<html>
<body>
A blast from my past:<br><br>
<font size=2><i>
<a href="http://www.autodidactproject.org/other/gulliver1.html">
Gulliver's
Travels</a></i>
<a href="http://www.autodidactproject.org/other/gulliver1.html">. Part
III. A Voyage to Laputa, Balnibarbi, Luggnagg, Glubbdubdrib, and Japan.
Chapter V (extract)</a> by Jonathan Swift<br><br>
</font>. . . which was taken from the online text at Project
Gutenberg. This is Swift's satire on the Royal Academy,
philosophical languages, ars combinatoria, and the prevailing
intellectual occupations of the age. <br><br>
There's a personal anecdote behind this. I was interested in artificial
languages as a hobby while a freshman in high school many decades ago. My
bug-eyed, pockmarked English teacher taught <i>Gulliver's Travels</i> in
class. Like Pavlovian dogs we were taught to interpret everything in
Swift's novel as a manifestation of false pride. This didn't
interest me so much, but I perked up when I read Gulliver's sojourn in
Laputa. I recognized the objects of Swift's satire and was eager to show
off my knowledge, commenting on this extract in particular. But as my
English teacher had no knowledge of these matters, and no interest in
science--so typical of humanities teachers of the time, in my
experience--she had no interest in what I had to say. But sure
enough, a fellow schoolmate since early childhood shouted out:"False
pride!"<br>
</body>
</html>