Animal Farm by George Orwell

Animal Farm is one of those books we're all supposed to have read. Until Thursday of last week I hadn't read it. The edition I have contains additional material including a forward by Malcolm Bradbury and Orwell's original preface to the book. These are interesting pieces and certainly help set the context for the book itself. It would be easy to simply read it, see the communist era and nothing more but Bradbury's forward also helps illuminate some of what Orwell was trying to achieve. This illumination is helpful because Orwell's writing is spare, frequently instrumental and often leaves the motivations of the characters obscure.

For instance, whilst it is easy to infer Napolean's motivations it is actually dependent on our own subjective interpretation of why the animal hero; first class acts the way he does and even why he waits as he does to expose his true feelings about sharing power and opinions with others. In Orwell's mind, at least, the book is not truly about communism but about the rise of totalitarianism in the ideological sense - be that communism, nazism or whatever. However, given the structure of the book I think his stated ambition doesn't stand up to scrutiny when compared to what he actually delivers. Clearly driven by ideas of the liberation of the serf from feudal society (and hence one could argue deeply concerned with class rather than capitalism) he shows just easy it is for the disenfranchised to be manipulated by the clever technocrat. This is a book about how the powerful use our every day communal instincts (our decency if you want) to drive us into the ground, wringing every last drop of energy from us in the process. You could draw analogies with the inexorable drive for efficiency at the heart of lassaiz faire capitalism and you wouldn't be far from the mark. However, without the serf the theory falls apart.

One particular element of the story is as bang up to date as possible and that is the role of propaganda. Seeing how the pigs mess with the stories the animal's tell themselves, looking at how they construct enemies to hate and reasons for sacrifice it is hard not to see a hundred different contemporary news stories in play every time Squealer opens his mouth. Not the crass poster but the subtle and insidious charismatic spokesperson. The devil Wormtongue by another name.As we should all be on our guard, Squealer is a powerful reminder of why we should be reasonable but sceptical of truth claims from those in power.

I suppose the question for the modern thinking is this - if you have a truly entrenched middle class what's the best way to restore power to the new aristocracy? I think Orwell answers - create an environment in which the middle class is squeezed out, the poor are disenfranchised and all are manoeuvred in the name of 'their own good'

Setting aside Orwell's style, the story is precise, clinical and deadly in execution. I'm glad I eventually got round to reading this piece of history and current affairs. Highly recommended.