George Orwell: A Literary Companion

by Mark Connelly

Overview

George Orwell (1903-1950) is one of the most influential authors in the English language. His landmark novels Animal Farm (1945) and Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) have been translated into many foreign languages and inspired numerous stage and film adaptations. His well-known essays "A Hanging" and "Shooting an Elephant" are widely anthologized and often taught in college composition classes. The writer is credited with inventing the terms "Big Brother," "thought crime," "unperson" and "double think." His name itself has become an adjective—"Orwellian."

Seventy years after its publication, Nineteen Eighty-Four remains very popular, its sales surging in an era of enhanced surveillance and media manipulation. This literary companion provides an extensive chronology and more than 175 entries about both his literary works and personal life. Also included are discussion questions and research topics, notable quotations by Orwell and an extensive bibliography of related sources.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476666778
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Publication date:	11/09/2018
Series:	McFarland Literary Companions , #18
Pages:	210
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.42(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Mark Connelly teaches literature and film at Milwaukee Area Technical College in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he is vice president of the Irish Cultural and Heritage Center.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction
Chronology of Orwell’s Life and Works
The Companion
Appendix A: On Literature, Language, Politics and Life
Appendix B: Writing and Research Topics
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

This clearly written and well-organized volume provides a great deal of useful information about the life and the writings of the important 20th-century English author, George Orwell...excellent information...a valuable acquistion”—ARBA; “David Ryan’s study, a twenty-five-year labor of love, seeks to present a comprehensive examination of film adaptations and documentaries on Orwell and succeeds brilliantly. His outsider status as a journalist instead of an academic proves a blessing in being able to appeal to a wider audience.... Ryan’s work very well may be the most important contribution to the field”—Journal of American Culture; “excellent series of Literary Companions”—Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine.

From the Publisher