Diminution and Magnification: Gothic Images in Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels (1726)

Baker Mohammad Jamil Bani-Khair

Abstract


This paper studies two significant techniques in Jonathon Swift's Gulliver's Travels (1726) which are diminution and magnification as influential devices which show gothic and supernatural images throughout the whole novel. The paper investigated and analyzed the supernatural images in terms of the gothic fantasy and its elements such as the ones that relate to the sublime, horror, and exotic images. The study concluded that the use of those two techniques of diminution and magnification tend to create several and various effects on the plot, characters, and the narrative development which increase the level of suspense in a critical framework.


Keywords


Magnification, Diminution, Dwarfs, Gothic, Sublime, Phobia, Fantasy, Lilliputians

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References


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DOI: https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.8n.5p.25

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