DOCSLIB.ORG

Samuel Butler's Way of All Flesh As a Sociological Novel

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Samuel Butler's Way of All Flesh As a Sociological Novel Western Kentucky University TopSCHOLAR® Masters Theses & Specialist Projects Graduate School 7-1976 Samuel Butler’s Way of All Flesh as a Sociological Novel David Carter Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses Part of the European History Commons, and the Literature in English, British Isles Commons Recommended Citation Carter, David, "Samuel Butler’s Way of All Flesh as a Sociological Novel" (1976). Masters Theses & Specialist Projects. Paper 1375. http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/1375 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by TopSCHOLAR®. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses & Specialist Projects by an authorized administrator of TopSCHOLAR®. For more information, please contact [email protected]. SNIUEL BlITL ER ' S I<AY OF AU FLESH AS A SOC I OL OGICAL NOVEL A Thesi s Presente d to the Faculty o f the De partment o f English We ste rn Ken tucky Unive rsity Bowling Gr een, Kentucky In Pa rtia l Ful f illment of the Requirements f or the De gre e Mas t er o f Arts by Da vid E. Ca rter July. 1976 SAI'IUEL BUTLER ' 5 \~A Y OF ALL ~" L E SH AS A SOC10 L UG 1CAL NLlVEL Re col!l11ended 7 - .J / - 7 c: (da t e ) r;-"v,'v Co:..- \ \1.... "'-.\."-.._ Dire c t or of The sis ' , \ - .,., -?/ A pp r ove d 7_ _ n '" - "- ( da t e ) Dean of t he Gr a dua t Coll ege iii Acknowl cugcments To the English de pa rtme nt of Western Kentucky Unive rsity who inspired my l ove of lite r a ture To Dr. George l-1cCelvey, my very patient thesis director To J.E.C. and P.D. C. But most. of a ll, to S.J. C. -typist, ins pira tion, friend, a nd wife. i v TAII LE OF ClNTEN TS Intro duction ................................. .......................................................... i Cha pte r I. Butle r 1 s Li f e a s Backgr o und f o r Th e \.Ja y o f All Flesh ......................... .. .................. 1 Cha pter II. Years of Wasted Ef fort: Ern e st Pontifex and Victorian Ed ucation •.•• 27 Cha pter Ill. The Victorian Clergy : Hypocrites or Dullards •••••...•..••.•• • •••• 42 Cha pter IV. The Victorian Family: Butler's Worst Eneroy •••••••••.•..•••••••••. 54 Cha pter V. Th e Victorian Problem and, Butler's Solutions •• 69 Ch a pt e r VI. Conc lusions Summa ry. The Reputa tion of The Wa y of All Fl esh a nd It s Inf luence ..•....•..•.•..•.••• 80 Bibliogra phy ...................................................................................... 89 v SAHLI 8UTLER' $ '''AY Ufo ALL FL ESH AS A SOCIOLllGICAL NOVEL David E. Cc'1 r ccr July 1976 94 pages Directed by: G. E. NcCe l vey , D. t-1ct-1ahon and J. Sur vant Department of En g lish West e rn Ke ntucky Unive r si t y To schol a r s of Vi cturian l i::eratur e , Samu e l But l e r h as a l ways been a r ebel who strik es o ut a t society with wide -ra nging c riticism. Aft e r yea r s of studying subj ects as va rie d as music , a r c , b i o logy . literature , a nd the olugy . Butle r felt (like ma ny Victoria n writers) tha t he could make va lua ble social c omme nts with his satires , trave logu es , bi ol ogica l studies , a nd one novel. Critica l s tudies of Butle r ha ve t ended to trea t in broa d outline a ll facets of hi s l ife a nd work . This study, however, examines in d e pth Butle r's nove l The Way of All Flesh. a s the foca l point of his critical a n a lysis o f Victoria n socie t y . It treats the work as a sociological n ovel showing the ma in cha r a cter Ernest Pontifex manipu­ l a t ed by ha r sh s ocie t a l forces a nd presents the thesis that ma n needs to be f r eed f r om r estrictive social de t e rminism. I t i s t h us t he purpose of this study to suggest tha t Samue l Butle r wrote The Way o f All Flesh to s ummarize his criticism of Victoria n society a nd to set forth his plea for a society g ove rne d b y the principle of r a tiona l mod e r a tion in human affairs. To demonstrate this thesis, the present study will begin with Butle r's life , e mpha ­ s i z ing his s tudy with schoolmasters , exposure to the cle rgy, vi a nd li f e with his pa r e nt s in a n a ttempt tu show the d e velopme nt of his unconve ntiona l a ttitude t o\.Ja rd con­ t empora r y society . A short introduction to Butle r' s li fe is pa rticula rly important for a s tudy of The Way of All Fl e sh beca use this nove l conta ins a gr eat deal of pure