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About George Orwell
Introduction to Animal Farm
Summary in Brief
Characters
About Major Characters
Major Themes
Motifs
Symbols
Summary All Chapters
Analysis All Chapters ... Read more

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George Orwell was a tireless and lively correspondent. He communicated with family members, friends and newspapers, figures such as Henry Miller, Cyril Connolly, Stephen Spender and Arthur Koestler, and strangers who wrote to him out of the blue. This carefully selected volume of his correspondence provides an eloquent narrative of Orwell's life, from his schooldays to his final illness. Orwell's letters afford a unique and fascinating view of his thoughts on matters both personal, political and much in between, from poltergeists, to girls' school songs and the art of playing croquet. In a note home to his mother from school, he reports having 'aufel fun after tea'; much later he writes of choosing a pseudonym and smuggling a copy of Ulysses into the country. We catch illuminating glimpses of his family life: his son Richard's developing teeth, the death of his wife Eileen and his own illness. His talent as a political writer comes to the fore in his descriptions of Barcelona during the Spanish Civil War, his opinions on bayonets, and on the chaining of German prisoners.And of course, letters to friends and his publisher chart the development and publication of some of the most famous novels in the English language, providing unparalleled insight into his views on his own work and that of his contemporaries. "A Life in Letters" features previously unpublished material, including letters which shed new light on a love that would haunt him for his whole life, as well as revealing the inspiration for some of his most famous characters. Presented for the first time in a dedicated volume, this selection of Orwell's letters is an indispensible companion to his diaries. ... Read more

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Bloom's Guides - successor to the acclaimed Bloom's Notes and Bloom's ReviewsComprehensive reading and study guides with a selection of critical excerpts providing a scholarly overview of each workEach book includes a biographical sketch of the author, a descriptive list of characters, an extensive summary and analysis, plus an annotated bibliography ... Read more

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A collection of George Orwell's previously unpublished letters, documents and photographs. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Orwell Errata

_The lost Orwell_ is a curious book, if it can really be called that. As the editor Peter Davison describes it, it is essentially the twenty-first volume of the twenty-volume complete works of Orwell. That is, it is most everything that came to light related to Orwell after the completion of the complete works. As such, people are likely to have one of two reactions, depending on their dedication to Orwell.

For those whom Orwell is just another writer, one whom they don't especially know much about but want to know more, this is not the Orwell you're looking for. This book will come across as trivia. You've probably read _Animal farm_ and _Nineteen Eighty-four_ and maybe _Homage to Catalonia_ or _Down and out in Paris and London_. Probably what you want to read next is a four-volume collection for the 1960s entitled _The collected essays, journalism and letters of George Orwell_ (CEJL). That's essentially a `best of' collection. No matter how good of a writer you are, it'll give you an inferiority complex. (In the 1980s, there was a book of Orwell's work at the BBC during World War Two that was advertised as a supplement to CEJL. I was entitled _Orwell: The lost years_. No confusion with titles there.)

For people endlessly fascinated by Orwell, this book will appeal to your sense of completeness but not satisfy it. (Most annoying: just having summaries of letters from Orwell to Brenda Salkeld, whom he was quite attracted to.) The book's a rag-tag mixture and doesn't actually contain all that much of Orwell's sparkling prose, though what is here has his typical mixture of pessimism and warmth. What the book includes instead are letters about Orwell, a lengthy errata sheet, biographical notes to pictures, etc. Furthermore, some of the letters were originally in French and those are printed in the original as well as in translation. As a result, there actually isn't that much to read for a 250+ page book. And truth be told, fatigue seems to have caught up with Davison, who spent more than twenty years on Orwell, often when not in the best health himself. (There's an autobiographical essay about editing the collection available online.) In places, the formatting isn't intuitive and redundancy creeps in.

