{"product_id":"the-cradle-of-erewhon-joseph-jones-9780292741218","title":"The Cradle of Erewhon: Samuel Butler in New Zealand","description":"\u003cp\u003e In 1859, Samuel Butler, a young Cantabrigian out of joint with his family, with the church, and with the times, left England to hew out his own path in New Zealand. At the end of just five years he returned, with a modest fortune in money and an immense fortune in ideas. For out of this self-imposed exile came \u003ci\u003eErewhon\u003c\/i\u003e, one of the world's masterpieces of satire, which contained the germ of Butler's intellectual output for the next twenty years. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Cradle of Erewhon\u003c\/i\u003e is an examination and interpretation of the special ways in which these few crucial years affected Butler's life and work, particularly \u003ci\u003eErewhon\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eErewhon Revisited\u003c\/i\u003e. It shows us Butler the sheep farmer, explorer, and mountain climber, as well as Butler the newcomer to \"The Colonies,\" accepting--and accepted by--his intellectual peers in the unpioneerlike little city of Christchurch, sharpening and disciplining his mind through his controversial contributions to the Christchurch Press. But more importantly, the book suggests the depth to which New Zealand penetrated the man and reveals new facets of influence hitherto unnoticed in \u003ci\u003eErewhon\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eErewhon Revisited\u003c\/i\u003e. The Southern Alps (\"Oh, Wonderful! Wonderful! so lonely and so solemn\"), the perilous rivers and passes, the character and customs of the Maoris--all these blend to afford new insights into a complex book. Butler was not the first to create an imaginary world as asylum from the harsh realities of this one (Vergil did the same in the Eclogues), nor was he the first, even in his own time, to protest against the machine as the enslaver of man, but his became the clearest and the freshest voice. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e On the biographical side, \u003ci\u003eThe Cradle of Erewhon\u003c\/i\u003e offers new evidence for reappraising the man who for so long has been a psychological and literary puzzle. Why, for instance, did he repudiate his first-born book, \u003ci\u003eA First Year in Canterbury Settlement\u003c\/i\u003e? And why, once safely away from the entanglements of London, did he voluntarily return to them? Answers to these and other Butlerian riddles are suggested in the engrossing account of the satirist's sojourn in the Antipodes. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Joseph Jones\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0292741219\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780292741218\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Texas Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 01\/01\/1959\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 252\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.84lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.58d","brand":"Joseph Jones","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44056733516031,"sku":"9780292741218","price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_b49fd090-cbf3-4f14-8f37-6794ffcda03e.jpg?v=1685042961","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-cradle-of-erewhon-joseph-jones-9780292741218","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}