a utobiog r a phy. Following this introduction, the three strongest ar eas of sociological comment will be examined as they appear in The Way of All Flesh. Victorian schoolmasters, clergymen, and parents All force Ernest Pontifex to suffer a r epr essive ex istence . An inquiry into Hutler's criticism of these t hr ee social types and their influenc e in Victor­ ian society will form the main body of this study. The next chapter of this thesis will be devoted to explaining how Butler proposes to solve the proble ms that h e has intro duce d with his social criticism. Following this cha pter, the conclusion will summarize the main ideas of this s tudy and will deal with Butler's critica l reputa­ tion. Also the conclusion will show the debt our freer society owes to Samuel Butle r's Way of All Flesh by examin­ ing s ome similariti e s between his nove l's social criticism a nd othe r t a r gets of social criticism found in four in­ fluentia l twe ntieth c e ntury novels of r ebellion. lt will finally be seen that Samuel Butler was not a flawless vi i noveli s t ( or for t ha t matter. a f l awl ess phil osoph e r) t but t he critical message of his Way of All Fl esh far outwe ighed t he strengths or weaknesses of its a rtis tic form f or a who l e gene r a tion of anti- Vi c toria ns . CHAPrER 1 Butler ls Life a s Ba ckground for The Wa y of All Fl esh &lmue l Butle r (or Erewhon Butle r as h e i s o f t en c a lle d t o distingui sh him f r om the seventeenth-century English s a tirica l poet) wa s born a t Langa r Rec t or y on the f ourth of Dec emb er in 1835 . His fa the r Thomas Butle r was the r ector a t La nga r. and his gr andfa t he r Dr. Sa mue l Butle r wa s the well-known headma s t e r of Shrewsbury School. Butle r' s mo t her wa s Fanny Wors l ey , the da ughter of a Bristol suga r r efiner. Thoma5 Butler b ega n his formal educa tion a t Shrew sbury with his f a ther as headmaster. Aft e r gr a dua t ion f r om Shr ewsbury, Thomas c ontinued his educa t i on a t St. J ohn' s College , Cambridge gra dua ting wi t h a B. A. in 1829 a nd being o rda ine d a s a p rie st the following yea r.l The writing of back gr ound inf orma tion on a man's fa mily is oft en B ver y min or de t a il in a n y s tudy . But lHe nry Fest i ng Jone s, Samue l Butl e r: A Hemoir , 2 vol s . (London: ~~ cmill a n and Co . , 1919 ; r e print cd., New York: Octagon Books, 1968), 1: 1, 12-13. All s ubse qu ent biog r a phica l da t a a re f rom this source unless othe rwise i n d ica t e d. 1 2 (or Sa muel Butl e r, the inf lue n ce of his g nmd a the r i s extr e mel y i mporta nt . \,,'ith the emphasis on edu ca tiona l discipline tha t Dr. Bu tle r instituted a t Sh r ewsbur y, his son e n dure d a g r eat deal of punishment ,.. ·i th his father B S hea dmaster. \.fhat makes this information so pertinent to Butle r 's li fe i s (as Ph yllis Gr ecnacr e calls it) Thomas'"turning of the t a bles " on Samuel to make his son live unde r a more strict en vir onment than he e ve r had t o experi ence.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Humour of Homer
    The Humour of Homer Samuel Butler A lecture delivered at the Working Men's College, Great Ormond Street 30th January, 1892 The first of the two great poems commonly ascribed to Homer is called the Iliad|a title which we may be sure was not given it by the author. It professes to treat of a quarrel between Agamemnon and Achilles that broke out while the Greeks were besieging the city of Troy, and it does, indeed, deal largely with the consequences of this quarrel; whether, however, the ostensible subject did not conceal another that was nearer the poet's heart| I mean the last days, death, and burial of Hector|is a point that I cannot determine. Nor yet can I determine how much of the Iliadas we now have it is by Homer, and how much by a later writer or writers. This is a very vexed question, but I myself believe the Iliadto be entirely by a single poet. The second poem commonly ascribed to the same author is called the Odyssey. It deals with the adventures of Ulysses during his ten years of wandering after Troy had fallen. These two works have of late years been believed to be by different authors. The Iliadis now generally held to be the older work by some one or two hundred years. The leading ideas of the Iliadare love, war, and plunder, though this last is less insisted on than the other two. The key-note is struck with a woman's charms, and a quarrel among men for their possession.
