The Way of All Flesh, Samuel Butler
The Way of All Flesh, Samuel Butler
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The Way of All Flesh

Author: Samuel Butler

Narrator: Ethan Reynolds

Unabridged: 17 hr 30 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Robert Larson

Published: 10/07/2024


Synopsis

"The Way of All Flesh" is a semi-autobiographical novel by Samuel Butler, published posthumously in 1903. The narrative critiques Victorian society, particularly its hypocrisy surrounding family, religion, and education, through the lens of the Pontifex family across four generationsThe story begins with John Pontifex, a carpenter whose ambitions lead him to become a wealthy but morally questionable businessman. His obsession with social status sets the stage for the struggles faced by his descendants, particularly his son George and grandson Theobald.The central character, Ernest Pontifex, emerges as the great-grandson of John. Raised in a repressive environment by his domineering parents, Theobald and Christina, Ernest grapples with the expectations placed upon him to follow a path in the clergy. Despite initial enthusiasm for religious life, he becomes disillusioned during his time at Cambridge and later as a curate. His attempts to reform the Church lead to personal crises, including a misguided sexual advance that results in imprisonment.

About Samuel Butler

Samuel Butler (1835-1902) was an iconoclastic Victorian author who published a variety of works. Two of his most famous pieces are the Utopian satire Erewhon and the posthumous novel The Way of All Flesh. He is also known for examining Christian orthodoxy, substantive studies of evolutionary thought, studies of Italian art, and works of literary history and criticism. Butler also made prose translations of the Iliad and the Odyssey, which remain in use to this day.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Paul on September 20, 2023

This is the story of a poor little rich boy. I don’t know about you, but I have practically zero sympathy for poor little rich boys. Call me flint-hearted. His name is Ernest Pontifex. The goose was not born that Ernest could say boo to. He is a spineless, feeble kid to be sure, but even had he been......more

Goodreads review by Baba on February 17, 2022

A semi-biographical story of four generations of the Pontifex family by Samuel Butler, that he only allowed to be published after his death that takes apart Victorian society focusing on the unrelenting hypocrisy of, in this case the monied religious family focusing on the detrimental effects of pat......more

Goodreads review by Joselito Honestly on March 14, 2014

There's a poem by Kahlil Gibran which goes like this: "Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you. You may give them your love but not your thoughts,......more

Goodreads review by Φώτης on December 13, 2018

... δεν είναι άλλη, παρά εκείνη της λογοτεχνίας. Η ανθρώπινη κατάσταση, όπως ξεδιπλώνεται αβίαστα μέσα από την πένα ενός μεγάλου συγγραφέα. Χρώμα πάνω στο χρώμα, ένας καμβάς ζωντανός, ολόφρεσκος, όπως την ημέρα εκείνη που ο δημιουργός του τον παρέδωσε στην αιωνιότητα. Ο μεν βίος βραχύς, η δε τέχνη μ......more

Goodreads review by Έλσα on August 21, 2019

"Η κοινή ανθρώπινη μοίρα" Ένα βιβλίο που φτάνοντας στη μέση του με προβλημάτισε. Όντας αποστασιοποιημένη από θρησκευτικές ιδεολογίες οφείλω να ομολογήσω πως με κούρασε κ με εκνεύρισε. Όμως, προχωρώντας την ανάγνωσή του κ δίνοντάς του χώρο, διαπίστωσα πως πρόκειται για κάτι παραπάνω. Σαφέστατα υπάρχο......more