George Orwell the essayist : literature, politics and the periodical culture / Peter Marks.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Marks, Peter, 1958- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Orwell, George, 1903-1950--Criticism and interpretation.

Orwell, George.

English essays--20th century--History and criticism.

English essays.

Politics and literature--Great Britain--History--20th century.

Politics and literature.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (226 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

London, England : Bloomsbury Academic, 2011.

Summary:

George Orwell is acclaimed as one of English literature's great essayists. Yet, while many are considered classics, as a body of work his essays have been neglected. Peter Marks provides the first sustained study of Orwell the essayist, giving these compelling pieces the critical attention they merit. Orwell employed the essay as a tool to entertain, illuminate and provoke readers across an array of topics. Marks situates the essays in their original contexts, exploring how journals influenced the type of essay Orwell wrote. Acknowledging this periodical culture helps explain the tactics Orwell employed, the topics he chose and the audiences he addressed. Orwell's first and last published works were essays, providing evidence of the development of his cultural and political views over two decades. Essays helped him fashion his distinctive literary 'voice' and Mark traces how their afterlife contributes to Orwell's posthumous reputation. Arguing the essays are central to Orwell's enduring literary, political and cultural value, Marks shows how we understand the complexities, subtleties, and contradictions of Orwell better when we understand his essays.

Contents:

Cover; Contents; Acknowledgements; Introduction: Orwell, the Essay and the Periodical Culture; Chapter 1 From Blair to Orwell: Finding a Voice (1928-36); Chapter 2 The Radicalized Orwell: From Spanish to Global Confl ict (1937-9); Chapter 3 Orwell in Wartime: Socialism, Patriotism and Cultural Threat (1940-5); Chapter 4 Orwell and the Uncertain Future (1946-50); Chapter 5 The Posthumous Orwell and the Afterlife of the Essays; Bibliography; Index; A; B; C; D; E; F; G; H; H; J; K; L; M; N; O; P; Q; R; S; T; U; V; W; Z

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9781441197689

1441197680