of
giants, a land of talking horses, etc. Although Swift does a great job of describing
his inventions, no intelligent reader takes his stories as fact. Rather, they are
parodies of various aspects of humanity.
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