Product Description

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. (Excerpt)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #197423 in Books
• Published on: 2007-05-05
• Released on: 2007-05-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 418 pages

Customer Reviews

Good in unexpected ways,
I thought this was either going to be a heavy, slow society work, or an erotic, titillating one. If you have read it, you know I had no prior knowledge of Butler's work. This was a scathing, sarcasim filled commentary on traditional family hierarchy and expected life goals in the mid to late 1800's in England, which ended up being an enjoyable read. Doubtless it was atypical at the time - but from today's perspective it is almost the "normal" dysfunctional family.

The Definitive Book About Dysfunctional Families
It has been frequently observed that those who write history define it, and so it is with this wonderful novel which is, in large part, Butler's autobiography. Reviewers speak of it as having blown the lid off Victorian society; in fact, it is timeless, ruthlessly dissecting the behavior of several generations of an abusive family where the only rule is "Every man for himself." Those who grew up in that kind of family will find it truthful and insightful, those who grew up in happy families will be perplexed.

As some of the other reviews indicate, this is a book that is likely to offend conventional, especially fundamentalist, Christians. Butler's father was an ordained Anglican priest and he himself came close to being one (opting instead to run a sheep station in New Zealand for five years, an experience upon which he based "Erewhon"). Butler excoriates the hypocrisy and cant of that profession while questioning the Church's key doctrines.

If you can, purchase an edition with Theodore Dreiser's introduction.

Make no mistake, this is a great book. It is, with good reason, #12 on the Modern Library's list of the 100 Best Novels.

The End of the Victorian Era
This novel marks the end of Victorian conventions, however, it is timeless in that it critiques hypocrisy and fundamentalism that is present in any age. It follows the dysfunctional Pontifex family and eventually focuses on Ernest Pontifex, an idiot savant without much savant. Despite its persisent criticism and cynicism regarding the mores of the day, the alternative the novel presents is a life of leisure with little responsibility (for example, Ernest's children are simply given to another family to raise with little consequence). This book is a very interesting view of the waning Victorian era.