The Way of All Flesh
by Butler, Samuel
- Used
- fair
- Paperback
- Condition
- Fair
- ISBN 10
- 0140430121
- ISBN 13
- 9780140430127
- Seller
-
Bridgetown, Nova Scotia, Canada
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Synopsis
The Way of All Flesh by Samuel Butler is a semi-autobiographical novel that attacks Victorian-era hypocrisy. The story traces the history of the Pontifex family from the early eighteenth century until about 1880 and focuses, for the most part, on the life of young Ernest Pontifex, the novel’s protagonist. Yet Ernest isn’t born until 1835, in the book’s 17th chapter. Butler uses the first 16 chapters to provide a psychological portrait of the Pontifex family background as a means of allowing readers to understand what factors have gone into forming Ernest’s personality and the longevity of the chains of tradition he must break. Upon publication in 1903, the book seemed very much of its time, an early 20th century groundbreaker alongside the work of Sigmund Freud and Pablo Picasso. The Way of All Flesh seemed to celebrate the end of the Victorian age just as it was decidedly over. But in fact, Butler had written the book decades earlier, between 1873 and 1884, though he deemed it too shocking for publication during his lifetime. As a result, Richard Alexander Streatfeild, a friend of Butler’s, arranged the publication — as the author requested of him — a year after his death. Streatfeild proved to be a good friend indeed as The Way of All Flesh was ranked twelfth on the Modern Library’s list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century.
Read More: Identifying first editions of The Way of All Flesh
Reviews
(Log in or Create an Account first!)
Details
- Bookseller
- Endless Shores Books (CA)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 47856
- Title
- The Way of All Flesh
- Author
- Butler, Samuel
- Format/Binding
- Mass Market Paperback
- Book Condition
- Used - Fair
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10
- 0140430121
- ISBN 13
- 9780140430127
- Publisher
- Penguin Books
- Place of Publication
- New York, New York, U.s.a.
- Date Published
- 1979
- Bookseller catalogs
- Literature;
Terms of Sale
Endless Shores Books
Endless Shores Books is here to serve you:
- Please feel free to contact us directly with questions or comments; photos and additional descriptions are easily provided.
- You can order and pay through Biblio and we will quickly ship your books by Canada Post or by Canpar package delivery service, the same day if possible.
- For orders of multiple titles, we will gladly quote a shipping charge and a discount for larger orders.
- Endless Shores Books welcomes in-store purchases as well. The store is open Tu.-Sat. from 10AM to 5:00 PM. Other times by appointment, please.
- Did you find something and want to pick it up? Drop us an email and we will have your order ready when you come by the shop.
- We offer a 30 day return guarantee, with full refund including shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
Endless Shores Books
About Endless Shores Books
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Mass Market
- Mass market paperback books, or MMPBs, are printed for large audiences cheaply. This means that they are smaller, usually 4...
- Fair
- is a worn book that has complete text pages (including those with maps or plates) but may lack endpapers, half-title, etc....