Our Orwell, right or left : the continued importance of one writer to the world of western politics

Writers words have always been used by pundits and politicos in order to further their own agendas, but it is probable that no writers work has been used (and misused) as frequently and as effectively as George Orwell's. Once the champion of Europe's down-and-out and a self-proclaimed advocate of Socialism, Orwell was, understandably, embraced by many on the Left during his own lifetime. Following the publications of Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four and the writers own death shortly thereafter Orwell also became a patron saint of sorts for many on the Right. Within the arenas of political theory and literary criticism, this confusing and seemingly contradictory turn of events has resulted in an ongoing battle over the writers legacy. Our Orwell, Right or Left examines Orwell's reception history in order to decode why critics on both ends of the political spectrum have been compelled to claim Orwell as one of their own, and how they have gone about doing so. In many cases, when Orwell's writing has been misused by those in politics, it has, alarmingly, reflected the same species of dangerous propaganda that Orwell had warned about in his final two books. As there is an inherent problem with a situation in which critics have misrepresented the scope and focus or Orwell's writing whether the misrepresentation happens to be intentional or not Our Orwell, Right or Left takes a close look at the details of Orwell's own writing and juxtaposes what George Orwell had written with the often dubious claims of his proponents. Manipulative political propaganda, however, is but one of the many very dangerous symptoms of repression and tyranny that Orwell had warned against in his writing. As Our Orwell, Right or Left shows, there are many aspects of our contemporary culture that are worryingly similar to the Oceania of Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. That Orwell's writing still remains prescient even approaching sixty years following his death proves that he is not only a writer still worthy of being read, but that he is also a writer still worth fighting over. TABLE OF CONTENTS 6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 8 INTRODUCTION 10 PART ONE 18 CHAPTER ONE 19 CHAPTER TWO 23 CHAPTER THREE 33 CHAPTER FOUR 39 CHAPTER FIVE 46 PART TWO 56 CHAPTER SIX 57 CHAPTER SEVEN 63 CHAPTER EIGHT 68 CHAPTER NINE 72 PART THREE 82 CHAPTER TEN 83 CHAPTER ELEVEN 88 CHAPTER TWELVE 96 CHAPTER THIRTEEN 109 WORKS CITED 112 NOTES 117 By C.j. Fusco. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [103]-107).