Say ‘George Orwell’ and most people remember reading Animal Farm, then say ‘All pigs are equal: some are more equal than others’. 1984 is another book from which some enjoy taking ominous references to the ‘thought police’. Professor Glenn Burgess will use his research into George Orwell’s political thought to discuss the contradictions in the themes .
Orwell’s searching descriptions and depth of thought make us challenge our own thinking. He was a committed revolutionary socialist until his death. At the same time he was deeply committed to liberal values of intellectual freedom. This talk will explore the relationships between his socialism and his commitment to free speech, noting the years 1944-1950. The books, Animal Farm, written in 1943-4, with a preface on press freedom published years later, and 1984, written in 1949, illustrate these tensions.
Orwell was committed to the liberal cause of intellectual freedom and worked closely with Bertrand Russell, Arthur Koestler and others trying to establish a new League for the Dignity and Rights of Man. Glenn Burgess will highlight this liberal activism often underappreciated in analysis of Orwell’s books.
Our speaker is Glenn Burgess, Professor of Early Modern History at Hull University. He is a New Zealander who studied there and at Cambridge, taught in Canterbury University, Christchurch, and since 1994 at the University of Hull. His research and publications concentrate on political thought, such as European Political Thought 1450-1700. His latest book is George Orwell’s Perverse Humanity.
Our meetings are open to anyone interested, but non HA members are asked to donate £2. Students exempt from this.