    [Show full text]
  • The Way of All Flesh
    The Way of All Flesh Samuel Butler This eBook was designed and published by Planet PDF. For more free eBooks visit our Web site at http://www.planetpdf.com/. To hear about our latest releases subscribe to the Planet PDF Newsletter. The Way of All Flesh Chapter I When I was a small boy at the beginning of the century I remember an old man who wore knee-breeches and worsted stockings, and who used to hobble about the street of our village with the help of a stick. He must have been getting on for eighty in the year 1807, earlier than which date I suppose I can hardly remember him, for I was born in 1802. A few white locks hung about his ears, his shoulders were bent and his knees feeble, but he was still hale, and was much respected in our little world of Paleham. His name was Pontifex. His wife was said to be his master; I have been told she brought him a little money, but it cannot have been much. She was a tall, square-shouldered person (I have heard my father call her a Gothic woman) who had insisted on being married to Mr Pontifex when he was young and too good-natured to say nay to any woman who wooed him. The pair had lived not unhappily together, for Mr Pontifex’s temper was easy and he soon learned to bow before his wife’s more stormy moods. Mr Pontifex was a carpenter by trade; he was also at one time parish clerk; when I remember him, however, he had so far risen in life as to be no longer compelled to 2 of 736 The Way of All Flesh work with his own hands.
    [Show full text]
  • Alfred Russel Wallace Obituary
    310 THE NATION. November 15, 1913. THE GREATNESS OF ALFRED RUSSEL WALLACE. THE sudden passing away of a great man often lets loose a flood of sentimental or dramatic appreciation which obscures for a time the real significance of his life. This has been the case with Alfred Russel Wallace. The numerous obituary notices would have us believe that his fame was founded and will rest upon his discovery, coincident with that of Charles Darwin, of the origin of species by natural selection. The marvel of these two minds, working entirely independently, but led by the same clue, Malthus's "Principles of Population," to the same novel and audacious conclusion, was indeed well calculated to impress the unreflective mind. The pleasent and creditable story of the joint-publication of their discovery to the Linnean Society in 1858, and of the cordial relations existing between the" rivals," gave the glow of generous feeling required to touch the imagmation. But to most people Wallace had never been more than a figure of vague importance, a great naturalist, who, since Darwin's death, had become the representative sage in this department of learning. In point of fact, there was nothing marvellous about the coincidence of the discovery. In the first place, it was not coincident, for though Wallace, brooding over the problem of the origin of species for over ten years, seems to have had a sudden access of illumination in 1858, Darwin had reached the conclusion some years before. The publication was indeed coincident, but it was a designed coincidence. But even had the discovery itself been simultaneous, it would deserve no wonder.
    [Show full text]
  • THE ORIGINALI'fy of SAMUEL BUTLER
    . i ' THE ORIGINALI'fY OF SAMUEL BUTLER CARLETON W. STANLEY LIKE everyone else much worth talking about, Samuel Butler, author of Erewhon, can hardly be talked about in short compass. The interesting men in history are the versatile men-Aristotle, Julius Caesar, Leonardo da Vinci, Michel Angelo, in later times Galton. This is true even of greatness in the second rank. Walter Bagehot, for example, is not the greatest of economists, but he is more interesting than any of the others, simply because he was something else besides economist. But versatility carries an ad­ mirer over wide fields. And Samuel Butler, besides being wide, is deep. The great temptation for one who undertakes to discuss Butler is to use his very witty writings to gain for one's self a momentary reputation for wittiness,-to bask in a reflected light, and leave one's readers saying: "How amusing! How brilliant!" A very interesting essay might also be made merely by recounting Butler's life, which was exceedingly varied in scene, more than a little varied in the ups and downs of fortune, and extraordinarly versatile, . as I have already hinted, in occupation. He was a Cambridge graduate of high standing, a theologian, a botanist, an art critic of great acumen; he painted pictures; he composed music; he was easily the greatest wit of his generation; in New Zealand he learned so well to rear and shear and kill sheep that he made a competence for himself in less than five years; but he was also one of those Iambs who seem to be reared for the special purpose of being shorn and bled by a certain type of Canadian, and in Montreal he lost all that he had made in New Zealand.
