[Laputan scholars and their flappers] · Centre for Early Modern Visual Culture

Title: [Laputan scholars and their flappers]
Subject: Scholars; Satire; Fictional Works; Fictitious Characters; Imaginary Places; Imaginary Creatures
Period: 1800-1850;
Geographic: Laputa; England
Description: Here we see three Laputan scholars attended by their Flappers. The Laputans were so deep in thought they could not speak. The Flapper was a servant who carried a blown bladder filled with peas or pebbles and was used to communicate. The Flapper attended the wealthy scholars and when they wanted to converse with one another, they would gently tap the bladder on the mouth of one person then on the ear of another. Because the scholars could get so wrapped up in what they were thinking about, they would stop what they were doing or seemingly stop seeing anything around them. The Flapper would then tap their eyes to help remind the scholars of what they were doing. Thus, the Flappers were there to help the scholars through their daily life. In this image we see three scholars in the front, lost in thought, with their Flappers behind them. On the far left, we can see the bladder used by the Flapper. The Laputans wear clothes and hats with astronomical and musical motifs. The Laputans’ faces were not symmetrical, with their heads tilting to one side, and one eye turning inwards and the other looking straight up. The same image appears in the 1839 Krabbe edition.
Image Creator: Grandville (Illustrator)
Type: StillImage; Vignettes
Identifier: mta:21673
Language: ger
Source Name: Gulliver's Reisen in unbekannte Länder
Parent Collection: Gulliver's Reisen in unbekannte Länder Vol. II. Vignettes by Grandville (1843); Gulliver's Reisen in unbekannte Länder Vol. II. Vignettes by Grandville (1843)
Image: mta_21673_OBJ.png
Collection: Gulliver's Travels
Subject: Scholars; Satire; Fictional Works; Fictitious Characters; Imaginary Places; Imaginary Creatures

Media: mta_21673_OBJ.png