The Way of All Flesh The Way of All Flesh (1903) is a semi-autobiographical novel by Samuel Butler which attacks Victorian-era hypocrisy. Written between 1873 and 1884, it traces four generations of the Pontifex family. It represents a relaxation from the religious outlook from a Calvinistic approach, which is presented as harsh. Butler dared not publish it during his lifetime, but when it was published it was accepted as part of the general reaction against Victorianism.The novel is a profound meditation on family and on religion, most particularly Low-Church Protestantism and its pernicious effects in both private life and political opinion. Ernest Pontifex must break the psychological chains that have been imposed upon him by the moralistic pettiness and small-mindedness of his Low-Church Anglican parents.The Way of All Flesh is a brilliant book, filled with unforgettable vignettes of Hogarthian vigor. Read the novel if you dare. But I warn you-if you really get into the text, it's only a matter of time before you shed your liberalism like a dead skin.In 1998, the Modern Library ranked "The Way of All Flesh" twelfth on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century.This edition of "The Way Of All Flesh" contains additional material:* a list of the characters in "The Way Of All Flesh"* Samuel Butler: A Sketch, by Henry Festing Jones* a few quotes of Samuel Butler |
