On the Margins of Society: The Cult of Alienation in World Literature E

Spanning nearly two centuries of literature, Gullivers Travels, Notes from Underground, and The Metamorphosis maintain a concurrent theme. Jonathan Swift, Fyodor Dostoevsky, and Franz Kafka, respectively, portray the complex dynamic between the conjunction and the individual. The writers iconic protagonists similarly become estranged from partnership, in spite of the markedly different historical contexts behind them. Upon reading the aforementioned works, it could be deduced that achieving a perceive of connectedness within ones community is a feat irrespective of time period and any scientific and technological advances therein that the affiance of loneliness is programmed into the individual on a visceral level. However, it could also be argued that while the three authors all capture an essential element of modern society alienation, most of their readers do not feel it as acutely as their protagonists, if at all, and the few who do sess find their solace knowing that in bei ng alone, they are not alone.When Swift wrote Gullivers Travels in 1726, Europe was in the midst of the Enlightenment. Decades of scientific progress resulted in widespread adoption of wise thought, challenging previously accepted beliefs of determinism while embracing the concept of free will. In Gullivers Travels, Swift utilized satire to creatively translate the ideological shift toward individualism and its consequent cultural fragmentation. The preoccupation with intellectual autonomy and reason are reflected in Gulliver, a man who becomes so overwhelmed by the inadequacies of a foolish society that seclusion was the only remedy for his misanthropy. Although Gullivers Travels is most perceptibly a social commentary critiquing the flaws of a greedy,... ...resigned to their particular fates, the reader can find solace in maintaining hope that substantial thoughts exist, good hearts prevail, and eloquent, purposeful bonds with other people may be achieved, and be all the more than appreciated for their rarity. Works CitedDostoevsky, Fyodor. Notes from Underground. The Norton Anthology of World Literature 1800 to 1900. Ed. Sarah Lawall and Maynard Mack. New York W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2002. 1307-1379. Print. Kafka, Franz. The Metamorphosis. The Norton Anthology of World Literature The Twentieth Century. Ed. Sarah Lawall and Maynard Mack. New York W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2002. 1999-2030. Print.Swift, Jonathan. Gullivers Travels. The Norton Anthology of World Literature 1650 to 1800. Ed. Sarah Lawall and Maynard Mack. New York W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2002. 433-483. Print.