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Title: The Way of All Flesh by Samuel Butler, Richard Hogart, James Cochrane ISBN: 0-14-043012-1 Publisher: Viking Press Pub. Date: August, 1966 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.48 (25 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: The Victorian Novel Grows Up
Comment: "The Way of All Flesh" seems to be best known as the Victorian novel that thumbed its nose at Victorian novels. For this reason, it's frequently mentioned in talks of literary history, but I don't ever hear of anyone praising Samuel Butler's novel from an artistic perspective. Actually, I find the book more interesting for its story than for its place in the development of 19th and 20th century literature.
I tried to read this novel once and only got through the first 100 pages or so. I found it remarkably dull and dry, and the tone of the first-person narrator (Mr. Overton), who stops the action every 10 pages or so to offer personal asides that reveal more about him than about the characters he's writing about, I thought to be snide and irritating.
But I hate not finishing a book, so I picked it up again, this time understanding that it would be a dry read and prepared to appreciate it for its historical context. To my surprise, I found myself caught up in the story and thought the whole thing very funny. I can't believe I missed all the humour the first time through.
I hesitate to give this novel too much credit for deflating the pompous bubble of Victorian morality, because other authors writing at the same time as Butler were doing the same thing (Dickens for one can be incredibly caustic). But there is a maturity to Butler's writing that is not present in other Victorian writers. This novel feels much more modern than anything else written pre-1900, and even feels more modern than some books written after. Unlike Dickens, whose characters are either all good or all bad and have about as much depth as the characters you'd find in a comic book (this isn't a criticism--I like Dickens), Butler's characters (at least Ernest, his protagonist) seem very much alive and flawed. Ernest is easily influenced by everyone around him and makes decisions based on how he thinks he should act rather than how he wants to act. He doesn't know what he wants out of life, he's a screw up, he's got lousy luck. All of these things make him quite endearing because they make him so human. The scathing criticism of religious hypocrisy and moral bombast exhibited by the majority of people in Ernest's life can be funny, especially if you agree with it (as I do), but the story itself is much more interesting than the social commentary.
I would definitely recommend this book. It's not necessarily a page turner, but it consistently held my interest. Just remember that it's supposed to be funny. Think of Butler as a 19th century Evelyn Waugh, and you should do just fine.
Rating: 3
Summary: The Way of All Flesh
Comment: A very important novel of the 19th Century. How it is included in the best novels of the 20th Century by the New York Times is beyond me. The book was begun more than 30 years before 1900. Although completed in 1872, it lay unpublished for nearly 30 years; presumably until such time as some of its anti-Victorian ideals would be more palatable to the British public.
The story principally centers around the life of Ernest Pontifex, an impreesionable and naive young man who is reared by devout Anglican parents. Their well meaning cruelty shelter Ernest and cause him to make bad decisions and derail his ambitions. As a result of the consequences of these bad decisions, Ernest learns to manage his own life and becomes a success despite his early failures.
Although important in its time, the novel is brutally slow.
Rating: 5
Summary: Makes Dickens look like fluff
Comment: I read this book after reading all the reviews on Amazon not knowing what to expect: Incredibly boring or amazing insightful? I have read many books written in that same time period. I believe this to be the most mature work to come out of England in the late 19th Century(although it was published later). I enjoy Dickens, Hardy, and Eliot very much, but Butler makes their works look like grocery store fiction. I can see how many people might be bored if they were expecting a great story. While the story is excellent, it is more a book about ideas. Butler uses his hero to voice his commentary on Victorian ideals. Most of it is still very relevant today, though. I think it will be most relevant for people that have been exposed to the religious right wing who still hold many Victorian values. I enjoyed the characters and the story was compelling. There are many beautiful passages. It was very funny at times and somewhat sarcastic. The narrator reminded me of Hemmingway born 50 years earlier in England. What impressed me the most was Butler's modern style of writing. Much less wordy than Dickens. Dickens would have taken 800 pages to express the same thoughts. I also felt a real kindred to the main character Ernest. This is ultimately a coming of age book which most people will be able to relate to in one way or another (unless you haven't grown up yet). I would recommend it to all serious readers.
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Title: Under the Volcano : A Novel by Malcolm Lowry ISBN: 0060955228 Publisher: Perennial Pub. Date: 25 April, 2000 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler ISBN: 0553265954 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 01 March, 1984 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser, Richard Lingeman ISBN: 0451527704 Publisher: Signet Pub. Date: 08 August, 2000 List Price(USD): $9.95 |
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Title: Appointment in Samarra : A Novel by John O'Hara ISBN: 0375719202 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 08 July, 2003 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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Title: Sons and Lovers by D. H. Lawrence ISBN: 0451518829 Publisher: New American Library Pub. Date: January, 1985 List Price(USD): $5.95 |
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