Nowhere but in the Mind: Lemuel Gulliver’s Aposiopetic Maps

The essay explores the significance of the maps within Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels". It begins by examining the accuracy of Gulliver's geographical accounts and investigating mapmakers' influence on the book's maps, specifically Hermann Moll, whose dual role is analysed as both a source for the narrative and a satirical symbol for modern empiricism. The essay questions the realism presented in Gulliver's detailed reports, highlighting the tension between concrete depictions of lands and the abstract significance of their representation. The discussion also delves into the geographical inaccuracies within the maps, investigating the tension between Gulliver's detailed yet unrealistic reports and emphasising the interplay of concrete depictions and abstract representation. The essay explores debates among scholars regarding the origin of the maps, on whether the maps contain errors by the printer Motte or an intermediary mapmaker or if they were Swift's intentional satire on his character's pretensions. The analysis proposes that these errors might mirror Gulliver's disturbed state and symbolise his mental breakdown and narrative gaps ("aposiopeses"). Additionally, the essay discusses Swift's satirical intent and political interests in selecting the South Seas for his narrative.