FRANKENSTEIN
Sir-It is apparently Mr. Fieldhouse’s opinion that George Orwell was disillusioned with the results. of State planning. Surely that is a misconception,
1984 is an attack on the survival into the 20th Century of the age-old practice of enforcing conformity by cruelty and torture. The secret police and the agent provocateur were as common in Renaissance Italy, Inquisition Spain or Imperial China as they are in present-day dictatorships. What angered Orwell was that these practices had corrupted a Socialist society. It is surely fallacious to imply that the general increase in economic planning is responsible for modern dictatorships, since capitalism and free enterprise have produced at least as many police states as have Socialism and public enterprise. Mr. Fieldhouse agrees, somewhat reluctantly, that George Orwell remained a Socialist, although he does riot seem to be quite sure why. The answer is simple. He did not believe that. Socialism would necessasaky become corrupted and degrade man, any more than a businessman believes that capitalism automatically leads to Fascism, Orwell believed in Socialism-economic planning, Social Security and all-and he castigated the Communists-in Animal Farm and in Homage to Catalonia, as well as in 1984-for having betrayed its aims and ideals by reverting to Czarist methods of government. «*:
J.
DUNMORE
(Featherston).
Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/NZLIST19550415.2.12.6
Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka
New Zealand Listener, Volume 32, Issue 820, 15 April 1955, Page 5
Word count
Tapeke kupu
209FRANKENSTEIN New Zealand Listener, Volume 32, Issue 820, 15 April 1955, Page 5
Using this item
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Material in this publication is protected by copyright.
Are Media Limited has granted permission to the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa to develop and maintain this content online. You can search, browse, print and download for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Are Media Limited for any other use.
Copyright in the work University Entrance by Janet Frame (credited as J.F., 22 March 1946, page 18), is owned by the Janet Frame Literary Trust. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise this article and make it available online as part of this digitised version of the New Zealand Listener. You can search, browse, and print this article for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from the Janet Frame Literary Trust for any other use.
Copyright in the Denis Glover serial Hot Water Sailor published in 1959 is owned by Pia Glover. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise this serial and make it available online as part of this digitised version of the Listener. You can search, browse, and print this serial for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Pia Glover for any other use.
Log in