Luck Or Cunning? (Hardback) | Released: 23 May 2010

Luck or Cunning? is a novel written by Samuel Butler, published in 1886. The story is set in the fictional town of Mudie's, where the protagonist, Jack, is a young man who is trying to make his way in the world. Jack is not particularly intelligent or talented, but he is determined to succeed.As the title suggests, the novel explores the theme of luck versus cunning. Jack is not lucky in the traditional sense, but he is cunning and resourceful. He manages to make his way in the world by using his wits and taking advantage of opportunities as they arise.The novel is also a satire on Victorian society. Butler uses humor and irony to poke fun at the social conventions and values of the time. He portrays the upper classes as hypocritical and shallow, while the lower classes are depicted as cunning and resourceful.Overall, Luck or Cunning? is a witty and entertaining novel that explores important themes and provides a commentary on Victorian society. It is a must-read for fans of satire and social commentary.In brief, there is nothing in life of which there are not germs, and, so to speak, harmonics in death, and nothing in death of which germs and harmonics may not be found in life. Each emphasizes what the other passes over most lightly--each carries to its extreme conceivable development that which in the other is only sketched in by a faint suggestion--but neither has any feature rigorously special to itself. Granted that death is a greater new departure in an organism's life, than any since that congeries of births and deaths to which the name embryonic stages is commonly given, still it is a new departure of the same essential character as any other-- that is to say, though there be much new there is much, not to say more, old along with it. We shrink from it as from any other change to the unknown, and also perhaps from an instinctive sense that the fear of death is a sine qua non for physical and moral progress, but the fear is like all else in life, a substantial thing which, if its foundations be dug about, is found to rest on a superstitious basis.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.