Thinking critically about Animal Farm....
I think that George Orwell's writing philosophy was like Brecht's-- to incite action rather than emotion. I just find Brecht's (and Orwell's) works to be emotionally moving. I think it may just be a reaction to the melodrama that same before them, though.
I also am just guessing about orwell's motives, as I know little to nothing about him.
Okay, I've never read Animal Farm and now I ain't gonna. 1984, though, and scads of 50s-70s scifi, so I'm all countercultured up.
I read
Animal Farm
directly before reading
1984,
so it struck me how the former seemed almost like preparation for or a precursor to the latter.
They were both spring break reading material. Along with
Catcher in the Rye
and...maybe
A Streetcar Named Desire
? Possibly
Glass Menagerie.
There was at least one play, and I think it was Tennessee Williams.
Oh God, somebody's pulled Corwood's chain. We'll be here all night. (sighs, puts out peaches)
Did you read them on Spring Break as part of school, or on your own?
Back in the dark ages when I was in school, we never, ever, ever had to read anything when we were on vacation, although we read one book a year as "outside reading" which meant that we chose 1 of 3 or 4 books, and then took a test when we were done reading. I think vacation reading is weird, even though I read like a maniac on vacation. I feel like perhaps it would have made me want to read LESS.
I didn't actually ask for the long story, erika! Maybe we'll be safe.
Did you read them on Spring Break as part of school, or on your own?
On my own. Kind of a "Why the hell haven't I read these books for school?" binge. Oh, I also read
Brave New World
after
1984.
I ended up writing my senior thesis on dehumanization in dystopian societies in the two books, so I got more bang for my intellectual buck.
Sometimes you don't have to ask. But I'm not putting the cinnamon out, just in case.
No one authorized the cinnamon, that's for sure.
I see the whole sick crew is here, then.