[a swallow building a nest] · Centre for Early Modern Visual Culture

Title: [a swallow building a nest]
Period: 1800-1850;
Description: Here we see a swallow building a nest. It appears when the Council of the Houyhnhnms discussed the possibility of exterminating the yahoos. Gulliver’s master defended Gulliver, arguing that Gulliver, like other Europeans were very civilized and explained their accomplishments, including building – much like the swallow - and industry - like the ant. Gulliver’s master that there was nothing wrong with learning from them. This passage is a reflection of European ideas about North Americans, who believed that the North Americans were a form of lesser being because of their racists and colonial ideologies. The same image appears in the 1843 Krabbe edition.
Image Creator: Laisne (Illustrator)
Type: StillImage; Book Illustrations
Identifier: mta:21251
Language: ger
Source Name: Gulliver's Reisen in unbekannte Länder
Parent Collection: 1839 Stuttgart Grandville vol. 2; 1839 Stuttgart Grandville vol. 2
Image: mta_21251_OBJ.png
Collection: Gulliver's Travels
Subject: Houyhnhnms (Fictitious Characters); Yahoos (Fictitious Characters); Swallows in literature; satire; imaginary creatures; Fictitious characters; imaginary places; fictional works