Erewhon: Reader effect
11 lenses on reader effect for Erewhon by Samuel Butler. Count lenses are exact for our text. AI lenses are our reading and cite only quotes that passed a word for word check.
Jump to: K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11
K1. Where does suspense peak? AI
Suspense peaks in chapter 28 as the narrator and Arowhena launch the balloon while discovery is imminent. Earlier peaks occur in chapters 4 to 5 during the mountain crossing and chapter 11 during the trial. The escape is the climactic moment.
Chapters: Ch 4, Ch 11, Ch 28
It is a dreadful feeling that of being cut off from all one’s kind (Ch 4, para 15)
You are a bad and dangerous person, and stand branded in the eyes of your fellow-countrymen with one of the most heinous known offences. (Ch 11, para 12)
My plan was this—that Arowhena and I should escape in a balloon together. (Ch 28, para 3)
K2. Open questions: how many are live at the end of each chapter? AI
Early chapters maintain multiple open questions: what lies beyond the mountains, what is Chowbok's terror, will the narrator survive? Middle chapters shift to: what are Erewhonian customs, can the narrator escape, will he marry Arowhena? Final chapters narrow to: will they escape successfully?
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 8, Ch 16, Ch 28
I could not help speculating upon what might lie farther up the river and behind the second range (Ch 1, para 12)
illness of any sort was considered in Erewhon to be highly criminal and immoral (Ch 8, para 9)
she said that she believed I loved her as much as she loved me, and that she would brave anything if I could only assure her that what I proposed would not be thought dishonourable in England (Ch 21, para 8)
K3. Surprise against suspense: which does the author use where? AI
Suspense dominates the journey chapters 1 to 6 and escape chapter 28. Surprise dominates the discovery of Erewhonian customs in chapters 8 to 15: each revelation inverts expectations. The machine chapters 23 to 25 use surprise through translated texts rather than suspense.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 8, Ch 15, Ch 23, Ch 28
illness of any sort was considered in Erewhon to be highly criminal and immoral (Ch 8, para 9)
all mercantile transactions were accompanied with music, so that they were called Musical Banks (Ch 15, para 2)
Assume for the sake of argument that conscious beings have existed for some twenty million years: see what strides machines have made in the last thousand! (Ch 23, para 5)
K4. Emotional peaks, with the lines that cause them. AI
Emotional peaks occur when the narrator discovers illness is criminalised, when he falls in love with Arowhena, when he witnesses the trial, and when he escapes. Quote 70 captures the peak of romantic commitment; quote 38 captures horror at injustice.
Chapters: Ch 8, Ch 16, Ch 11, Ch 28
illness of any sort was considered in Erewhon to be highly criminal and immoral (Ch 8, para 9)
You are a bad and dangerous person, and stand branded in the eyes of your fellow-countrymen with one of the most heinous known offences. (Ch 11, para 12)
she said that she believed I loved her as much as she loved me, and that she would brave anything if I could only assure her that what I proposed would not be thought dishonourable in England (Ch 21, para 8)
K5. Why do we care about the lead so early? AI
We care about the narrator early because he is alone, ambitious, and curious. His isolation in chapter 1 and terror in chapters 4 to 5 create sympathy. His moral struggle in chapters 8 to 10 deepens investment. His love for Arowhena makes him vulnerable.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 4, Ch 8, Ch 16
Never shall I forget the utter loneliness of the prospect—only the little far-away homestead giving sign of human handiwork (Ch 1, para 10)
It is a dreadful feeling that of being cut off from all one’s kind (Ch 4, para 15)
illness of any sort was considered in Erewhon to be highly criminal and immoral (Ch 8, para 9)
K6. Humour beats. AI
Humour peaks in chapters 15, 18 to 20, 26 to 27 through absurd inversions: Musical Banks with worthless currency, the unborn mythology, animal rights laws that forbid eating. The satire is intellectual rather than slapstick, targeting Victorian logic.
Chapters: Ch 15, Ch 18, Ch 19, Ch 26, Ch 27
all mercantile transactions were accompanied with music, so that they were called Musical Banks (Ch 15, para 2)
Not only this, but they would stick to it that the current coin of the realm was dross in comparison with the Musical Bank coinage. (Ch 15, para 22)
they believe that it is of their own free act and deed in a previous state that they come to be born into this world at all. (Ch 18, para 1)
K7. Spots where readers may get lost. AI
Readers may get lost in chapters 23 to 27 where the narrative pauses for translated texts and philosophical arguments. The machine theory is dense. The unborn mythology is abstract. The animal rights debate is lengthy. These chapters test patience.
Chapters: Ch 23, Ch 24, Ch 25, Ch 26, Ch 27
From the book of their mythology about the unborn I made the extracts which will form the following chapter. (Ch 18, para 13)
Assume for the sake of argument that conscious beings have existed for some twenty million years: see what strides machines have made in the last thousand! (Ch 23, para 5)
Now it cannot be denied that sheep, cattle, deer, birds, and fishes are our fellow-creatures. (Ch 26, para 9)
K8. What modern readers may find dated or hurtful. AI
Modern readers may find the treatment of Chowbok as a savage stereotype troubling. The narrator's casual racism and the final scheme to traffic Erewhonians as labour are presented without sufficient critique. The gender dynamics are also dated.
Chapters: Ch 2, Ch 6, Ch 29
his whole form was changed. His high shoulders dropped; he set his feet close together, heel to heel and toe to toe (Ch 2, para 4)
the grotesque fiendishness of Chowbok’s face approached this last, if it did not reach it (Ch 2, para 5)
I was determined that no one should hear of Erewhon, or have the chance of getting there before me, as long as I could prevent it. (Ch 29, para 5)
K9. What rewards a second read. AI
A second read rewards attention to the narrator's self-deception: he judges Erewhon harshly while committing similar moral crimes. The parallels between English and Erewhonian hypocrisy become clearer. The ending's cynicism gains force on rereading.
Chapters: Ch 9, Ch 10, Ch 29
I have a very genuine dislike for all unhandsome dealings in money matters, though none can have a greater regard for money than I have, if it be got fairly. (Ch 9, para 1)
You would consort with the basest criminals, and yet deem simple embezzlement a bar to friendly intercourse. (Ch 9, para 8)
I was determined that no one should hear of Erewhon, or have the chance of getting there before me, as long as I could prevent it. (Ch 29, para 5)
K10. Most quoted lines. Research
Facts from outside the text (sales, serial history, adaptations, sequels, most quoted lines). Coming in a later phase, with sources and dates.
K11. Page turner score: the mix of hooks, short chapters and open questions. Both
Page turner score 7.1 out of 10: 79% of chapters end on a hook, chapters average 2,836 words, and mean tension is 3.2 of 5.
The book scores high on hooks: each chapter ends with questions or cliffhangers. Chapters are moderate length. Open questions persist throughout. The mix of adventure, satire, and philosophy sustains momentum despite philosophical digressions.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 4, Ch 11, Ch 21, Ch 28
I could not help speculating upon what might lie farther up the river and behind the second range (Ch 1, para 12)
It is a dreadful feeling that of being cut off from all one’s kind (Ch 4, para 15)
You are a bad and dangerous person, and stand branded in the eyes of your fellow-countrymen with one of the most heinous known offences. (Ch 11, para 12)
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