In Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, the Lilliputians and Blefuscuans were described as exaggerations of Great Britain and France. This is an example of what mode of satire?

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In Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, the Lilliputians and Blefuscuans were described as exaggerations of Great Britain and France. This is an example of what mode of satire?

A. burlesque

B. parody

C. sarcasm

D. caricature

Answer:

The best option is A. burlesque.

Explanation:

As was stated in the question, the Lilliputians and Blefuscuans were exaggerations of the two countries. When it comes to exaggerations, there are two types of satire we can think of: caricature and burlesque. Caricature is an exaggeration of physical traits, found commonly is political cartoons, for instance. That is not the case here, since we're analyzing the novel "Gulliver's Travels". Therefore, we are left with burlesque, which is an exaggeration achieved through multiple ways and features. Burlesque can exaggerate one's appearance, feelings, beliefs, behaviors, etc. That is precisely what we have represented by the Lilliputians and Blefuscuans. They are utterly shallow, vain, and simple. Their war is due to a dispute on which side of the egg should be broken first. Their politics and social hierarchy are determined by useless skills. They are, therefore, a burlesque representation of the British and the French.