The Way of All Flesh (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Autobiographical NovelBy Samuel Butler
Length17h 35m
About this audiobook
The Way of All Flesh is Samuel Butler's unsparing anatomy of Victorian family life, religious hypocrisy, and the moral violence of inherited respectability. Tracing the fortunes of Ernest Pontifex through childhood, clerical expectation, rebellion, and painful self-education, the novel combines the Bildungsroman with social satire. Its prose is lucid, ironic, and deceptively conversational, anticipating the anti-Victorian realism of the early twentieth century while exposing the emotional costs of duty, dogma, and parental tyranny. Samuel Butler, best known in his lifetime for Erewhon, wrote from a position of intellectual estrangement. The son of a clergyman and himself once destined for the Church, Butler rejected orthodox Christianity, challenged Darwinian certainties, and distrusted institutional authority in all forms. Much of Ernest's predicament reflects Butler's own conflicts with his father, his education, and the suffocating codes of middle-class England; the novel's posthumous publication in 1903 only sharpened its reputation as a candid reckoning with Victorian pieties. This is essential reading for those interested in the transition from Victorian to modern fiction. Readers of George Eliot, Dickens, Hardy, and E. M. Forster will find in Butler a bracing, witty, and morally acute critic of family, faith, and social conformity.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 3.8 (12.8K)
Includes Goodreads, LibraryThing, Amazon, StoryGraph
GenreLiterary Classics, Humor
Length17 hrs 35 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateJun 27, 2020
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1The Age of Innocence & Old New York (Annotated)
26CHAPTER XXII
2Introduction
27CHAPTER XXIII
3Synopsis
28CHAPTER XXIV
4Historical Context
29CHAPTER XXV
5CHAPTER I
30CHAPTER XXVI
Show all chaptersShow less
6CHAPTER II
31CHAPTER XXVII
7CHAPTER III
32CHAPTER XXVIII
8CHAPTER IV
33CHAPTER XXIX
9CHAPTER V
34CHAPTER XXX
10CHAPTER VI
35CHAPTER XXXI
11CHAPTER VII
36CHAPTER XXXII
12CHAPTER VIII
37CHAPTER XXXIII
13CHAPTER IX
38CHAPTER XXXIV
14CHAPTER X
39CHAPTER XXXV
15CHAPTER XI
40CHAPTER XXXVI
16CHAPTER XII
41CHAPTER XXXVII
17CHAPTER XIII
42CHAPTER XXXVIII
18CHAPTER XIV
43CHAPTER XXXIX
19CHAPTER XV
44CHAPTER XL
20CHAPTER XVI
45CHAPTER XLI
21CHAPTER XVII
46CHAPTER XLII
22CHAPTER XVIII
47CHAPTER XLIII
23CHAPTER XIX
48CHAPTER XLIV
24CHAPTER XX
49CHAPTER XLV
25CHAPTER XXI
50CHAPTER XLVI
More from Samuel Butler
The Authoress of the Odyssey (Annotated)Samuel Butler12h 9m3.9 (153)$2 · $0.00
Erewhon; Or, Over the RangeSamuel Butler9h 26m3.5 (8.5K)$1 · $0.00
EREWHON (Dystopian Classic)Samuel Butler9h 35m3.5 (6.2K)$1 · $0.00
The Way of All FleshSamuel Butler17h 38m3.8 (12.7K)$2 · $0.00
Unconscious MemorySamuel Butler8h 20m3.5 (23)$2 · $0.00
God the Known and God the UnknownSamuel Butler2h 27m$1 · $0.00
The Note-Books of Samuel ButlerSamuel Butler16h 53m4.0 (131)$1 · $0.00
Erewhon (A Dystopia)Samuel Butler8h 49m3.5 (9.6K)$2 · $0.00
The Atlas of Ancient and Classical GeographySamuel Butler54m2.8 (89)$1 · $0.00
Ex Voto: An Account of the Sacro Monte or New Jerusalem at Varallo-SesiaSamuel Butler6h 2m$1 · $0.00
Erewhon (A Dystopia)Samuel Butler9h 34m3.6 (9.9K)$1 · $0.00
ErewhonSamuel Butler8h 37m3.5 (8.7K)$2 · $0.00
To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee12h 18m4.5 (7.4M)$29 · $0.00
These Precious DaysAnn Patchett11h 14m4.5 (45.2K)$29 · $0.00
The Complete Histories / History Plays of William Shakespeare (Annotated)William Shakespeare29h 42m4.6 (2.3K)$1.99 · $0.00
Braving the TruthRachel Held Evans11h 31m4.7 (359)$29 · $0.00
The Old Man and the Sea (Annotated)Ernest Hemingway4h 27m4.6 (1.4K)$2 · $0.00
Twelfth Night (The Unabridged Play) + The Classic Biography (Annotated)William Shakespeare, Sidney Lee16h 38m4.6 (1.4K)$2 · $0.00