That said, any Orwell completist is going to pick this volume up anyway. There aren't too many rewards, but there are a few. There's some letters from Eileen Blair to Norah Myles, an old friend, that flesh out his relationship with his first wife and also give a sense of her interactions with George Kopp, Orwell's commander in Spain: a bit more complicated than what you expect. There's also a miniature biography of Kopp that makes him seem like an odder character than I had appreciated from the biographies of Orwell.

Rating books is supposed to summarize a response to it, but in this case, it's essentially nonsense. There isn't a lot here, so it has the potential to disappoint. But then again, the thinness of the material is proof of what a job that Davison did with the original volumes of the complete works. Giving it a low rating likewise seems like an act of ingratitude, given the work Davison did for so many years. (If I could shake his hand, I would.) The rating, then, should be interpreted in this case as ranking of priorities when reading Orwell (in which case it should be one star but it's impossible to give him that). Only read this if you're committed to reading every scrap the man wrote. (I am.) ... Read more

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George Orwell's Animal Farm is still a widely read satire of Stalinism. The novel, which was rejected several times before its publication in 1945, is the focus of Bloom's Notes. Along with a collection of some of the best criticism available on his work, this text includes a brief biography of the author, structural and thematic analysis, an index of themes and ideas, and more. This series is edited by Harold Bloom, Sterling Professor of the Humanities, Yale University; Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Professor of English, New York University Graduate School. These texts are the ideal aid for all students of literature, presenting concise, easy-to-understand biographical, critical, and bibliographical information on a specific literary work. Also provided are multiple sources for book reports and term papers with a wealth of information on literary works, authors, and major characters. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

George Orwell's Animal Farm introduction by Harold Bloom
The book came in very good condition, but the shipping came on the 2nd to last day of the allotted time for the shipping date and usually books should ship faster. other than that though, i was very pleased in its condition.

Animal Farm Cliffs notes
Helpful notes.I'm a teacher, so I got some good ideas for how to present concepts.

Animal Farm
This book is wild!It is moooooooving.My daughter needed this book for her class.I had her read a chapter of the book, then read the cliff notes for the chapter.Hopefully this helped the book to sink in her head!Everything came in good condition.

good, but probably could be better
The author equates Old Major with Marx, Napoleon with Stalin, and Snowball with Trotsky.That's interesting, but isn't there more to say about Animal Farm?

A give away
Although this book helped me comprhend the symbolism of Animal Farm, i often found that it gave away future parts of the book.For example, i would read the comentary of chapter three, and it would give away a critical event that comes on much later in the book.In addition, i did not think that it interpereted all the symbolism that Orwell used.My advise if you are going to read Animal Farm, is to try a different source of notes. ... Read more

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There is not a singlebook that gives a systematic description of George Orwell’s views on language. Andrei Reznikov’s work is the first attempt to fill this gap. Reznikov puts together the pieces of Orwell’s language puzzle, scattered throughout his essays, diaries, letters, radio talks and fiction, and proposes the Newspeak model as Orwell’s way to formulate his theory. The theory is then tested with illustrative examples from three languages—modern English, Nazi German, and Soviet Russian. Finally, the author describes bias-free language as an implementation of Orwell’s ideas. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Very well written, careful analysis of Orwell's theory
Aside from the astute observations Reznikov draws from Orwell's writings to tease out the theory of language that follows perhaps what is most astounding is that this wonderfully well-written book is authored by a person whose native language is not English.I came to this book convinced that Orwell had a theory so Reznikov's task with me, at least, was less daunting.With others, I suspect, his work may be less convincing.Nevertheless I am genuinely impressed with the scholarship that supports this book even if the subject is a well-worn topic.In his case, Reznikov sheds light onto an aspect of Orwell's writing that few of us have thought about before, and for this reason alone I submit that those truly interested in the corruption of language will be most interested in this book.Thank you.

Well Researched
Andrei Reznikov has developed a truly original piece of research in this book.He has addressed a body of work that has been discussed and criticized in many publications over the years and explores a vein never before ventured.Reznikov asserts that Orwell has developed a bona fide theory of language, even if it does not employ the usual method of publication.The title itself asserts Orwell's work as a linguistic theory.According to some linguistic scholars mentioned in the introduction to Reznikov's book, 1984 contains no such thing.

