著者

山内 暁彦

出版者

徳島大学

雑誌

言語文化研究 (ISSN:13405632)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.10, pp.1-33, 2003-02

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There are many mysteries in the details of Gulliver's Travels. It seems that the description of the stage on which Gulliver let the Liliputian horses exercise is erroneous concerning its structure and size. But if we make thorough consideration, we can find out that Swift's description is rather correct. To make the stage we should put the sticks in the ground and make them slant a little, though this is not indicated clearly by the author. Also we can make use of the mysterious ninth stick at the centre of the whole structure as a support of the handkerchief. Though the stage can actually be built from Gulliver's handkerchief and thirteen sticks, it is still impossible to let the troop of twenty-four horses manuever on it when we adhere to the scale of 1 to 12. The field is too small for the cavalry. We need to interpret the latter half of the episode differently by means of a sur-realistic method. The episode resembles a Japanese rakugo-story, called 'Atama-Yama,' which means 'Head Hill.' In this fantastic story a man grows a cherry tree on his head and bewilderingly it is on his head too that many people gather to see the blossoms. The man's head and the crowd in 'Atama-Yama' correspond to the handkerchief and the horses in Gulliver's Travels. Behind the episode of the exercise on the handkerchief we can discover many points of significance. For example, the handkerchief probably means the Union Jack which represents the Union of England and Scotland accomplished by Queen Anne in 1707. We may assume that, as is demonstrated in this episode, there are numerous possible interpretations of many details in Gulliver's Travels.