HIDDEN TRUTHS IN JONATHAN SWIFT’S GULLIVER’S TRAVELS

Abstract

The paper presents an approach to the literature based on an analysis of three factors: the historical reader, the historical author, and the informed reader. By applying synchronic and diachronic methods of reading, an acceptable critical reading of a literary work is proposed. The paper aims to explain the functioning of all three factors through the interpretation of Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels. The result of the interpretation is the discovery of the truth about the true nature of colonialism, which is still relevant today. At the same time, the paper shows the importance of applying the appropriate methodology in the study of literature as a way of achieving and preserving its autonomy in relation to the other humanities.