62 pages • 2 hours read
Samuel ButlerErewhon
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1872A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Before You Read
Super Short Summary
In Samuel Butler's Erewhon, an unnamed narrator explores a fictional country after leaving his job at a New Zealand sheep station, discovering that Erewhon’s laws and customs starkly contrast with Victorian England’s. The narrator is imprisoned and eventually escapes with an Erewhonian woman named Arowhena, returning to England with plans for a future expedition. The book includes depictions of prejudice and discrimination.
Reviews & Readership
Review Roundup
Samuel Butler's Erewhon offers a satirical and thought-provoking critique of Victorian society, applauded for its wit and imaginative setting. However, some readers find its pacing uneven and its philosophical passages dense. Overall, it remains a compelling, if sometimes challenging, exploration of moral and social themes.
Who Should Read Erewhon?
A reader who would enjoy Erewhon by Samuel Butler is likely someone interested in satirical novels that critique societal norms and explore utopian concepts. Fans of Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley would appreciate Butler's imaginative and philosophical narrative that challenges the status quo.