Samuel Butler Criticism
Samuel Butler (1612–1680) was a prominent English poet and prose writer of the Restoration era, renowned for his satirical mock epic, Hudibras. This poem, inspired by Cervantes’s Don Quixote, humorously depicts the misadventures of a Puritan knight, Sir Hudibras, and his squire, Ralpho. Butler utilizes a distinctive poetic form known as 'hudibrastic' verse, characterized by its use of octosyllabic lines and unconventional rhymes, to satirize the perceived hypocrisy of the Puritans who had governed England. Despite being "more quoted than read" as noted by Christopher Hill, Hudibras remains an insightful critique of the 17th-century religious and political milieu.
Butler's life details are scant, with speculation about his early education and employment under various public figures. He found inspiration from the intellectual circles of his time, notably through his connection with John Selden, whose influence is discernible in Butler's writings. Although Hudibras was a significant success upon publication, with its initial part released in 1662 and subsequent parts in 1663 and 1677, Butler faced financial difficulties, partly due to unauthorized editions of his work and potential mismanagement of funds.
Hudibras itself is a satirical allegory, as discussed by Ellen Douglass Leyburn, exploring the religious debates of its time through the contentious relationship between Sir Hudibras and Ralpho. Though Butler claimed no allegorical intent, critics like Ward S. Miller have noted its allegorical elements. The biting wit and satiric allusion, as asserted by Benjamin Boyce, ensured its status as a prominent satire on the Puritans.
Critics have varied in their reception of Butler's style, with early commentators like John Dryden criticizing its form. However, scholars like John Wilders and Ian Jack argue that Butler’s style effectively mirrors the social discord of his time. As Michael Seidel elaborates, Butler’s work satirizes the anarchy and oppression of his era, while D. Cousins highlights the impact of the political and religious climate on his satirical approach. Despite its period-specific context, Hudibras endures as a valuable contribution to the genre of satire and a reflection on the complexities of 17th-century England.
Contents
- Principal Works
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Essays
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From the Eclipse of Satire to Butler
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In the following essay, Walker discusses the political atmosphere that Butler satirizes in Hudibras.
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Hudibras Considered as Satiric Allegory
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In the following essay, Leyburn argues that scholars have been sidetracked by investigating possible models for Butler's characters in Hudibras and have, therefore, overlooked the ways in which the poem demands to be considered a satiric allegory.
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From Polemic Character to Verse Satire: Hudibras Part One
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In the following essay, Boyce asserts that Butler's 'biting wit and astonishing satiric allusion' make Hudibras the 'best-known satire upon the Puritans.'
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The Allegory in Part I of Hudibras
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In the following essay, Miller maintains that despite Butler's denial that Hudibras has any allegorical intent, the epic exhibits allegorical characteristics.
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Patterns of Anarchy and Oppression in Samuel Butler's Hudibras
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In the following essay, Seidel outlines Butler's use of satire in his depiction of anarchy, oppression, and the individual and social degeneration of mankind.
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The Authority of Nature's Laws
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In the following essay, Staves discusses the contradictory critical readings of Hudibras in order to analyze the object of Butler's satire.
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The Idea of a Restoration and the Verse Satires of Butler and Marvell
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In the following essay, Cousins explores Butler's role as a Restoration poet, and the ways in which the political and religious milieu of the time informed his satire.
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Two Radical Royalists and Samuel Butler
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In the following essay, Hill discusses the major themes of Butler's Hudibras and the critical reception that this epic, which "is more quoted than read," has received since its publication.
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As Aeneas Bore His Sire
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In the following essay, Snider compares Butler's Hudibras to other Restoration epics, including Paradise Lost, and argues that it occupies a "liminal space between the end of epic and the rise of the novel."
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Teutonick Chimericall Extravagancies: Alchemy, Poetry, and the Restoration Revolt Against Enthusiasm
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In the following essay, Linden suggests that Butler's main characters in Hudibras "exist within an occult milieu" and that Butler, like other Restoration contemporaries, attacks the occult arts in his poem.
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From the Eclipse of Satire to Butler
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- Further Reading