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The Way of All Flesh
Hardcover
Classic FictionGeneral FictionLiterary Fiction
ISBN13: 9781025375465
Publisher: Tradd Street Press
Published: Feb 14 2026
Pages: 464
Weight: 1.81
Height: 1.00 Width: 6.14 Depth: 9.21
Language: English
The Way of All Flesh is a masterful semi-autobiographical novel and a scathing critique of the rigid social and religious conventions of Victorian England. Spanning four generations of the Pontifex family, the narrative primarily follows the development of Ernest Pontifex, a young man struggling to break free from the suffocating influence of his pious and tyrannical father. As Ernest navigates the challenges of education, the clergy, and personal failure, he undergoes a painful transformation that exposes the hypocrisy inherent in the traditional family structure and the Church of England.
Considered a landmark work in the Bildungsroman genre, the novel offers profound psychological insights into the conflict between individual desire and societal expectations. Samuel Butler's sharp wit and subversive perspective challenge the moral certainties of his age, exploring themes of inheritance, upbringing, and the difficult quest for intellectual and spiritual independence. By documenting Ernest's journey toward self-discovery and financial autonomy, the work serves as a powerful bridge between the Victorian era and the modern novel. The Way of All Flesh remains an essential exploration of the human condition and the enduring struggle to define one's own path in a world governed by tradition.
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you may see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.
This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.
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53 different editions
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