"George Orwell's Theory of Language" takes bits and pieces of Orwell's published works that deal with language and presents them in a logical order to form a framework for the proposed theory.Orwell postulates from his experience with language, that because of dictatorship, the languages of Nazi German, Soviet Russian and Fascist Italian have deteriorated.In a well-illustrated chapter, Reznikov tests this hypothesis against two of the three languages mentioned, as well as modern English.The results are very interesting and at times disturbing.Reznikov presents examples that show how American political speech exhibits aspects of Newspeak.It is amazing to see how easy it is for politicians to use language as a means of controlling the public.

The representation of Orwell's views on language may be a bit confusing and may be hard to follow.I found that going back and rereading the appendix to 1984 concerning the principles of Newspeak helps relate this portion of the book to the main point. This book speaks to a reader who is familiar with the writings of George Orwell.

Any person who has respect for George Orwell as the crafter of 1984 will find it has an added sense of depth after reading Reznikov's book.When one reads 1984, one cannot help but recognize a strong undertone of significance on a passionate level.Reznikov recognizes in it significance on a critical level.The book gives the reader a new perspective on Orwell's work, one that presents a researcher with another tool to aid in the study of linguistics.Any further study concerning Newspeak or the language in 1984 would have to recognize Reznikov's recent publication.

Fascinating, but badly titled
Had Reznikov called this book something more like "Behind Orwell's Newspeak: the Societal Truth of 1984," he would have sold more copy and been more accurate.

This book reads like a short masters' thesis on a fascinating, but very narrow subject. ... Between the lines lies Reznikov's well-deserved worship of the man who foresaw (at least in lingual terms) the rise and fall of the Third Reich and the Soviet Union. Also, Reznikov suggests (again, between the lines) that, just as Tolkien originally conceived Middle Earth in order to create a separate reality where characters could speak Elvish, Orwell's greatest fictional work, 1984, probably grew out of his desire to display his theoretical language, Newspeak.

This book is a must for those who love Orwell and 1984; it will help you to understand both better. The book is dry in subject, and a bit repetitive, but wet in enthusiasm. Reznikov enjoys his concept and may well have a future in literary non-fiction beyond Orwell. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Helpful In Reading
This book is great for interperating George Orwell's literary style as well as his whole attitude and flow of writing. It helps you think about what you are reading when you read one of Orwell's books, thereby makingthe message clearer and easier to interperate. ... Read more

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"One can love a child, perhaps, more deeply than one can love another adult, but it is rash to assume that the child feels any love in return."

Customer Reviews (3)

Commendable -- recommendable -- but not quite ideal
George Orwell has become one of the literary icons of the 20th Century and, ironically, someone around whom a cult of personality has developed.I say "ironically" because like Franz Kafka -- and unlike, say, Ernest Hemingway or Rainer Maria Rilke or Jean-Paul Sartre (to name the three who first leap to mind) -- Orwell would not have embraced that development.He was too private . . . and too honest and decent.I don't know whether that makes the biographer's task more difficult in the case of Orwell, but for some reason I feel that the obligations of reliability and responsibility are greater for Orwell's biographer than for Hemingway's -- probably because truth is more important for Orwell.In the case of Michael Shelden and ORWELL: THE AUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY those obligations become a tad more onerous because the biography is authorized by Orwell's literary executor.I have read a lot by Orwell, but this is the first biography of him that I have read, and I come away feeling that Shelden has commendably discharged the obligations of reliability and responsibility.

