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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
Ok so the fundamental argument this book is making is one I, by and large, agree with. The working class conditions in the north are abhorrent and the only way to get past that is to put aside petty class differences in an effort to create a functional Socialist state. Yeah that’s good isn’t it?
So where lies my problem, why am I giving this 1.25 stars? Some people have complained that this book is a bit of a struggle to get through stylistically, but I don’t agree with that. I found it quite an easy read, I thought it was generally well written, so that’s not my issue.
My issue is all the batshit insane things he says in the making of his argument. I really wish I had kept a list of all of the frankly mad things Orwell says throughout this book but alas I did not.
Despite his claims that he has somehow overcome a lot of his class bias, so much of this book shows that he absolutely has not. His descriptions of the working class are dehumanising, it’s hard to believe that he even sees them as human and allies in the cause with some of the things he says.
His focus on the aesthetics of socialism is also just stupid, making repeated claims that somehow thise on the other side are smarter and socialists are scaring people away. This is just the classic “I’m not one of those (insert group here)”, which gets nobody anywhere.
He also shows a complete disregard for any form of tyranny and power dynamics beyond class. Maybe this is just a symptom of the time he wrote it in, but the book presents no form of oppression outside of class as even really imaginable. It’s not that he ignores it, it’s that he basically says people should ignore it in favour of working together across class boundaries.
There’s probably much more, these are just the things sticking with me while writing immediately after finishing because I just need to rant quickly. The sheer number of times I read something that just stopped me dead in my tracks and made me think “what the fuck is this guy going on about” was way too high. Genuinely just a terrible book.
So where lies my problem, why am I giving this 1.25 stars? Some people have complained that this book is a bit of a struggle to get through stylistically, but I don’t agree with that. I found it quite an easy read, I thought it was generally well written, so that’s not my issue.
My issue is all the batshit insane things he says in the making of his argument. I really wish I had kept a list of all of the frankly mad things Orwell says throughout this book but alas I did not.
Despite his claims that he has somehow overcome a lot of his class bias, so much of this book shows that he absolutely has not. His descriptions of the working class are dehumanising, it’s hard to believe that he even sees them as human and allies in the cause with some of the things he says.
His focus on the aesthetics of socialism is also just stupid, making repeated claims that somehow thise on the other side are smarter and socialists are scaring people away. This is just the classic “I’m not one of those (insert group here)”, which gets nobody anywhere.
He also shows a complete disregard for any form of tyranny and power dynamics beyond class. Maybe this is just a symptom of the time he wrote it in, but the book presents no form of oppression outside of class as even really imaginable. It’s not that he ignores it, it’s that he basically says people should ignore it in favour of working together across class boundaries.
There’s probably much more, these are just the things sticking with me while writing immediately after finishing because I just need to rant quickly. The sheer number of times I read something that just stopped me dead in my tracks and made me think “what the fuck is this guy going on about” was way too high. Genuinely just a terrible book.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
informative
reflective
medium-paced
England, 1937 - This documentary report on the perpetual struggle of the working class is both a scathing indictment of England’s social stratification and a tribute to the courage and perseverance of the proletariat.
A Political Inference - Making no qualms about his leftist leanings, Orwell weighs the pros and cons of socialism as an antidote for abject poverty—defining and dissecting the economic theory before presenting his ideas on how to rectify its deficiencies and save the world from fascism.
Overview - The Road to Wigan Pier burns with an indignation for collective apathy. Orwell, ever the stalwart opponent of human suffering, advocates for decency and personhood. Even those skeptical of his politics may discover a grudging appreciation of his humanity.
“Our heroes and heroines are those who managed, from Orwell through Camus and Solzhenitsyn, to be both intellectual and engaged.” ~Christopher Hitchens
A Political Inference - Making no qualms about his leftist leanings, Orwell weighs the pros and cons of socialism as an antidote for abject poverty—defining and dissecting the economic theory before presenting his ideas on how to rectify its deficiencies and save the world from fascism.
Overview - The Road to Wigan Pier burns with an indignation for collective apathy. Orwell, ever the stalwart opponent of human suffering, advocates for decency and personhood. Even those skeptical of his politics may discover a grudging appreciation of his humanity.
“Our heroes and heroines are those who managed, from Orwell through Camus and Solzhenitsyn, to be both intellectual and engaged.” ~Christopher Hitchens
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
fast-paced
informative
reflective
slow-paced
The sole reason I started reading this book is because I found it in a shop for only two pounds. Knowing Orwell from having read his famous works, 1984 and Animal Farm, I decided this book was worth two quid.
In the first half of the book Orwell explains, in great detail, the life of people in poverty. It's insane to me that he voluntarily emerged himself in the lives of these people just to get more information and a better view on how they live. Most authors wouldn't spend hours crawling through a mine just to write a chapter on it.
The second half is partly autobiographical and gives interesting insights into Orwell's (early) life. Together with the entire first half of the book, the autobiographical part gives invaluable context to the socialistic analysis that is to follow.
A specific aspect of the book that's most interesting to me is the part where Orwell states the influence machines have on society. While 1984 is more a warning than a prediction, the remarks made here are full predictions which are scarily accurate. This is beyond unique for a book written in the 1930s.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in the cultural and sociopolitical part of British history written from the perspective of a well-renowned writer who experienced being both oppressor and oppressed first-hand.
In the first half of the book Orwell explains, in great detail, the life of people in poverty. It's insane to me that he voluntarily emerged himself in the lives of these people just to get more information and a better view on how they live. Most authors wouldn't spend hours crawling through a mine just to write a chapter on it.
The second half is partly autobiographical and gives interesting insights into Orwell's (early) life. Together with the entire first half of the book, the autobiographical part gives invaluable context to the socialistic analysis that is to follow.
A specific aspect of the book that's most interesting to me is the part where Orwell states the influence machines have on society. While 1984 is more a warning than a prediction, the remarks made here are full predictions which are scarily accurate. This is beyond unique for a book written in the 1930s.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in the cultural and sociopolitical part of British history written from the perspective of a well-renowned writer who experienced being both oppressor and oppressed first-hand.
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
My feeling of elation when I realised that the final 25% of this book were footnotes just says it all. I far far far preferred Down and Out.
You can make yourself like it, if all the way through you can make yourself wonder at his prescience and consciously think oh gosh, he wrote this in 1930s...whatever. But that takes energy. I found myself avoiding this any chance I could, even though it was pretty interesting in parts. It was weirdly structured, a bit rambly/ranty, and held quite a few contradictions.
I enjoyed the homoerotic descriptions of the miners, though.
You can make yourself like it, if all the way through you can make yourself wonder at his prescience and consciously think oh gosh, he wrote this in 1930s...whatever. But that takes energy. I found myself avoiding this any chance I could, even though it was pretty interesting in parts. It was weirdly structured, a bit rambly/ranty, and held quite a few contradictions.
I enjoyed the homoerotic descriptions of the miners, though.
challenging
funny
informative
reflective
slow-paced