Henry V (The Play, Historical Background and Analysis of the Character in the Play)William Shakespeare, William Hazlitt8h 40m4.6 (1.3K)$1 · $0.00
H. P. LOVECRAFT Ultimate Collection: Novellas, Short Stories, Poetry & Essays (Annotated)H. P. Lovecraft12h 28m4.6 (2.3K)$2 · $0.00
Time RegainedMarcel Proust15h 54m4.5 (10.6K)$2 · $0.00
TORAH - Bilingual Edition: English/Hebrew (Annotated)Max Margolis, JPS28h 26m4.6 (1K)$2 · $0.00
Betty Crocker picture cooky bookBetty Crocker, Inc. General Mills2h 13m4.5 (6.5K)$1 · $0.00
The Complete Tales of Beatrix PotterBeatrix Potter3h 36m4.5 (75K)$3 · $0.00
Crime and Punishment (The Unabridged Garnett Translation) (Annotated)Fyodor Dostoevsky24h 25m4.5 (15.4K)$1.99 · $0.00
The North American IndianEdward S. Curtis, Frederick Webb Hodge6h4.5 (1.2K)$2 · $0.00
The Picture of Dorian Gray: The Uncensored 13 Chapter Version + The Revised 20 Chapter Version (Annotated)Oscar Wilde16h 12m4.5 (2.8K)$1.99 · $0.00
Grimoire Of The Everyday WitchIsadora Lys / Virginia Santos5h 35m4.5 (3.9K)$9 · $0.00
Winnie-the-PoohAlan Alexander Milne2h 52m4.5 (401.1K)$3 · $0.00
Sitting PrettyRebekah Taussig7h 33m4.5 (18.9K)$26 · $0.00
The Poetic Edda & The Prose EddaSnorri Sturluson, Saemund Sigfusson9h 34m4.5 (4K)$1 · $0.00
The Complete Satires & Essays of Mark Twain (Annotated)Mark Twain23h 21m4.5 (1.1K)$2 · $0.00
Lost In TranslationAudrey Davis9h 15m4.4 (235)Free
Going PostalTerry Pratchett13h 36m4.5 (163.8K)$33 · $0.00
Woman UninterruptedBrodie Kane7h 1m4.6 (562)$24 · $0.00
1984 & Animal Farm (Annotated)George Orwell15h 54m4.5 (220.8K)$3.99 · $0.00
Kingsblood Royal (Annotated)Sinclair Lewis14h 42m4.6 (264)$2 · $0.00
This Is Going to HurtAdam Kay5h 47m4.4 (444.7K)$24 · $0.00
You Will Get Through This NightDaniel Howell6h 56m4.4 (11.8K)$24 · $0.00
Northanger Abbey (Annotated)Jane Austen10h 7m4.5 (1.6K)$2 · $0.00
My Dear HamiltonStephanie Dray, Laura Kamoie23h 7m4.4 (63.6K)$46 · $0.00
THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS & SCREWTAPE PROPOSES A TOAST (Annotated)C. S. Lewis5h 6m4.4 (471K)$2 · $0.00
BufferingHannah Hart5h 55m4.4 (12.4K)$24 · $0.00
The Office BFFsJenna Fischer, Angela Kinsey8h 26m4.3 (45.4K)$26 · $0.00
The Collected Stories of Dorothy ParkerDorothy Parker8h 36m4.3 (13.6K)$1 · $0.00
LambChristopher Moore15h 22m4.3 (211.3K)$33 · $0.00
#IMomSoHardKristin Hensley, Jen Smedley7h 19m4.3 (7.3K)$24 · $0.00
Mixed PlateJo Koy8h 18m4.3 (7.1K)$26 · $0.00
Over the TopJonathan Van Ness5h 50m4.3 (87.3K)$24 · $0.00
It Never EndsTom Scharpling8h 53m4.4 (2.3K)$20 · $0.00
More Tales of the CityArmistead Maupin8h 23m4.3 (22.6K)$26 · $0.00
Joyful Recollections of TraumaPaul Scheer6h 38m4.3 (8.2K)$7 · $0.00
You may also like
Keep the Aspidistra FlyingGeorge Orwell9h 48m4.0 (75.7K)$2.30
The Awakening of Spring: A Tragedy of Childhood Frank Wedekind2h 30m3.9 (17.2K)Free
The BedwetterSarah Silverman5h 43m3.7 (44.4K)$24 · $0.00
The Way of All FleshSamuel Butler17h 38m3.8 (12.7K)$2 · $0.00
BabbittSinclair Lewis13h 55m3.9 (30.9K)$2.30
Elliot AllagashSimon Rich6h 23m3.7 (2.8K)$14
Amateur HourKimberly Harrington7h 23m3.9 (1.2K)$24 · $0.00
How to Be a WomanCaitlin Moran8h 45m3.8 (130.4K)$26 · $0.00
The Way of All FleshSamuel Butler15h 23m3.9 (16.3K)$28
Daddy, Stop Talking!Adam Carolla5h 35m3.9 (2.9K)$24 · $0.00
And YetKate Baer56m4.1 (9.1K)$6 · $0.00
Rebel Rising: A MemoirRebel Wilson10h 17m4.3 (17.6K)$29 · $0.00
PygmalionGeorge Bernard Shaw3h 53m4.1 (270K)$2.30
Challenge Accepted!: The hilarious bestselling memoir and guide to life from the Australian comedy sensation, for fans of Toni Lodge and Tina FeyCeleste Barber6h 2m4.1 (9.2K)$24 · $0.00
The Nether WorldGeorge Gissing17h 40m4.3 (1K)$2.30 · $0.00
Life CeremonySayaka Murata5h 55m3.9 (32.1K)$17
Lone PointGrace Livingston Hill8h 8m4.1 (552)$0.60 · $0.00
Everybody's FavoriteLillian Stone6h 31m3.6 (1.4K)$24 · $0.00
Tomorrow About This TimeGrace Livingston Hill10h 42m4.2 (764)$2 · $0.00
Why We ReadShannon Reed8h 55m3.9 (4.8K)$25 · $0.00