Unlike some authorized biographies, Shelden's does not seem to be an exercise in hagiography.To be sure, Shelden clearly admires Orwell. In many respects, of course, that admiration is justified.Orwell's cult persona is that of an eccentric saint, and while Shelden may downplay somewhat Orwell's eccentricities (which still take a distant back seat to those of Kafka), he provides plenty of support for Orwell's saintliness, at least among the pantheon of 20th-Century literary giants.The most obvious and commendable of those "saintly" qualities was Orwell's instinctual habit of backing his liberal political/social beliefs with action, as, for example, living among the "down and out" and voluntarily risking his life as a front-line soldier against Fascism in the Spanish Civil War.In addition, Shelden's biography highlights two other senses in which Orwell deserves respect and admiration.He was a socialist in the relatively non-political sense that he was an advocate of the dignity of the individual regardless of social class.And he was an independent thinker, little influenced by cant and ever-vigilant for hypocrisy.

Here are several miscellaneous points that registered with me while reading this biography.One:Orwell's ambivalence towards success -- which contributed to his adopting, in 1933, a literary pseudonym (his real name being Eric Arthur Blair).Two:The extent to which English life during Orwell's time was permeated by various degrees of censorship, both public and private, and, similarly, the stultifying effect of Britain's libel laws, which necessitated revisions or watering down of most of Orwell's published works pre-WWII.Three:Orwell's admiration for Joyce's "Ulysses" (so different in style from Orwell's own work), particularly because it focused on "the life of the ordinary man in the street" and "the mind of a common man like Leopold Bloom."Four: Orwell's proposal to his American publisher that he write a short life of Mark Twain (unfortunately rejected) -- Orwell and Twain, of course, being so similar in their independence of thought and sensitivity to social injustice.

ORWELL: AN AUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY is better than most biographies of literary figures that I have read, and having read it I don't feel any need to read any others. So why don't I give this one five stars?It is a close question, but two considerations militate against five stars.First, the biography is on the dry side (as, I admit, are most biographies).Second, I sense -- and I can't readily marshal any evidence to support this sense -- that somehow Shelden has not quite captured the real Orwell. Shelden quotes the following observation of Arthur Koestler, who became a good friend of Orwell's late in his life:"I don't think George ever knew what makes other people tick, because what made him tick was very different from what made most other people tick."Shelden probably comes closer than many would to identifying what made Orwell tick, but I sense that he did not quite hit the mark.

Pretending to be a tramp was a quick way of satisfying his urge to fail
Orwell's life was not very mysterious. He left ample traces in his early novels, his essays, journalism and published letters. Still, if you want it as a coherent story instead of a jigsaw puzzle, this book is the place to go. And you get some surprises into the bargain.
Like: I had not realized that what Eric's father did as a professional in the India colonial service throughout his life was the most obnoxious work that he could possibly have done: he was a minor official in the opium authority, which was in charge of maintaining the official opium cultivation and exportation to China.
That, combined with Eric's own 5 years as a policeman in Burma must have put a heavy load of guilt on the young man's mind and conditioned him towards his urge for self-destructiveness that led him to live as a bum and to volunteer for a civil war. Shelden writes that Blair/Orwell had a deep sense of inadequacy throughout his life. Sounds about right.
As an admirer of Orwell's prose, I found the tales of Blair's poetic struggles in young life quite enlightening. Orwell was a man who loved the sound of words. Much of his criticism was about poetry. May that be the foundation for the clarity and simplicity of his writing?
A nice little anecdote (not that many of them in the book): Shelden says Blair was always an aggressive critic, as demonstrated by his habit of using disliked books for target practice as a police officer in Burma.
This bio is the 3rd attempt to write a complete one (i.e. other than the ex-girlfriend's or younger sister's partial view). The first one was seriously hampered by Sonia's refusal to cooperate and even to let the authors (Stansky/Abrahams) quote Orwell's work. The second one (Crick) was 'official', i.e. approved by Sonia, but then it displeased her strongly. Shelden's was written after Sonia's death and with approval by the literary executor.
I am not sure it is the last word, it came out in 91, but it is not a waste of time.

