TITLE:
Erewhon, Everywhere, and Samuel Butler
AUTHORS:
Marco Túlio Ferreira dos Santos
KEYWORDS:
Butler, Satire, Society, Modernity, Criticism
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Literary Study,
Vol.12 No.3,
July
10,
2024
ABSTRACT: This paper presents a critical analysis of a book written by Samuel Butler in 1872. The book is titled Erewhon, a fictitious society that serves as a satirical representation of British society and its ironies and absurdities. The methodology used is not typical of scientific papers, especially those that are used to develop hard sciences. As Butler compared Erewhon to England, the objective of this paper is to compare Erewhon to contemporary societies and see if their levels of absurdity have diminished. Due to its subjective, illustrative, and general nature, the reader is entitled to hold a different opinion. That wouldn’t, however, mean that the points raised are any less deserving of concern and criticism.