Orwell, George: 1903-1950

Animal Farm, 1945 - Information about the Book

  • General Information
    • Animal Farm has been voted the UK's favourite school book. It tells the story of a group of farm animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to create a society where the animals can be equal, free, and happy.
    • Information from Wikipedia
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  • Facts

    • Hugo Award for Best Novella (1946)

      Prometheus Award - Hall of Fame (2011)

      Retro Hugo Award for Best Novella (1946) - awarded retroactively in 1996

      Developed by ChatGPT AI

    • Overview with themes and style and critical discussion

    • Old Major: A prize-winning boar who inspires the rebellion with his vision of a society where animals rule themselves.

      Napoleon: A large Berkshire boar who becomes the leader of the farm after the rebellion. He represents Joseph Stalin and embodies authoritarianism.

      Snowball: A pig who challenges Napoleon for control of the farm and represents Leon Trotsky. He is intelligent and inventive.

      Boxer: A loyal and hardworking cart-horse known for his motto, "I will work harder!" He represents the working class and is ultimately betrayed by the pigs.

      Squealer: A persuasive and manipulative pig who serves as Napoleon's spokesperson. He represents propaganda and the manipulation of truth.

      Benjamin: A cynical donkey who is skeptical about the revolution from the beginning. He represents the skeptical and disillusioned individuals in society.

      Mollie: A vain and materialistic horse who is more concerned with ribbons and sugar than with the revolution. She represents the bourgeoisie or upper class who are indifferent to political change.

      Mr. Jones: The drunken farmer who originally owns Manor Farm. He represents Tsar Nicholas II and symbolizes the oppressive ruling class.

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    • Allegory

    • Totalitarianism and Corruption of Power
      The novel depicts how the pigs, initially the leaders of the revolutionary animal republic, gradually become corrupted by power and establish a totalitarian dictatorship mirroring the oppressive human regime they had overthrown. This reflects Orwell's disillusionment with the Soviet Union under Stalin's rule.

      Propaganda and Manipulation
      The pigs, especially Squealer, use propaganda techniques like revisionism, false statistics, and manipulation of language (e.g. "All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others") to control the other animals and distort reality to their benefit.

      Class Struggle and Inequality
      While the revolution aimed to create an egalitarian society, a new elite class of pigs emerges that oppresses the other animals, reflecting how the Russian Revolution failed to eliminate class distinctions.

      Ideological Betrayal
      The ideals of the revolution ("Animalism") are gradually betrayed and corrupted by the pigs as they adopt the same oppressive behaviors as the humans they overthrew, symbolizing the betrayal of the Russian Revolution's original goals.

      Symbolism and Allegory
      The characters and events in the novel are allegorical representations of key figures and events in the Russian Revolution, such as Napoleon representing Stalin, Snowball representing Trotsky, and the Battle of the Cowshed symbolizing the Russian Civil War.

      In summary, Animal Farm serves as a powerful critique of the Russian Revolution's descent into totalitarian oppression under Stalin, exploring themes of power corruption, propaganda, class inequality, and ideological betrayal through its allegorical storytelling.

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  • Articles
    • Author In 1945, George Orwell wrote an introduction to Animal Farm.: "These people don't see that if you encourage totalitarian methods, the time may come when they will be used against you instead of for you." The article was not printed, and remained unknown till 1972. The New York Times; October 8, 1972
    • Video (1:09)
      On this day in history Animal Farm is published: "After a number of publishers rejected the book, "Animal Farm" was finally published in August 1945." Fox News; August 17, 2023
    • The Meaning in a Nutshell: "Animal Farm is an allegorical account of the Russian Revolution and a critique of the degeneration of the Soviet Union into totalitarianism under the dictatorship of Joseph Stalin." Mark Lopez; 2021
    • George Orwell and the Battle for Animal Farm. "Orwell’s biographer DJ Taylor and George Orwell’s son, Richard Blair, celebrate the 75th anniversary of the book’s publication by unpacking the extraordinary story behind the story, from the book’s initial rejection by several publishers, etc."
    • Review: "Rather than a monument to warn of the perceived “evils of Communism”, Animal Farm is a satirical allegory of the Rise of Josef Stalin." Stephen K.; February 7, 2023
    • Terrible Reviews: "There is no such thing as a universally loved book". August 30, 2016
    • Bitesize. A lot of information from the BBC, especially about themes, language, and structure
    • Audio (51:17)
      In Our Time. Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss George Orwell's Animal Farm. BBC; 2016