Brilliant biography of a literary giant
Professor Shelden's biography of Orwell is outstanding and well-researched.Prof. Shelden provides the important details of the molding of Eric Blair- boyhood, school, service in Burma for the Empire- and explains how each experience influenced young Blair yet he doesn't try to feed the reader psychobabble hogwash.Orwell's fitful rise as a writer is especially interesting.Prof. Shelden explains Orwell's various ideological wars and paints a portrait of a non-doctrinaire, humanist socialist who was a more astute critic of Stalinism or ideological socialism than anyone to his right.What I found refreshing about Prof. Shelden's account is that the reader finishes the bio without really knowing the writer's own politics.He allows Orwell to speak for himself. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Good Investment
Since my children were young, I have purchased books on tape for them to use when we travel or to listen to as they fall asleep at night.This set has an excellent narrator and our teenagers have referred to the books content on several occasions.

"He who controls the present, controls the past. He who controls the past, controls the future."---George Orwell ("1984")
This audio edition of George Orwell's classic novels "1984" and "Animal Farm" is an excellent deal because they are both well-read, unabridged, and very reasonably priced."1984" is on 9 discs and "Animal Farm" is on 3 discs.They are housed in cardboard pockets, so care is needed when removing them to prevent scratches.The first "Animal Farm" disc opens with an 18-minute introduction on the original release of the novel during the same month when the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki took place.Coincidentally, some thought (and many historians today believe) the atomic bombs were as much a message sent to the Soviets (the Russian Revolution and Stalin's Purges, of course, were parodied in Orwell's novel) as an attack on Japan to end WWII. It also explains why "Animal Farm" is considered a "fairy story."The introduction was mildly interesting, but hard to follow at times, and seemed longer than it needed to be as I was anxious to hear the story.There is no introduction for "1984."

Simon Prebble ("1984") and Ralph Casham ("Animal Farm")give excellent readings that bring life to the stories.They speak clearly and even give voices to the characters.I can still hear the horse Boxer saying, "I will work harder."This CD set was my first time hearing "1984."Prebble's reading made this fascinating and horrifying story come alive to me and I was really pulled in during the final 3 discs. Both stories can usher feelings of outrage and anger towards the characters, especially "Animal Farm."At the end of that story I hated that pig Napoleon.It's funny to hate a fictional character, but I guess that story came alive to me as did "1984."Both stories certainly demonstrate how much freedom should be appreciated and not taken for granted.

Must read
I can't believe I made it through both high school and college without reading these classics.Both of these need to be mandatory reading for all high school seniors.

Delicacy of democracy
I listen to audio books going back and forth to work.Mostly, I listen to the classics.

Where did the terms "big brother" and "big brother is watching" come from?They came from the book 1984 by George Orwell.

1984 is one that I read in high school because I was required to do so and learned little from it -- it seemed complex and the teacher kept talking about the threat of communism.Now, the sound is more relevant, the words more precise, and the democracy we have seems to be more delicate and vulnerable to the dangers proposed by Orwell.

1984 talks to the impact of the full use of technologies we have available today.For example, today it is possible to have two-way video and two-way audio transmissions in/from each home.What if the government provided those technologies to everyone to help improve our security, our physical fitness, and our economic well-being?Of course the government would be on the other side of the two-way part.That was the promised use of these technologies in 1984.As the five-year plans in Russia demonstrated, government controlled goals over such things can describe socio-economics plans and processes which are not obtainable, much less desired.What happens to love and romance and intimacy?These are elements of our privacy and human needs addressed by the government in 1984.What happens to individuality and creativity if the government is in constant two-way communications with all citizens?The book is intense and intellectual.The individual reading the book to you is effective providing us the feeling of the various characters.I liked it all.

The bonus with this audio book is you get Animal Farm, too.Although a fantasy and not possible (as 1984 is possible), the lesson is genuine and relevant.We must listen to what our government is doing, read 3rd party reporting, and push back on changes we feel are wrong.It seems intuitive.It is not.The crowd may be against us, not because they disagree with our logic but because they lack all the information to participate in the discussion.And to get all the information takes time and objective reporting.The book has animals speaking, thinking, teaming, and warring.It provides no solution.It provides us a sensitive look at how silly and dangerous we can be in the governments we support, whether in Seattle, Moscow or Tokyo.

