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A review by rustedtrains
Animal Farm by George Orwell
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
Given Orwell’s imperial and colonial family history - a great portion of which he lived his own life, see here https://anti-imperialist-action-ireland.com/blog/2020/05/19/unmasking-st-george/ + the fact that Animal Farm is a stolen idea, upon reflection my review has fallen considerably.
However, to his credit as a writer only, he relays ideas articulately that can be repurposed for better use (their intended use). So. That’s the only reason it isn’t a 0, if possible - for capturing the intent.
The book, for all its lauded praises - and hated for it - as being pro-communism, is neither pro-communism or pro-capitalist as a whole. The use of explicit red scare imagery/propaganda relevant to the time is a big giveaway of the actual agenda, ie: make people uncomfortable and aware of the fact that they are stuck and there should be something more, but plant the idea in their mind that under no circumstances are communists your friends.
The book, in this way, is deceptive and quite intentionally: by giving literary name to what people had seen and lived and known was wrong with the state of things, they were reassured—they saw that things could get better!
And in the same breath—book, actually—that is immediately crushed with the use of the evocative imagery of red scare propaganda to disavow communism.
It’s blatant propaganda and Orwell is no prophet or saint for saying things that were happening to him as they are happening to us—he just saw the writing on the wall. And then used that writing to benefit himself (ie, working with the State). So, make of all of this what you will about the books actual politics and it’s message. There are certainly things, devoid of any meaning the context that Orwell’s background adds, that make good points—I won’t deny that.
But on the whole, it’s a bad book, frankly. And it shouldn’t be what we first quote, to be honest.
Another good read about George Orwell (only a portion discusses him, but I do recommend the entire article!) from Red Sails: “Masses, Elites, and Rebels” by Alice Malone, Jacob Weiser, and Ghazanfar Sultan: https://redsails.org/masses-elites-and-rebels/
However, to his credit as a writer only, he relays ideas articulately that can be repurposed for better use (their intended use). So. That’s the only reason it isn’t a 0, if possible - for capturing the intent.
The book, for all its lauded praises - and hated for it - as being pro-communism, is neither pro-communism or pro-capitalist as a whole. The use of explicit red scare imagery/propaganda relevant to the time is a big giveaway of the actual agenda, ie: make people uncomfortable and aware of the fact that they are stuck and there should be something more, but plant the idea in their mind that under no circumstances are communists your friends.
The book, in this way, is deceptive and quite intentionally: by giving literary name to what people had seen and lived and known was wrong with the state of things, they were reassured—they saw that things could get better!
And in the same breath—book, actually—that is immediately crushed with the use of the evocative imagery of red scare propaganda to disavow communism.
It’s blatant propaganda and Orwell is no prophet or saint for saying things that were happening to him as they are happening to us—he just saw the writing on the wall. And then used that writing to benefit himself (ie, working with the State). So, make of all of this what you will about the books actual politics and it’s message. There are certainly things, devoid of any meaning the context that Orwell’s background adds, that make good points—I won’t deny that.
But on the whole, it’s a bad book, frankly. And it shouldn’t be what we first quote, to be honest.
Another good read about George Orwell (only a portion discusses him, but I do recommend the entire article!) from Red Sails: “Masses, Elites, and Rebels” by Alice Malone, Jacob Weiser, and Ghazanfar Sultan: https://redsails.org/masses-elites-and-rebels/