About this ebook
Cambridge Pieces is a collection of essays, parodies, and sketches written by Samuel Butler during his years at Cambridge, offering a humorous yet critical view of academic life in the mid-19th century. Butler champions clarity and simplicity in writing, satirizing the excessive ornamentation of past and contemporary styles. The early section recounts a lively travel experience with a friend, capturing the curiosity and vitality of youth. Through subsequent essays, he humorously critiques university norms, social customs, and intellectual pretensions, blending personal reflection with cultural insight. Altogether, the work showcases Butler’s sharp wit and early philosophical engagement with the meaning of education and literature.
About the author
Samuel Butler was a 19th-century English novelist and essayist, best known for his sharp critiques of the hypocrisy within Victorian religion and morality. He spent part of his youth managing a sheep farm in New Zealand, an experience that later shaped his literary imagination. His notable work Erewhon uses satire and paradox to question social institutions and human nature, while writings like The Way of All Flesh critically examined the Bible and Christian faith. Though controversial during his time, his works have since been recognized for their modern insights. Butler persistently explored the contradictions of human existence and civilization, leaving behind a distinctive literary voice.
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