Reviews for The Way Of All Flesh

The average rating for The Way Of All Flesh based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2009-02-16 00:00:00 Keith Foster This is a true story about me reading The Way of All Flesh. Remember how I once mentioned that I nerdily read in the elevator on the way home (for the whole two minute trip)? Well, I was reading this book on my way down one evening at my old job when an older man that I didn't know turned to me and asked what I was reading (Modern Library version, so the cover is blank, you dig?). I smiled uncomfortably (I may be a book nerd, but I do recognize that it's a little odd to read in the elevator when you only work on the thirteenth floor), and repeated the title. At which point the stranger asked, "Oh, is it erotic?" And I was totally speechless, turned bright red, and mumbled something like, "Oh no, no its about Victorian hypocrisy, furthest thing actually, etc." until we reached the lobby. But seriously, that was an inappropriate question, right?* I don't know if the guy was a client or a partner (he was definitely one or the other, since he was an older gentleman in a suit), so I couldn't really say what I wanted to, which was something like "Excuse me?" or, you know, "Screw you, pal." But either the guy was totally clueless, and tripped over his tongue, or he was totally boorish, and trying to make me uncomfortable. Which he succeeded at, at least for a bit. But you know, I quickly regained my composure, and, you know, women still get to be lawyers and work in law firms and have power, no matter what gross guys in the elevator say. So it's more an interesting story than anything else. Certainly that anecdote is more interesting than, say, The Way of All Flesh. The story is supposed to be a scathing indictment of Victorianism, so much so that the author (who was famous in his lifetime for his satires and treatises) didn't publish it in his lifetime. I am certain that at the time it was published that it spoke truths that had not been heard before, particularly about Victorian morality and parenting. The thing is, nowdays, the Victorians haven't only been indicted, they've been tried and found guilty. We all think of them as stern, repressed, phony, over authoritative, etc. Lytton Strachey did his job well - we no longer really believe in Eminent Victorians. So that part of The Way of All Flesh no longer really shocks. Which leaves the story itself, a bildungsroman telling the story of Ernest Potifax. His tale includes bad overbearing parents, tough times at school, and a mistaken attempt to be a clergyman. There is an absolutely ridiculous passage where he is wrongfully arrested for sexual assault and spent six months in jail (I absolutely could not understand the charges - he seems to have been arrested for going into a woman's room). Broke, he marries poorly, and then is saved when it turns out his wife was already married and he can jettison her (his children aren't so lucky - he farms them out and doesn't really give them a second thought). At twenty-eight he inherits a fortune (the reader knew this was coming, Ernest did not), and then retires into a life of quiet travel, research and writing. Perhaps the tale sounds interesting in the describing, but not so much in the reading. The reason is, I think, that Ernest is inherently uninteresting. He is the proverbial wet noodle. The narrator - Ernest's godfather, and guardian of his fortune (and burlesque author!) is much more interesting - and, actually he is the one who does most of the scathing and indicting. I wish I'd read his story! As it is, Ernest flounders from one mistake to another, trying on different philosophies and experiences, and finally, decides to retire from public life entirely and write his books. Hardly a triumphant choice. The point is, without the scandal of the critique of the times, the plot was sort of dull. Well written, but dull. *And seriously, who reads an erotic book at work??

Review # 2 was written on 2020-05-14 00:00:00 Mark Adams Why is this novel not a better known classic? Granted it is slow and not much happens in terms of an excitable story. And the characters are not exactly endearing. It is altogether very ordinary. But this is the genius in it. I am sure this is why he is not up there on the lists with Hardy, Dickens, Austen or Eliot. Butler does not over embellish his plot, nor create exuberant colourful characters. He is interested in exposing and probing into every day Victorian society. He is unapologetic in his characterisation and his critique of some big ticket (and very touchy subjects for the time) - notably the elitism and hypocrisy of both the church and the higher education system. Oh, and the institution of marriage. He shows that none of these 'expected' things secure the way to a happier or more prosperous life - indeed, they most often send our protagonist backward, or falling on his face, and cause more misery than success or happiness. Much of Butler's purpose is instinctive, rather than relying on or espousing empirical knowledge or theoretical concepts…."we must judge men not so much by what they do, as by what they make us feel that they have it in them to do." Consequently, his parody of Oxford learning and clerical processes is both comical, accurate but also so incredibly ahead of its time - no wonder he was 'knocked on the head' as an author - he was dealing quite roughly with very very touchy, no-go subjects! 'There are two classes of people in this world, those who sin, and those who are sinned against; if a man must belong to either, he had better belong to the first than to the second.' Ha, I rest my case. I really enjoyed the comic tone of Butler's writing - his language is exquisite, and sometimes the comedy is quite latent, which makes it all the more enjoyable. 'No boy can resist being fed well by a good-natured and still handsome woman. Boys are very like nice dogs in this respect ' give them a bone and they will like you at once…' and 'Truth might be heroic, but it was not within the range of practical domestic politics.' It is very much a book about resilience and the value of making mistakes, sometimes more than once, in order to learn and gain strength of character. ' Adversity, if a man is set down to it by degrees, is more supportable with equanimity by most people than any great prosperity arrived at in a single lifetime.' And our often exasperating protagonist, Ernest, certainly has his fair share of hardships - many of which he brings on himself I may add! And he falls in his own traps more than once, mistakes are made again and again until eventually he 'grows up' and takes stock of his decision making and harnessing his own happiness. It is also about the importance of optimism in the face of adversity - for 'he who does not consider himself fortunate is unfortunate…' I feel like this passage sums up Butler's message perfectly, and how true he speaks - 'Being in this world is it not our most obvious business to make the most of it ' to observe what things do bona fide tend to long life and comfort, and to act accordingly? All animals, except man, know that the principal business of life is to enjoy it ' and they do enjoy it as much as man and other circumstances will allow…'