Orwell and the Politics of Despair
A Critical Study of the Writings of George Orwell
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Cambridge University Press
Published:27th Jan '89
Currently unavailable, our supplier has not provided us a restock date
This hardback is available in another edition too:
- Paperback£24.99(9780521397476)
Drawing on a wide range of Orwell's writing Rai charts his progression from rebellion through reconciliation to despair.
Drawing on a wide range of Orwell's writing, including unpublished and previously unused material, Rai charts his progression from rebellion through reconciliation to despair. Making use of the insights of contemporary critical theory, he demystifies the idea of Orwell as a 'transparent' writer, simply concerned with basic human values, and relates the literary style to the political beliefs.Alok Rai recognises that George Orwell was both a political writer and a literary artist, and that any adequate study must do justice to both aspects of his work. Drawing on a wide range of Orwell's writing, including unpublished and previously unused material, Rai charts his progression from rebellion through reconciliation to despair. Making use of the insights of contemporary critical theory, he demystifies the idea of Orwell as a 'transparent' writer, simply concerned with basic human values, and by means of close reading relates the literary style to the political beliefs, asking how a writer who is from one perspective, a relatively minor talent, can come to occupy such a culturally central position. Rai's discussion reopens the question of the nature and necessity of Cold War attitudes and perceptions, and examines the ideological apparatus of the Cold War consensus, of which Orwell was an influential guarantor.
ISBN: 9780521345194
Dimensions: 216mm x 138mm x 18mm
Weight: 368g
208 pages