    [Show full text]
  • Erewhon by Samuel Butler
    Erewhon Samuel Butler [ A SPECIAL EDITION \ FULL TEXT, UNABRIDGED, COMPANION VOLUME Erewhon Samuel Butler FLAME TREE PUBLISHING This edition is Published to accompany Dystopia Utopia Short Stories (Flame Tree Publishing, 2016) ISBN 9781783619986 Erewhon Originally published in 1872 FLAME TREE PUBLISHING Samuel Butler 6 Melbray Mews, Fulham, London SW6 3NS, United Kingdom www.flametreepublishing.com A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library A version of this book, with a biography and glossary of terms is available under the following ISBNs: Print 978-1-78664-495-4 “There is no action save upon a eBook 978-1-78664-496-1 balance of considerations.” Aristotle, Politics © 2016 Flame Tree Publishing Ltd All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission in writing of the publisher. For the ePub version, purchase from a recognized online retailer of ebooks constitutes permission to store this publication. 5 SAMUEL BUTLER EREWHON single review of The Coming Race, nor a copy of the work. On my return, I purposely avoided looking into it until I had sent back my last revises to the Preface printer. Then I had much pleasure in reading it, but was indeed surprised at the many little points of similarity between the two books, in spite of their entire independence to one another. I regret that reviewers have in some cases been inclined to treat the chapters on Machines as an attempt to reduce Mr.
    [Show full text]
  • Shaw As an Evolutionist in Arms and the Man Muhammad Iqbal ∗ & Amjad Ali ∗∗
    Shaw as an Evolutionist in Arms and the Man Muhammad Iqbal ∗ & Amjad Ali ∗∗ Abstract Shaw’s plays have been evaluated from different perspectives. Critics have traced the influences of different thinkers and philosophers like Mozart, Nietzsche, Marx and Ibsen in his works. But the influences of Darwin’s and Lamarck’s theory of evolution have not been thoroughly and systematically discussed in his plays. There are critics like Maurice Colbourne who just casually touches upon it without making it the subject of serious discussion.1 This paper looks at the Shavian plays in general and Arms and the Man in particular within the frameworks of Darwin’s and Lamarck’s theories of evolution. It also aims at proving Shaw’s preference for Lamarck over Darwin. The treatment of two theories of evolution would not be scientific but rather the focus would be on their literary values. The researchers don’t claim originality in deriving aesthetic and literary notions from the theories of evolution, but it is claimed with qualified assertion that the plays of GB Shaw in particular Arms and the Man bear the marks of Darwinism and Lamarckism which substantiate the originality of the study. Keywords : George Bernard Shaw, Evolution, Darwinism, Lamarckism Introduction George Bernard Shaw (G.B. Shaw), who is undisputedly the second most celebrated playwright in English language, and ‘England’s second Shakespeare’2 is a literary figure who has been diversely interpreted, criticized and appreciated. Perhaps Nehru of India was quite right to say that Shaw was not only the greatest figures of the age but one who influenced the thought of vast number of human beings during two generations.3 Shaw’s own popular critical comment like, “we get from his plays only what we bring to them”4, have always encouraged literary critics to stretch their imagination and give innovative meanings to his plays.
    [Show full text]
  • (SBR) Graduate Freshers' Guide 2018–19
    St John’s College Samuel Butler Room (SBR) Graduate Freshers’ Guide 2018–19 SBR Welcome Welcome to St John’s! This is an informal guide put together by members of the ‘Samuel Butler Room Committee’ – the graduate committee at St John’s College. The collegiate system is central to Cambridge life, and St John’s College has one of the liveliest graduate communities. We hope you’ll take full advantage of everything St John’s and the SBR have to offer. Settling into a postgraduate course, a new city, and perhaps a new country, while getting used to the peculiarities of Cambridge and College life, can be a bit confusing. This guide, which has been written from personal perspectives, with tips and advice gathered from many Johnians, has three aims: 1. to explain how to get to St John’s; Yale: a mythical beast with horns that can swivel in 2. to introduce you to graduate life here; and any direction. Two yales are found on the Great Gate 3. to help you prioritise the stuff you need to do when you of St John’s, as the heraldic beasts of the College’s arrive. foundress. 2 Who/what is the SBR? The Samuel Butler Room (SBR) Committee are your graduate The Samuel Butler Room (the SBR) is in I staircase in First Court representatives in College. We organise events and activities (go through the ‘Great Gate’ and turn left). The room, named in throughout the year for St John’s graduate students, provide honour of the Victorian polymath, is the College’s Middle welfare support and can advocate on your behalf with any Combination Room or ‘MCR’ (Cambridge speak for ‘common College issues.
