WeRead Powered by ReaderPub
Cambridge Pieces cover

Cambridge Pieces

By Samuel Butler
Open in WeRead

Explore more books like this:

Essays, Letters & SpeechesHumourTeaching & Education

About This Book

A compact miscellany of early essays and comic sketches that blend literary criticism, parody, and satirical observation. Selections range from practical remarks on composition and playful translations of classical material to mock prospectuses, lampoons of examinations and clerical life, and persona pieces that ridicule social ambition and pretension. The tone alternates between earnest commentary and ironic humour, using pastiche and witty exaggeration to expose manners, institutional foibles, and stylistic affectations while showcasing a concise, pointed prose style.

About the Author

Butler, Samuel portrait

Samuel Butler

Samuel Butler was an English novelist, essayist, and social critic, known for his satirical and thought-provoking works. His most famous novel, "Erewhon," published in 1872, presents a unique utopian society that challenges contemporary Victorian values and explores themes of evolution and morality. Butler's writings often reflect his interest in science and philosophy, as seen in his essays and critiques of Darwinism in "Evolution, Old & New." He also authored travel narratives, such as "Alps and Sanctuaries of Piedmont and the Canton Ticino," showcasing his keen observations of culture and landscape. Butler's literary contributions continue to resonate, marking him as a significant figure in 19th-century literature.

More Books by This Author

6 picks
A First Year in Canterbury Settlement cover A First Year in Canterbury Settlement by Samuel Butler Alps and Sanctuaries of Piedmont and the Canton Ticino cover Alps and Sanctuaries of Piedmont and the Canton Ticino by Samuel Butler Atlas of ancient & classical geography cover Atlas of ancient & classical geography by Samuel Butler Canterbury Pieces cover Canterbury Pieces by Samuel Butler Erewhon Revisited Twenty Years Later, Both by the Original Discoverer of the Country and by His Son cover Erewhon Revisited Twenty Years Later, Both by the Original Discoverer of the Country and by His Son by Samuel Butler Erewhon; Or, Over the Range cover Erewhon; Or, Over the Range by Samuel Butler

You May Also Like

6 picks
Sun Hunting / Adventures and Observations Among the Native and Migratory Tribes of Florida, Including the Stoical Time-Killers of Palm Beach, the Gentle and Gregarious Tin-Canners of the Remote Interior, and the Vivacious and Semi-Violent Peoples of Miami and Its Purlieus cover Sun Hunting / Adventures and Observations Among the Native and Migratory Tribes of Florida, Including the Stoical Time-Killers of Palm Beach, the Gentle and Gregarious Tin-Canners of the Remote Interior, and the Vivacious and Semi-Violent Peoples of Miami and Its Purlieus by Kenneth Lewis Roberts Birds and Poets : with Other Papers cover Birds and Poets : with Other Papers by John Burroughs The Comic English Grammar: A New and Facetious Introduction to the English Tongue cover The Comic English Grammar: A New and Facetious Introduction to the English Tongue by Percival Leigh Steve Brown's Bunyip, and Other Stories cover Steve Brown's Bunyip, and Other Stories by John Arthur Barry Tom Pagdin, Pirate cover Tom Pagdin, Pirate by E. J. Brady Sämtliche Werke 16 cover Sämtliche Werke 16 by Fyodor Dostoyevsky