16. Dystopian literature (George Orwell, Animal Farm and other works)

16) Dystopian Literature State: George Orwell; Animal Farm and Other Works

GEORGE ORWELL

- pen name for Eric Blair

- he was born in India in 1903 (part of English empire), died in 1950

- to British parents

- journalist, one of the best English essayists

- parents sent him to English prep school, he won scholarship to Eton

- but he turned against the values of the English public school system – but graduated from Eton

- never went to university

- he was teacher in UK for 1year

- everybody has their own internal universe as beautiful as everyone else’s

- lived in Paris, travelled in northern Europe

- life among classes – documentary, autobiographic – how much costs the rent, quality of life

= what life is for poor, revealing it for upper classes

- then returned to Burma and served in Indian police in Burma

- Burmese days – policeman in Burma, feels isolated

- can speak Burmese, adores the culture, people call him bad names

- internal universe – internal monolog → modernist

- how do we know what objective reality is? How do we create it?

- when we are kept alone objective reality can be created by political party

- he went to trip in Burma, - glade – ,,it’s so beautiful I could cry, but meaningless because I’m not sharing it with someone”

→ loneliness

- ,,does it have value when you don’t share it?”

- fought in Spanish Civil War 1936 – his experiences changed the view on communists and fascist – their only aim is to get the power and not to help society or the people

- Catholic church x military – fascism

- Spanish communist party was directly controlled by Stalin

- Soviet Union – supported the side they liked

- Mussolini → Franko

- communism as thread

- Britain was sitting on its hands (víme z dějáčku, VB a neintervence) – fascism – we can do business

- Orwell was shot in neck in Spain

- returned to Britain

- communists wanted to kill him – orders from Moscow

- he was social democrat, anti-communist, anti-totalitarianism, Marxist – 1936 went to Spain to fight Francisco Franco and joined the Marxist group

- individuality over ideology

- lung problems → tuberculosis

- had connections with British upper class

Orwellian = it is an adjective used to describe a situation that Orwell identified as being destructive to the welfare of a free and open society

Animal Farm

- it is an allegory for Soviet Union and its transformation from communism ideals of equality into totalitarian rule by single dictator

- reflects Russian revolution of 1917, French revolution 1789

- power can often lead to corruption and oppression (útlak)

Themes: corruption – Napoleon and other pigs are leading other animals far astray from their original ideas

Exploitation – working animals are exploited by the pigs to provide their needs

Deception – Napoleon and Squealer bend history to better suit their needs by supressing education (potlačování vzdělání)

Idealism – dreams of equality and animal bravery – elements for revolution