laurenjpegler's review against another edition
4.0
RATING 4.5 stars
I had a hunch I would enjoy this, but I didn't expect to like it so much. I've read a couple of Orwell's novels, and his political narratives tend to interest me more than anything else. He has such a way with describing contemporary affairs, whether that be politically, socially or economically. I just knew I had to pick this Penguin Modern up as soon as it was released, and I'm so glad that I did. This contains three essays from Orwell's larger collection Essays (which wasn't where these were originally published, but can now all be found).
The first essay was 'Notes on Nationalism', which discusses nationalism and how this blurs reality. People become manipulated and disillusioned by nationalism, thus leading them to be ignorant and lacking common sense. Out of all the essays, this was the one I found difficult to follow at times. I think it may be because I'm not that glued up on nationalism, and the way Orwell discussed it got confusing at times. However, despite this, it was very passionate and convincing. This, obviously, is a good thing - he put forward interesting arguments, which has made me want to read up on this topic more.
The second essay was 'antisemitism in Britain'. I really enjoyed this essay. It was something I'm quite familiar with, so I was constantly interested in his arguments. He wrote accessibly, and made references to a variety of literature that is bred on antisemitism. He highlighted the fact that almost everyone (I must point out, he was chiefly talking about Britain in this essay) is a perpetrator of Jew hating. It has been prevalent in society way before the war started, but it has since intensified with Hitler's regime. As I said, I really enjoyed this essay. Orwell pointed out the hypocrisy of his countrymen; he was biased, making him the perfect candidate to write about his nation. Definitely my favourite from the collection.
The last essay was 'The Sporting Spirit'. Orwell used sports, chiefly football and boxing, as metaphors for nationalism. He suggests that sport are wars without guns. They are bred on violence, patriotism, and nationalism. Sports implants the idea that their nation is the best, thus leading to prejudices and rivalries amongst countries. In all honesty, I didn't think I would like this essay. It's concern with sports (and I hated sports) but, surprisingly, I really enjoyed it. Orwell's arguments were extremely convincing. The way he used sports (an accessible and universal thing) as his main route to explore these ideas were extremely interesting.
I'd definitely recommend this. I can't wait to read the entirety of is Essays.
I had a hunch I would enjoy this, but I didn't expect to like it so much. I've read a couple of Orwell's novels, and his political narratives tend to interest me more than anything else. He has such a way with describing contemporary affairs, whether that be politically, socially or economically. I just knew I had to pick this Penguin Modern up as soon as it was released, and I'm so glad that I did. This contains three essays from Orwell's larger collection Essays (which wasn't where these were originally published, but can now all be found).
The first essay was 'Notes on Nationalism', which discusses nationalism and how this blurs reality. People become manipulated and disillusioned by nationalism, thus leading them to be ignorant and lacking common sense. Out of all the essays, this was the one I found difficult to follow at times. I think it may be because I'm not that glued up on nationalism, and the way Orwell discussed it got confusing at times. However, despite this, it was very passionate and convincing. This, obviously, is a good thing - he put forward interesting arguments, which has made me want to read up on this topic more.
The second essay was 'antisemitism in Britain'. I really enjoyed this essay. It was something I'm quite familiar with, so I was constantly interested in his arguments. He wrote accessibly, and made references to a variety of literature that is bred on antisemitism. He highlighted the fact that almost everyone (I must point out, he was chiefly talking about Britain in this essay) is a perpetrator of Jew hating. It has been prevalent in society way before the war started, but it has since intensified with Hitler's regime. As I said, I really enjoyed this essay. Orwell pointed out the hypocrisy of his countrymen; he was biased, making him the perfect candidate to write about his nation. Definitely my favourite from the collection.
The last essay was 'The Sporting Spirit'. Orwell used sports, chiefly football and boxing, as metaphors for nationalism. He suggests that sport are wars without guns. They are bred on violence, patriotism, and nationalism. Sports implants the idea that their nation is the best, thus leading to prejudices and rivalries amongst countries. In all honesty, I didn't think I would like this essay. It's concern with sports (and I hated sports) but, surprisingly, I really enjoyed it. Orwell's arguments were extremely convincing. The way he used sports (an accessible and universal thing) as his main route to explore these ideas were extremely interesting.
I'd definitely recommend this. I can't wait to read the entirety of is Essays.
ajteyn's review against another edition
3.0
Thought-provoking but some sections haven't aged well and I took issue with Orwell's views on Irish Republicanism, as well as his suggestion that imperialism happens through "largely by mutual consent". Nonetheless, I still enjoyed reading this, I never would've considered Nationalism's presence outside the concept of sovereign states.
My favourite quotes were:
"Patriotism is of its nature defensive, both militarily and culturally. Nationalism, on the other hand, is inseparable from the desire for power. The abiding purpose of every nationalist is to secure more power and more prestige, not for himself but for the nation or other unit in which he has chosen to sink his own individuality."
"The nationalist does not go on the principle of simply ganging up with the strongest side. On the contrary, having picked his side, he persuades himself that it is the strongest, and is able to stick to his belief even when the facts are overwhelmingly against him."
"Nationalism is power hunger tempered by self- deception."
"One prod to the nerve of nationalism, and the intellectual decencies can vanish, the past can be altered, and the plainest facts can be denied."
"The emotional urges which are inescapable, and are perhaps even necessary to political action, should be able to exist side by side with an acceptance of reality. But this, I repeat, needs a moral effort..."
"There are quite enough real causes of trouble already, and we need not add to them by encouraging young men to kick each other on the shins amid the roars of infuriated spectators."
My favourite quotes were:
"Patriotism is of its nature defensive, both militarily and culturally. Nationalism, on the other hand, is inseparable from the desire for power. The abiding purpose of every nationalist is to secure more power and more prestige, not for himself but for the nation or other unit in which he has chosen to sink his own individuality."
"The nationalist does not go on the principle of simply ganging up with the strongest side. On the contrary, having picked his side, he persuades himself that it is the strongest, and is able to stick to his belief even when the facts are overwhelmingly against him."
"Nationalism is power hunger tempered by self- deception."
"One prod to the nerve of nationalism, and the intellectual decencies can vanish, the past can be altered, and the plainest facts can be denied."
"The emotional urges which are inescapable, and are perhaps even necessary to political action, should be able to exist side by side with an acceptance of reality. But this, I repeat, needs a moral effort..."
"There are quite enough real causes of trouble already, and we need not add to them by encouraging young men to kick each other on the shins amid the roars of infuriated spectators."
mrears0_0's review
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
not an Orwell shooter but liked this more than I thought I would