Quote:
Originally Posted by microbet
re campfirewest and Orwell
And his feelings were pretty clear in Down and Out in Paris and London, published in 1933. It wasn't mostly political, but it was somewhat and he did humbly offer social prescriptions and his sympathies were quite clear.
What's interesting is that campfirewest isn't making this up on his own. The popular impression in the US is that Orwell was more or less a US style libertarian who was specifically attacking socialism in 1984. I just asked my daughter who is in 12th grade now and read it for school in 10th grade and she said that no one brought up fascism and everyone, the teacher included, just talked about how it was about socialism and how Orwell was afraid that it was a looming threat.
really? wtf.
my orwell history is that I read him about 20 years ago. read animal farm. didnt really understand it, but my mom explained a few things. then read 1984 like 5 yrs later when I was 17 and a lot smarter. that book still blows my mind. I saw stuff from the bush administration that applied. and no I constantly think about it.
about 3 yrs ago I read his book about the spanish civil war bc I was bored and randomly came across it. combine that book with hemingways fspanish book for whom the bell tolls for a pretty interesting perspective. anyway, that was a good book and lololol if you think he was libertarian after that one.
and just a few months ago I came across down and out at my moms house (english teacher) and thought it was just an amazing book.
some of the ideas he introduces in that book to help the lower class are still fought tooth and nail by the establishment. and they still make sense.
and his encounter with the guy in charge of the food who totally agrees that they should absolutely throw out the extra food and not use it to feed the starving ppl (even tho that dude was himself starving) is enough to lose faith in humanity and realize why ppl will totally kill their own self interests.