    [Show full text]
  • Balıkesir Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi Sayı: 5 Mayıs 2001 ÜTOPYA VE EREWOHN FARKLI ZAMANLARDA İKİ HAYALİ ÜLKE Y
    Balıkesir Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi Sayı: 5 Mayıs 2001 ÜTOPYA VE EREWOHN FARKLI ZAMANLARDA İKİ HAYALİ ÜLKE Yrd. Doç. Dr. Erol BARUT* ÖZET Sir Thomas More'un Utopia ve Samuel Butler'ın Erewhon' u aynı türden iki yapıttır. Bu kitapların her birinde hayali bir ülkeden söz edilir. Bu ülkeler ideal toplumlar içerir. Plato'nun Republic eserinden beri ideal bir devlet bir çok sayıda kitabın konusu olmuştur. Utopia 'nın yayımı ile Erewhon'unki arasında üç yüz yılı aşkın bir zaman aralığı olmasına karşın başlıklarının da çağrıştırdığı gibi yakın bir ilişki vardır: Her iki eserde de her şeyin yolunda gittiği sonuç olarak herkesin mutlu olduğu bir hayali ülke anlatılırken Sir Thomas More filozof ve Samuel Butler hicivci olarak ön plana çıkar. Anahtar Kelimeler: İngiliz Edebiyatı, Hayali Ülkeler, Sir Thomas More, Samuel Butler UTOPIA AND EREWOHN TWO IMAGINARY LANDS AT DIFFERENT TIMES SUMMARY Sir Thomas More's Utopia and Samuel Butler's Erewhon are two works of the same kind. In each of these books an imaginary country is described. These countries include ideal societies. Since Plato's Republic an ideal sate has been the subject of a number of books. Despite the fact that there is a span of over three centuries between the publication of Utopia and that of Erewhon, as their titles suggest, there is a close connection between them: While an imaginary society where everything goes all right, consequently everybody is happy is described in both of these works Sir Thomas More is a philosopher and Samuel Butler a satirist. Key Words: English Literature, Imaginary Countries, Sir Thomas More, Samuel Butler Asst.
    [Show full text]
  • Samuel Butler's Ernest Pontifex, Or the Way of All Flesh: Evolution, Religion, and Wealth
    Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University English Theses Department of English Summer 8-12-2014 Samuel Butler's Ernest Pontifex, or The Way of All Flesh: Evolution, Religion, and Wealth Carla Mills Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/english_theses Recommended Citation Mills, Carla, "Samuel Butler's Ernest Pontifex, or The Way of All Flesh: Evolution, Religion, and Wealth." Thesis, Georgia State University, 2014. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/english_theses/175 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of English at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in English Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. SAMUEL BUTLER’S ERNEST PONTIFEX, OR THE WAY OF ALL FLESH: EVOLUTION, RELIGION, AND WEALTH by CARLA MILLS Under the Direction of Paul Schmidt ABSTRACT In The Way of All Flesh, published posthumously in 1903 but written during the years 1873-1884, Samuel Butler presents his Victorian world as one in crisis, unhinged by recent scientific developments. Charles Darwin published The Origin of Species in 1859 and effectively undercut most religious and theological belief structures with his argument that all species evolved gradually over time from a common ancestor. If this is so, how could the Bible’s story of creation be true? Samuel Butler incorporates terminology of evolution and develops his own evolutionary views in response to Charles Darwin’s throughout the novel. Butler’s protagonist, Ernest Pontifex, exemplifies the evolutionary process in a bildungsroman- style text to implicitly suggest Butler’s belief that man cannot successfully adapt to his environment without wealth.
