Lilliput:
Brobdingnag:
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I theorize that the possible location of Lilliput might be the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, due to their closeness to the Indonesian island of Sumatra as shown in the cartography for Lilliput. What also convinces me that the Keeling Islands is the best location is that the region consists of two islands; the North Keeling Island and South Keeling Island. This may represent the two islands of Lilliput and Blefuscu, Lilliput being the southern island.
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| Sumatra in the real world is the island that Palembang is located in |
Regarding Brobdingnag, I think that the region of Alaska would best fit its description. Alaska has a very mountainous terrain that somewhat separates it from Canada/North America, which is similar to the condition of Brobdingnag. Also, Alaska is a very large area, which might likely explain why Gulliver thought it was a place for giants since it is so big compared to the rest of North America. Lastly, Alaska is also peninsula-shaped to the left side, which is similar to how Brobdingnag is oriented in its cartography.
Here is a side by side comparison:
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| Brobdingnag is near the top left corner |
The Cocos (Keeling) Islands are a very close match to the description of Lilliput and Blefuscu. They were discovered in 1609 by the English Captain William Keeling for the East India Company, thus fitting within the timeframe of when the book was published.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the climate as described of Brobdingnag in the book does not fit the icy, bitter weather of Alaska. While it is a good observation of the massive bulk and size of Alaska fits the giants well, we must remember that Gulliver first landed in a wheat field - not a crop that would be grown in Alaska. I speculate Brobdingnag would be located in a more temperate region, perhaps around Washington or Oregon.
Upon further reading into section 3, I found that the nations Gulliver finds are becoming more fictional and I can't seem to find modern countries or islands that would represent them.
DeleteI agree, after reading further and further into the book, it has become quite difficult to pinpoint these locations to modern countries. Even if a modern county or island seems to be close to where the location is, the climate, people, animals, and so on, do not actually represent the location itself. It's still different.
DeleteIt would be quite astonishing if any of the first three places he visits were in fact real. Today's world would not react positively to an island of giants who could easily crush them.
ReplyDelete