Orwell was brilliant.He thought through some of these things for you and made them consumable. You will enjoy and be frustrated by listening to his stories.He wrote precisely.He shared his view of the role government might play.I liked his word choice, his grammar, and his character development.There are several surprises in both books waiting for you.

Very Pleasant Introduction to Audio Books
This was my first venture into audio books and I purchased this because I could get two books for only a few dollars more than 1.This turned out to be a great purchase.I do not own a cd player that plays MP3's, but I was able to put the disk into my computer and drag and drop the files into my portable MP3 player and copy the files onto my hard drive so that I can listen on my computer or convert the files to WAV myself and burn onto a standard CD.

The boxed set is essentially a regular DVD sized box with a chapter listing.Nothing else is included, but you don't need anything else.The readers are wonderful.Very clear voices with nice inflection that doesn't distract from the story.Both these books are classic reads, so if you'd like reviews on the content of the books, I'd suggest you look up the paper editions as they are heavily reviewed and provide a lot of information.

This version is unabridged so the same information should apply. As a matter of fact, much of the information is easier to understand when listening to it rather than reading it off the page - particularly the introduction portion which I normally just skip over to get to the story was very interesting and much more thought provoking to listen to than I would have expected.

The sound is crystal clear and the product is highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
The author of "Nineteen-eighty Four", "Animal Farm", and "Homage to Catalonia," here interprets in succinct style the social history of the British isles and its people. ILLUS. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A nice little book.
The English People by George Orwell is a great little book about the English people.Their character, their faults, their merits and their future.Orwell, as in most of his books, holds nothing back.He hits the nail right on the head and cares nothing for the feelings of his readers.Hate him or love him, you have to respect him.
I am REALLY proud of my copy as, if you check the inside front cover, you will find it was a gift to somebody in 1947!A first edition.
And his advice to the English people on how to protect their future?
"They must breed faster, work harder, and probably live more simply, think more deeply, get rid of their snobbishness and their anachronistic class distinctions, and pay more attention to the world and less to their own backyard.Nearly all of them love their country, but they must learn to love it intelligently."
Good advice for everybody, really.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

George Orwell's 1984: A Play
Now a classic. Great book (play). We as Bedford NH high school students will produce this play during our junior year. Orwell's 1984 vs. Obama's 2009; what's the difference.

Iffy
this play covers the main parts and plots of the book but misses more then its worth. i have done the play and read the book after words and wow. theres a diffrence there.

1984 Review
Winston Smith began getting tired of his regular, everyday job for working with the Party in the future of London, England. Several countries were overcome by the US and transformed into a giant country called Oceania. In this future, set in 1984, there is a system called the Big Brother that watches over all of its citizens to make sure they do not try to rebel the government and throughout the story Winston gradually turns against the government and plans to overthrow it. Along his journey he meets a woman he supposedly falls in love with which is breaking a law and meets a man named O'Brien that is said to be working against the Party. Winston knew he was doomed with a life sentence for a while and eventually gets caught by the Party and interrogated. 1984 is a very well written book filled with great characters, mystery and vivid description to keep the reader reading the story.
The main characters in this story were Winston Smith, Julia, Mr. Parsons and O'Brien. All of the characters were different in their behavior and all wanted to accomplish different things. Winston changed began the story as partially disliking the Party but kept his thoughts to himself and he changed through the story to a man with a severe hatred of the Party and tried to demolish it. Julia was a woman that lived a dangerous life and did not care about who she associated with. She had experiences with many of the members of the Party and no one had turned her in yet. Mr. Parsons was a quiet man that did what he was supposed to do without question but eventually got caught for hating the Big Brother. O'Brien was the man that turned in Winston and Julia because he was a sort of spy. He lured Winston into breaking the law and busted him.
Mystery was a main characteristic of this story because judging by characters behavior you could not guess what the consequence would be. After Winston bought the journal from the antique store it was fairly hard to see if he would get caught and arrested because buying that item was illegal. He met with a man that Winston thought opposed the government but was not sure. Not knowing who this man was, Winston still discussed plans with him about overthrowing the government and the reader would immediately begin to wonder whom this man really was. Another event was when Winston became friends with Julia, which was breaking laws so the reader would then wonder when or if the two would get caught.
George Orwell wrote this book very descriptively to show the reader everything that was occurring at that time such as talking about all of the setting, who was in the area and other important facts. One time of his great description was when Winston and Julia were alone in their bedroom above the antique store and they heard a strange but familiar voice from inside the room. The room was empty but still they heard the voice and steps approaching them. By this time the reader could picture perfectly how the two of them would be looking in all directions while a group of unknown people would be coming for them.
1984 was an over all enjoyable book to read. Page after page was filled with something new and a new event to change the outcome of the story. The reader would think one thing would occur because of the event but another event suddenly altered the fate of the first event.This book should be read by all of the readers that enjoy futuristic books dealing with a grim government and total control of the population to lead to a revolution.
- K Hurdle

