Samuel Butler's satirical book, Erewhon, or Erewhon; or, Over the Range was first published in 1872 under an alias. Butler's fame throughout his lifetime was based on Erewhon's popularity, which he claimed as his own when it received widespread acclaim. It was the only piece of work Butler profited from. Erewhon, the name of the realm where the story takes place, is an anagram for "nowhere." With the norm of travel in a make-believe nation, the book starts out as an adventure story. The narrator of the novel initially finds Erewhon to be utopian in its contempt for things like money, which only serves to elevate one's position and has no intrinsic value, and machines, which are forbidden because they pose a threat to human survival. Additionally, Erewhon has ruled that illness is a crime for which the sick are imprisoned, and that crime is a disease for which offenders are taken to the hospital. The unidentified narrator's utopian ideals and beliefs in unending growth are dispelled as he continues to explore the Erewhon institutions. The book brings a new perspective which makes for a thoroughly entertaining read for everyone.
Butler was the grandson of Samuel Butler, the principal of Shrewsbury School and afterwards the bishop of Lichfield. He was the son of the Reverend Thomas Butler. The young Samuel transferred to St. John's College in Cambridge after spending six years at Shrewsbury, where he graduated in 1858. In order to prepare for holy orders, young Butler even went so far as to do a little "slumming" in a London parish because his father wanted him to become a clergyman. He was being pulled away from all his father stood for, including his family, the church, and Christianity itself-or at least what it had seemed to imply at Langar Rectory-by the current of his fierce independence and heresy. After an unpleasant incident with his father, Butler left Cambridge, the church, and his home and emigrated to New Zealand, where (using money provided by his father) he established a sheep run in the Canterbury settlement. Butler then returned to Cambridge and continued his musical studies and drawing. After doubling his money in New Zealand, Butler left for England in 1864 and moved into the Clifford's Inn apartment that would serve as his permanent residence. The Way of All Flesh, which was released in 1903, the year after Butler passed away, is widely regarded as his best work. It undoubtedly encompasses a lot of the essential elements of Butlerism.
