The Literary Merit of Animal Farm

The Literary Merit of Animal Farm

The year of 1945 marked a great turning point in world history. The end of the Second World War, the detonation of the atomic bomb, the beginning of the Cold War took place during that year. Also in 1945, George Orwell published Animal Farm, The book drew wide interest due to its scathing commentary on the Russian communist movement at a time when Britain and Russia were still allies. The body of criticism relating to the novel is among the greatest of twentieth century literature. Attacking the work from a variety of angles, every detail has been poked and prodded, but the consensus is still out on how best to judge Orwell's book. By analyzing the usage of simple themes, comparisons to the Russian communist movement, and the usage of animal allegory in George Orwell's Animal Farm, its overall literary value may be evaluated.

One of the hallmarks of Animal Farm is its thematic simplicity. Set on a farm in rural Britain, the book chronicles the history of the farm's animals and their revolution against humans. From its chaotic beginnings, the revolution is able to defend itself against its enemies and make technological leaps. However, a rigid hierarchy is soon forged which so resembles the ante-bellum totalitarian leadership of Farmer Jones that "the creatures outside looked from pig to man... but already it was impossible to say which was which," (Orwell 128). Orwell's smooth and simple narrative is clear-cut and easy to understand, which adds to the overall appeal of the book.

However, some critics interpret this very simplicity as a weakness. They hold that by making such broad generalizations of very complex situations, the merit of Animal Fa...

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...asured in the years to come.

Works Cited:

Alldritt, Keith. The Making of George Orwell. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1961.

Meyers, Jeffrey, ed. George Orwell: The Critical Heritage. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1975.

Orwell, George. Animal Farm. Signet 50th Anniversary Edition, Harcourt Brace & Company, 1996.

Zwerdling, Ales. Orwell and the New Left. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1974.

Works Consulted:

Bloom, Harold, ed. George Orwell's Animal Farm. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1999.

Davison, Peter. George Orwell: A Literary Life. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1996.

Fowler, Roger. The Language of George Orwell. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1995.

Gross, Miriam, ed. The World of George Orwell. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1971.

Williams, Raymond. Orwell. London: Fontana Press, 1991.