First published in 1726, Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels" presents, as a mock travel tale, a series of thought experiments mixed with strong elements of social satire. A good part of the fun is seeing Swift work through the practical implications of each of his "what ifs?" — what if I was suddenly enormously magnified or diminished in size? for example - and delighting in the relish with which Swift indulges his great interest in matters scatalogical. As the tale progresses, Swift's skewering of English society becomes more and more pointed, reaching its ultimate ad absurdum as the author compares his contemporaries unfavourably with ... horses. (Summary by Peter Dann)