Glumdalclitch
Encyclopedia
Glumdalclitch is the name Gulliver gives his "nurse" in Book II of Jonathan Swift
's Gulliver's Travels
. In Book I, Gulliver travels to the land of Lilliput
. Leaving there, he travels to the land of Brobdingnag
. In Lilliput, Gulliver was a giant, and in Brobdingnag, he is a dwarf, with the proportions reversed.
When he comes ashore, he is captured by a giant farmer, who perceives Gulliver only as an animal, a freak of nature resembling man-shaped mouse
. He takes Gulliver home and gives him to his nine-year-old daughter, a child of average size in her land who nevertheless towers over Gulliver. She makes Gulliver her pet, creates a small travel case for him (a miniature bed-chamber in a box), and is amused to play with him as if he were a doll. Gulliver grows very fond of the girl, and gives her the pet name of Glumdalclitch, or "little nurse" in the Brobdingian language. (Of course "little" is highly ironic considering the circumstances. If Gulliver knows her real name, he does not tell the reader.) Glumdalclitch is a skilled seamstress with a talent for making dolls' clothes. Although Gulliver admires the wardrobe that she makes for him, he finds that even the finest Brodingnagian fabric is coarse and irritates his skin. The farmer takes Gulliver about as a freak show, charging observers money for performances. Gulliver grows very proud of the stunts that he performs for Glumdalclitch's amusement.
When the Queen of Brobdingnag takes Gulliver into her court, he has Glumdalclitch brought to court with him. The prideful Gulliver thinks of himself as being greatly honored and promoted by moving to court, but never ceases to love and seek the approval of the little girl who first helped him. Indeed, he remembers her fondly even after returning to England
.
While Book I is narrowly allegorical
, Book II of Gulliver's Travels is less specifically a roman a clef
and more generally a political and philosophical discussion. While Glumdalclitch could represent Swift's memories of the young Stella
from his time living with William Temple at Moor Park, Surrey, she probably does not stand in for any particularly identifiable historical person.
If one does take Glumdalclitch as the young Stella and the entire episode as an encoding of the time at Moor Park, then it is a poignant story indeed. Swift, like Gulliver, delighted in performing for Stella (e.g. his Meditation Upon a Broomstick
, which he wrote for her), was shown about by her "father" (William Temple), found the living too coarse for his sensibilities, left her company for a "promotion" to London and court life, and mourned her absence for the rest of his life.
, Ági Szirtes, and Kate Maberly
. The character was reimagined in the 2010 film adaptation (in a non-speaking role) as a child and treats Gulliver as a baby doll, presumably to keep with the comedy themes.
Glumdalclitch is the subject of an eponymous novel by Leo Sonderegger published in 2000 as a sequel to Gulliver's Travels.
Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift was an Irish satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer , poet and cleric who became Dean of St...
's Gulliver's Travels
Gulliver's Travels
Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World, in Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships, better known simply as Gulliver's Travels , is a novel by Anglo-Irish writer and clergyman Jonathan Swift that is both a satire on human nature and a parody of...
. In Book I, Gulliver travels to the land of Lilliput
Lilliput and Blefuscu
Lilliput and Blefuscu are two fictional island nations that appear in the first part of the 1726 novel Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift. The two islands are neighbors in the South Indian Ocean, separated by a channel eight hundred yards wide. Both are inhabited by tiny people who are about...
. Leaving there, he travels to the land of Brobdingnag
Brobdingnag
Brobdingnag is a fictional land in Jonathan Swift's satirical novel Gulliver's Travels occupied by giants. Lemuel Gulliver visits the land after the ship on which he is travelling is blown off course and he is separated from a party exploring the unknown land.The adjective Brobdingnagian has come...
. In Lilliput, Gulliver was a giant, and in Brobdingnag, he is a dwarf, with the proportions reversed.
When he comes ashore, he is captured by a giant farmer, who perceives Gulliver only as an animal, a freak of nature resembling man-shaped mouse
Mouse
A mouse is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse . It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles...
. He takes Gulliver home and gives him to his nine-year-old daughter, a child of average size in her land who nevertheless towers over Gulliver. She makes Gulliver her pet, creates a small travel case for him (a miniature bed-chamber in a box), and is amused to play with him as if he were a doll. Gulliver grows very fond of the girl, and gives her the pet name of Glumdalclitch, or "little nurse" in the Brobdingian language. (Of course "little" is highly ironic considering the circumstances. If Gulliver knows her real name, he does not tell the reader.) Glumdalclitch is a skilled seamstress with a talent for making dolls' clothes. Although Gulliver admires the wardrobe that she makes for him, he finds that even the finest Brodingnagian fabric is coarse and irritates his skin. The farmer takes Gulliver about as a freak show, charging observers money for performances. Gulliver grows very proud of the stunts that he performs for Glumdalclitch's amusement.
When the Queen of Brobdingnag takes Gulliver into her court, he has Glumdalclitch brought to court with him. The prideful Gulliver thinks of himself as being greatly honored and promoted by moving to court, but never ceases to love and seek the approval of the little girl who first helped him. Indeed, he remembers her fondly even after returning to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
While Book I is narrowly allegorical
Allegory
Allegory is a demonstrative form of representation explaining meaning other than the words that are spoken. Allegory communicates its message by means of symbolic figures, actions or symbolic representation...
, Book II of Gulliver's Travels is less specifically a roman a clef
Roman à clef
Roman à clef or roman à clé , French for "novel with a key", is a phrase used to describe a novel about real life, overlaid with a façade of fiction. The fictitious names in the novel represent real people, and the "key" is the relationship between the nonfiction and the fiction...
and more generally a political and philosophical discussion. While Glumdalclitch could represent Swift's memories of the young Stella
Esther Johnson
Esther Johnson was the English friend of Jonathan Swift, known as "Stella".Newfoundland-born author Trudy J. Morgan-Cole wrote a novel in 2006 detailing fictionalized portions of the Swift/Johnson friendship in The Violent Friendship of Esther Johnson...
from his time living with William Temple at Moor Park, Surrey, she probably does not stand in for any particularly identifiable historical person.
If one does take Glumdalclitch as the young Stella and the entire episode as an encoding of the time at Moor Park, then it is a poignant story indeed. Swift, like Gulliver, delighted in performing for Stella (e.g. his Meditation Upon a Broomstick
Meditation Upon a Broomstick
thumb|right|A Meditation Upon a Broomstick is a satire and parody written by Jonathan Swift in 1701. Edmund Curll, in an attempt to antagonize and siphon off money from Swift, published it in 1710 from a manuscript stolen from Swift , but the satire's origins lie in Swift's time...
, which he wrote for her), was shown about by her "father" (William Temple), found the living too coarse for his sensibilities, left her company for a "promotion" to London and court life, and mourned her absence for the rest of his life.
In popular culture
In television and film adaptations, the character has been played by Sherry AlberoniSherry Alberoni
Sherry Alberoni is an American actress and voice artist. Alberoni got her start as a Mouseketeer on the weekday ABC television program The Mickey Mouse Club. As an adult, she became a voice artist for Hanna-Barbera Productions...
, Ági Szirtes, and Kate Maberly
Kate Maberly
Kate Elizabeth Cameron Maberly is an English actress and musician. She has appeared in film, television, radio and on stage.-Early life:...
. The character was reimagined in the 2010 film adaptation (in a non-speaking role) as a child and treats Gulliver as a baby doll, presumably to keep with the comedy themes.
Glumdalclitch is the subject of an eponymous novel by Leo Sonderegger published in 2000 as a sequel to Gulliver's Travels.