Mis-informed posts

I would just like to say, everyone sometimes gets there facts wrong. I can accept that. I cannot accept a website claiming college degrees getting their information wrong. I stumbled upon a posting, a rather cool one, 50 banned books everyone should read. I agree read Banned books and from the ones I know on this list read them all. My problem with this list is:

"Gulliver’s Travels" by Jonathan Swift. Underlying themes in this famous work include political corruption, anti-war sentiments, and the injustices of colonization. It’s no wonder this book has been banned in several countries and Swift had to publish it anonymously.

That little bit italicized there, see that. It is wrong. Swift did not have to publish anonymously, he chose to make the book stronger. Yes he got tons of flack, but it was also a huge success. He was a satirist his job was to make people feel something about anything. He poked fun at our flaws, and he was good at it. Most people, the intelligent ones, saw it for what it was, satire. The ones who didn't where the same ones scandalized by "A Modest Proposal". Swift published "Gulliver's Travels" under the name Lemuel Gulliver. Which if you notice is the same name as the narrator/main character of the book. Hmm I wonder what statement he's trying to make.

I would also like to note that he published this during a time when the Travel narratives were very popular. People wanted to hear about far away lands. Swift gave them that and a look at there world through the eyes of an intelligent Yahoo.

By the way if you want to read the original post I do recommend many of the books on the list. It is a good list even if it is incorrect about some facts. If anyone is wondering why I think I have the authority to write this blog let it be known that my Thesis for my English degree was based around "Gulliver's Travels" I spent months researching it and the political situation surrounding it. If you chose to go to the site you'll also find a shorter version of this rant.