Brobdingnag is a peninsula on the western coast of British Columbia that acts as the "island" nation of the Brobdingnagians, a giant race of humanoids who are of truly titanic size. Everything on Brobdingnag is gigantic, including the plants, animals, food, buildings and etc, befitting of the giants that make it their home. Brobdingnag was one of the many locations visited by Gulliver during his travels.
History[]
In ancient times, the people of Brobdingnag were much larger, as shown by skeletal remains uncovered all over the country and its literature.
Military[]
By the time of Gulliver's visit, Brobdingnag had a standing army of 176,000 men, and 32,000 horses. Much of its members consisted of tradesmen and farmers, and their commanders were selected from the nobility and gentry.
Portrayals in adaptations[]
1977 Film[]
In the 1977 film, Gulliver does not go to Brobdingnag until the very end of the film, where he encounters a giant, however the movie ends there and none of Brobdingnag is seen.
1996 Mini-series[]
In the 1996 mini-series, the entire affair at Brobdingnag is loudly conveyed within an insane asylum by Gulliver while all the patients stare at him in deranged amusement. As in the book, he mentions that he landed on Brobdingnag shortly after leaving Lilliput on a small raft. There he is abducted by a giant villager and after several events he is able to meet the queen of Brobdingnag. After thinking that their society is too different from English society, he decides to introduce gunpowder to the giants in hopes that it will make them become more like Englishmen, instead the giants are appalled by the dangerous substance and consider English society to be barbaric.
2010 Film[]
In the 2010 film, Gulliver (played by Jack Black) is banished to the island beyond the fog by Blefuscun conquered Lilliput army. The island beyond the fog, while not named (only named in the credits) is none other than Brobdingnag, however only one giant little girl is seen who lives in a large house near the beach. The rest of Brobdingnag and its kingdom is not seen or mentioned.
Trivia[]
- Despite being the island that follows Lilliput and Blefuscu in the books, it and Blefuscu are rarely adapted entirely or even referenced in other media, usually Lilliput is the segment of the story that is most commonly referenced.
- In some European maps, Brobdingnag's location corresponds with one interpretation of the mythical Chinese land of "Fusang", located further east from Penglai.