Gulliver's Travels - Jonathan Swift

Satire is sometimes a thing of beauty, although often satire is a way to take cheap shots without defense. I think Swift's novel is a bit of both. He uses comparisons with imaginary societies to critique governments and individuals without providing support. And yet, the critique is merited and, at the time of writing, difficult to put forth without fear of reprisal. The novel is rarely funny, although it tries to be in places, but it is thought-provoking and provides an outside "objective" perspective that is often difficult to achieve. Overall, I enjoyed it, although I wasn't sad to see it end.