Morgan

George Orwell (1903-1950) Works published 1933-49.

By Nick Morgan Student, University of Wisconsin-Rock County

General Information Eric Arthur Blair, aka George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, and journalist who lived in the first half of the twentieth century. He was born in Motihari, Bengal, India, which was part of the British empire, and he describes his upbringing as lower-upper-middle class. At the age of one, Orwell was brought from India to England, which would become his home for his formative years. His primary education was spent in exclusive prep #|schools. The #|tuition for these schools were paid for by splitting the cost; his parents paid half of the tuition and #|scholarships that Orwell earned paid the rest.

After his primary education, and having no resources to further his education, Orwell joined the India Imperial Police in Burma. After a number of years working for the police, Orwell grew to despise imperialism, resigned his post, and returned to England. This was the beginning of a very chaotic time in Orwell's life, which found him living in poverty and, on occasion, homeless. He eventually found work, temporarily as a school teacher and ultimately as an assistant in a bookstore.

Orwell also has some military experience, having volunteered to fight as an infantryman in the Spanish Civil War. He chose to fight on the side on the Republicans against Franco's forces. He also served in the English Home Guard during WWII. During this time he also worked as a book critic, and for the BBC.

Mistrust of government and the plight of the poor and working class are among the many different themes that reoccur throughout his works. In his short novel, "Animal Farm", he uses metaphor to satirize government by showing how corruptible even the most utopian ideas can be. In arguably his most well known novel, "1984", Orwell imagines a world in which governments run unchecked, and control all aspects of the peoples lives. In it, the people are separated into two classes, the haves and the have-nots, the latter receiving few to no benefits, while the former enjoy a life of power and a degree of freedom. Both of these novels paint government as a villain never to be trusted. In his novel "Down and Out in Paris and London", Orwell draws upon his own experiences to illustrate the plight of the poor and homeless.

Major Works Down and Out in London and Paris (1933) Burmese Days (1934) A Clergyman's Daughter (1935) Keep the Aspidistra Flying (1936) The Road to Wigan Pier (1937) Homage to Catalonia (1938) Coming Up for Air (1939) Animal Farm (1945) Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949)

Web Sites

In doing this, I have found the following web sites particularly helpful: http://www.netcharles.com/orwell/misc.htm http://www.george-orwell.org

Monographs [|The Story Behind the Story.] Bloom, Harold. Bloom's Guides: 1984, Bloom's Guides, 2004, p12-16, 5p. (Literary Criticism)

This article gives insight and background on Nineteen Eighty-Four, which was Orwell's best known work. In it, the authors describe some of the life experiences Orwell drew upon to write this novel. Once you, the reader, understand who Orwell was as a man and how his experiences shaped his character, you can more deeply understand and enjoy his works.

[|Where he wrote: Periodicals and the essays of George Orwell.] Marks, Peter. Twentieth Century Literature, Winter95, Vol. 41 Issue 4, p266, 18p. (Literary Criticism)

This article may mirror the latter in terms of establishing Orwell's experiences and character to gain perspective on his writing, however, this article focuses on his essays and lesser known material. The article also discusses the importance of his essays and periodicals, along with his status as a cultural icon.

Peer-Reviewed Journals John Rodden. __"The Cambridge Companion to George Orwell.__" The Cambridge Companion to George Orwell. Cambridge University Press, 2007. Cambridge Collections Online. Cambridge University Press. 17 May 2011 

This book is a collection of essays that deal with social and political nature of George Orwell's writing by putting it into the historical context in which it was written. The reason I have included this was to give Orwell's work the perspective that only time can. Within this collection, two of Orwell's novels, Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four, along with many of his essays are analyzed.

Study Questions
 * 1) What form of government does Orwell have the animals adopt in "Animal Farm"?
 * 2) In "Animal Farm" there is a political coup; who is ousted from power and who takes power?
 * 3) Give three examples of how this "government" keeps the populace in check.
 * 4) What year was "Animal Farm" published?
 * 5) "Animal Farm" is a story of power and greed corrupting utopian ideals. Do you think this concept applies today? How? Where?