ORWELL'S GHOSTS

A critical assessment of the contribution that George Orwell’s writings can make to contemporary social, economic, and political problems.

Drawing on Orwell’s books, essays, and journalistic writings, Beers, a professor of British history and the author of Red Ellen and Your Britain, asks to what extent his ideas about language, truth, and democracy shed light on such enduring concerns as populism, tyranny, inequality, and patriarchy, as well as the efficacy of revolutionary change. For Beers, Orwell’s career “can serve as a model for conscientious political criticism in our current moment.” The author is particularly intent on broadening our perspective beyond Orwell’s most famous books, Animal Farm and 1984—notwithstanding their importance for understanding his anti-communism, anti-imperialism, and belief that “any society held a potential for tyranny.” Further threatening democracy, Orwell claimed, are social prejudices and the poverty, inequalities, and status distinctions attendant to capitalism. A democratic socialist, he defended individual liberty while championing communitarian values, When it came to patriarchy, Orwell had little useful to say about gender politics. He was a misogynist in his writings and his personal life. As for revolution, Orwell had gone to Spain in the late 1930s to fight with the Republicans in the Civil War and accepted that violence was, at times, necessary. Nonetheless, he was committed to “the importance of finding unity in a shared sense of humanity,” hoping to realize “meaningful social equality without sacrificing personal liberty.” While Beers convincingly uses Orwell’s work to address current events, her discussions too often drift from the basic ideas with which he was grappling. Her careful reflections on Orwell’s thought are of value for those familiar with his work and those who only know him from two of his books.

A determined attempt to rescue Orwell from the clutches of right-wing pundits and others who misconstrue his messages.