    [Show full text]
  • SAMUEL BUTLER • 1835: He Was Born at the Rectory in the Village of Langar to the Rev
    Iconoclastic British author, he brought a new tone into Victorian literature and began the tradition of New Zealand utopian/dystopian literature with his satire Erewhon (1872). Also known for his substantive studies of evolutionary thought (criticising Darwin), his prose translations of The Iliad and The Odyssey are still in use today. SECTION SUMMARY 2 SAMUEL BUTLER • 1835: he was born at the rectory in the village of Langar to the Rev. Thomas Butler – his relationship with his parents, whom he found particularly “brutal and stupid by nature”, was largely antagonistic: his education, which began at home, included frequent beatings, as was not uncommon at the time. • 1854: set on course to follow his father into priesthood, he went up to St. John’s College, Cambridge, where he obtained a First in Classics in 1858. • 1858-59: he lived in a low-income parish in London. 4 SAMUEL BUTLER 1859-1863: he emigrated to New Zealand like many early British settlers of privileged origins, in order to put as much distance as possible between himself and his family. He wrote about his arrival and his life as a sheep farmer in A First Year in Canterbury Settlemen (1863), and made a handsome profit when he sold his farm, but the chief achievement of his time in New Zealand was the drafts and source material for much of his masterpiece Erewhon, a satire of Victorian society. 1864: he returned to England settling in rooms in Clifford’s Inn in London where he lived for the rest of his life. 5 SAMUEL BUTLER 1872: the utopian novel Erewhon appeared anonymously, causing some speculation as to the identity of the author.
    [Show full text]
  • 800 BC the ILIAD Homer Translated by Samuel Butler
    800 BC THE ILIAD Homer translated by Samuel Butler Homer (~800 BC) - An Ionian Poet. Historians cannot agree where Homer was born, whether he was blind, whether he wrote both the “Iliad” and the “Odyssey”, or even if he actually existed. Whatever the case may be, the influence of the two enduring epics attributed to him is indisputable. The Iliad (800 BC) - An epic poem consisting of twenty-four books that deal with the last few days of the Trojan War. Here translated into prose by Samuel Butler. Table Of Contents BOOK I . 3 BOOK II . 12 BOOK III . 25 BOOK IV . 32 BOOK V . 40 BOOK VI . 53 BOOK VII . 61 BOOK VIII . 68 BOOK IX . 76 BOOK X . 87 BOOK XI . 96 BOOK XII . 109 BOOK XIII . 116 BOOK XIV . 129 BOOK XV . 137 BOOK XVI . 148 BOOK XVII . 162 BOOK XVIII . 173 BOOK XIX . 182 BOOK XX . 188 BOOK XXI . 196 BOOK XXII . 205 BOOK XXIII . 213 BOOK XXIV . 227 THE END . 238 BOOK I Sing, O goddess, the anger of Achilles son of Peleus, that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans. Many a brave soul did it send hurrying down to Hades, and many a hero did it yield a prey to dogs and vultures, for so were the counsels of Jove fulfilled from the day on which the son of Atreus, king of men, and great Achilles, first fell out with one another. And which of the gods was it that set them on to quarrel? It was the son of Jove and Leto; for he was angry with the king and sent a pestilence upon the host to plague the people, because the son of Atreus had dishonoured Chryses his priest.
    [Show full text]
  • Samuel Butler: Author of Erewhon
    Colby Quarterly Volume 2 Issue 9 February Article 3 February 1949 Samuel Butler: Author of Erewhon James Humphry, III Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.colby.edu/cq Recommended Citation Colby Library Quarterly, series 2, no.9, February 1949, p.141-145 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Commons @ Colby. It has been accepted for inclusion in Colby Quarterly by an authorized editor of Digital Commons @ Colby. Humphry, III: Samuel Butler: Author of Erewhon Colby Library Quarterly Series II February 1949 NO·9 SAMUEL BUTLER: AUTHOR OF EREWHON by JAMES HUMPHRY, III ORDS are like money: there is nothing so useless, un­ W less when in actual use. Books are simply imprisoned souls until someone takes them down from the shelf and reads them." These words of Samuel Butler, nineteenth­ century novelist, satirist, and essayist, are good advice for anyone attempting a study of the man and his works. For there are many of us who would buy Butler's complete works expecting them to be written by the author of Hudi­ bras, repeating the mistake of an official of one of England's great public schools. It was William Lyon Phelps who, when asked if he knew the Sanluel Butler, made what he considered a few pertinent and critical remarks about Hudibras. Our Samuel Butler, as Mr. Phelps promptly learned from his irate interrogator, was the grandson of the Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry, but was in no way re­ lated to the Restoration poet. Mr. I. R. Brussel of New York, a bookseller of long ex­ perience and an especially able "book-hunter" for the Col­ by College Library, has presented to the Library in honor of the late Carroll A.
    [Show full text]