Blog on the Lillypad
Monday, February 09, 2004
 | My visit to the book club to discuss 1984
Last night I visited the "Literay Pursuits" book club at Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh to discuss Orwell's 1984. What a pleasure to sit around a blazing fire with people of different backgrounds and discuss ideas, history, the development of language, and the quirks of George Orwell! I was probably the most politically/religiously conservative person there, as well as the least affluent. But none of that really mattered. Discussion opened with a commentary by one of the men, Brian, about the "real" George Orwell. He brought along a critique from The New Yorker that strongly points up Orwell's inconsistencies, self-contradictions, and failings. Oddly, none of these translate into his actual works---the best known, anyway. |
Both 1984 and Animal Farm are brilliantly perceptive accounts of how people seize power by deception in the name of liberty, justice, etc. In spite of the fact that Orwell flubbed in his personal judgements on the politics of his day, his grasp of what he really did know, and his ability to communicate it, is stunning.
For a newbie, I spoke often in the group of about 15 people. They were surprised to find I am a Christian Fundamentalist (sitting right next to a Moslem, Saith, a charming and gentle man of North African descent, with a French accent). And I'm sure it was more surprising when I spoke of universal ideas found in Taoism, Indian Buddhism, then Colet's sermons on the Book of Romans that started the Protestant Reformation, and numerous other ideas.
Not that I dwarfed anybody. I listened to a genuine bibliography of Books I Have Missed as the others spoke. Most of the people there are current on the latest best books on the American scene, while I spend my reading time looking at old, even ancient classics, many of them from military writers. Kindly Brian, who is a well known architect and has designed several public buildings in the Southeast, lent me the article from The New Yorker.
But next time I go, I am bringing a pen and a notebook. Today I woke up with some regret as I realized I have already forgotten some of the titles that they talked about, which I repeated to myself so that I would remember! Oh, middle-aged forgetfulness!
