Samuel Butler
Though today best remembered as a satirist and novelist, British author Samuel Butler was also deeply involved in the scientific debates of his day. In this volume of essays, Butler mounts a compelling alternative theory to the Darwinian model that was starting to gain traction at the time.
One of the leading critics and intellectuals of the Victorian era, Samuel Butler produced literary works in a wide range of genres, ranging from translations of ancient Greek texts to critical essays. This collection of short sketches and stories offers an accessible introduction to Butler's body of work.
Recognized as a top-notch scholar with widely ranging interests and an encyclopedic knowledge of an array of academic disciplines, Samuel Butler contributed meaningfully to late nineteenth-century research in a number of fields. This volume collects some of his most important lectures and essays, a number of which have since been enshrined as important early works in disciplines as diverse as microbiology and the philosophy of language.
On the verge of entering the Anglican clergy, Samuel Butler experienced a sudden change of heart and instead decided to set sail for New Zealand, where he established a sheep farm. Butler chronicles his rocky start as a rancher—and his opinions on a wide variety of current events and controversies—in this engaging series of letters to his family.
Whether you're a long-time fan of British author Samuel Butler (best known for his shrewd satire of utopian fiction, Erewhon) or you're just diving into his diverse body of work, this omnibus collection is an engaging read that's sure to catch and hold your interest. It contains excerpts from both his fiction and his non-fiction and serves as a suitable overview of his unique oeuvre.
Although educated and trained for a career in the clergy, Samuel Butler began to harbor serious doubts about his vocation and Christian morals in general at an early age. Although he addressed these issues in earnest debate with his colleagues and family members, Butler's confusion only worsened over time. He began to explore his concerns about Victorian-era hypocrisy in writing, penning a series of philosophically minded novels and social satires,
...British author Samuel Butler is today best remembered for his utopian novel Erewhon. However, Butler had a voracious intellect and wide-ranging interests that were not always reflected in his fiction. This volume reproduces some of the eclectic entries Butler made in his personal journals over a series of years.
Samuel Butler's Erewhon, or Over the Range was published anonymously 1872. In this satire of Victorian society, the main character Higgs discovers an unknown country, the seeming utopia called Erewhon, Nowhere backwards with the "h" and "w" transposed. The starting chapters detailing the discovery of Erewhon were based on Butler's experiences in New Zealand as a young man. Butler was possibly the first to write about the idea that
...10) Life and Habit
Though his most popular works were novels, the British author Samuel Butler was also deeply engaged in the scientific community of his time. Originally, he was a strong supporter of Darwin's theory of evolution, but after digging into the research, Butler identified several problems with Darwin's model. Butler's objections are laid out in the essays collected in Life and Habit.
Samuel Butler was regarded as an expert on ancient Greek literature, and several of his translations of texts from the period remain authoritative and continue to be used by scholars and students. This diverse collection brings together a number of essays, sketches, short stories and other pieces that offer a comprehensive introduction to Butler's incisive and engaging style.