Difference between revisions of "Erewhon"
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| − | Erewhon is an 1872 [[novel]] by [[Samuel Butler]]. It was inspired partly by his time in colonial [[New Zealand]] and by his reading of [[Charles Darwin|Charles Darwin's]] '[[On the Origin of Species]]'. | + | '''''Erewhon''''' is an 1872 [[novel]] by [[Samuel Butler]]. It was inspired partly by his time in colonial [[New Zealand]] and by his reading of [[Charles Darwin|Charles Darwin's]] ''[[On the Origin of Species]]''. |
The work centers around a young traveler, who, setting off to make his fortune in a far off [[country]], discovers the remote and idealistic land of Erewhon (backwards it is reminiscent of the word 'Nowhere'). However, it is soon learned that this apparent [[Utopia]] has many faults. | The work centers around a young traveler, who, setting off to make his fortune in a far off [[country]], discovers the remote and idealistic land of Erewhon (backwards it is reminiscent of the word 'Nowhere'). However, it is soon learned that this apparent [[Utopia]] has many faults. | ||
Revision as of 23:08, August 2, 2014
Erewhon is an 1872 novel by Samuel Butler. It was inspired partly by his time in colonial New Zealand and by his reading of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species.
The work centers around a young traveler, who, setting off to make his fortune in a far off country, discovers the remote and idealistic land of Erewhon (backwards it is reminiscent of the word 'Nowhere'). However, it is soon learned that this apparent Utopia has many faults.
Erewhon heavily bears the influence of evolutionary theory, and is written by an author who would later come to oppose the theory of natural selection put forward by Darwin. While Samuel Butler was critical of religious hypocrisy, his archetypal attitudes as a conservative Englishman are prevalent in the book.
It is a fresh and original work of literature, though it has been described by Peter Mudford as lacking in high imagination.