Awful
A bastardization, this play attempts to capture the feel of Orwell's classic novel, and it fails miserably.It omits essential points of the plot and abridges several of the more important moments-- such as when Julia and Winston fall in love (a mere 1/4 page of the script).More importantly, because theater cannot "enter the internal thoughts" of characters as easily as books can (and this play has no monologs or soliloquies of that sort), the responsibility to imagine Winston's feelings lie wholly with the audience.George Orwell makes Room 101 real and terrifying; the play makes it a mockery.I would highly reccomend against this dramatization.I gave it 2 stars and not 1 because as a completely original play, it's OK.But, audiences will expect something of the caliber of Orwell's book, and this will leave them disappointed.

I loved this book!
I highly recommend 1984, by George Orwell, in any edition or translation you choose, because I feel he was so very prophetic about the times in which we live.Thie book does not describe what COULD happen - itdescribes what HAS happened, at least, in some cases and to a certainpercentage of the public.The information elite today, increasingly, isusing cameras to monitor people - including - with those they target - inALL areas of their lives.Likewise, people are alienated and renderedvoiceless by this faceless elite who churns out lies and brainwashing (inmy opinion) to keep them distracted and neutered.Authors names ARE beingchanged, gifts ARE stolen, composite characters ARE created, triple speakIS practiced, coverups ARE participated in.I know these things are truebecause I have seen and experienced them, as I am sure we all have, on asliding scale.Likewise, society is dividing, more and more, into classes- those with insider information and privileges, and the masses who have"freedom" but cannot use it, and live like animals.I see thiseveryday.The "threat" is the hero of 1984, who dares to FEEL,speak the truth, try to escape conditioning.The villain is the machineryof the system, both in 1984 and today.A very good book on this subject(nonfiction) is Friendly Fascism, by Betram Gross - written ten years ago,and, in my opinion, an understatement of what is occurring, but nonethelessbrilliant and illuminating. ... Read more

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Product Description
Harold Bloom concurs with other critics who refer to George Orwell as the best of modern pamphleteers. Examine his work with this volume, including the widelyread Animal Farm and 1984.

This title, George Orwell, part of Chelsea House Publishers’ Modern Critical Views series, examines the major works of George Orwell through full-length critical essays by expert literary critics. In addition, this title features a short biography on George Orwell, a chronology of the author’s life, and an introductory essay written by Harold Bloom, Sterling Professor of the Humanities, Yale University. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

I must be getting old
I must be getting old. Why would I choose to read this book? But I did. Not only that! I recognize all the people it refers to and the comments about the works of GO strike me as just the sort of reaction I would have myself! It makes me want to know how old Harold Bloom is. Perhaps I am becoming too familiar with Harold Bloom and I am beginning to think as he teaches me! If so, who are the THOUGHT POLICE? Harold?

This is Orwell reconsidered and it rings true. It even has me thinking about reading some of GO's things again. ... Read more