The political fable “Animal Farm,” written by visionary George Orwell, was published on this day in history, August 17, 1945.
The plot of “Animal Farm” is based on the history of the Russian Revolution and its betrayal by Joseph Stalin and is considered an allegory, according to Britannica.
The novel tells the story of a group of farm animals who overthrow and drive away their exploitative human masters and establish their own egalitarian society, the source said.
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At the beginning of “Animal Farm,” Mr. Jones, the owner of Manor Farm, is drunk and heading to bed.
“The animals gather in the barn as Old Major, a wild boar, tells them that he has thought about the brutal lives farm animals lead under human slavery and is convinced that a rebellion must soon occur,” notes Encyclopedia.com.
Author George Orwell finished writing the draft of Animal Farm, originally titled A Fairy Tale, in the summer of 1944. The book was initially rejected by several publishers, but was finally published in August 1945. (Ullstein Bild via Getty Images)
Eventually, the “power-loving leaders, the pigs, subvert the revolution and form a dictatorship whose slavery is even more oppressive and ruthless than that of their former human masters,” Britannica.com noted.
The original book jacket describes the book with these words: “In this good-natured satire on dictatorship, George Orwell makes use of the technique perfected by Swift in 'The Tale of a Cask.' It is the story of a revolution gone wrong and of the excellent excuses offered at every step for every perversion of the original doctrine,” relates The Orwell Society.
Orwell has said that Animal Farm was the first book in which he attempted to “fuse political and artistic purpose into one whole.”
Orwell finished writing the draft, originally subtitled “A Fairy Tale,” in the summer of 1944, according to the British Library's official website.
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After several publishers rejected the book, “Animal Farm” was finally published in August 1945, the source said.
Orwell is reported to have said in his essay “Why I Write” that “Animal Farm” was the first book in which he attempted to “fuse political and artistic purpose into one whole,” according to multiple sources.
Animal Farm is studied around the world and has been adapted into several films and stage productions. Its themes and characters have become part of the global cultural lexicon. (iStock)
The plot analysis explores themes of authoritarianism and corruption.
“Orwell uses the setting of an animal uprising against their human masters on an English farm as an indirect representation of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the totalitarian Stalinist era that followed,” Carnegie Mellon University said.
“The play explores and comments on the dangers of authoritarian control and the cult of personality inherent to it, and reminds us that even the noblest causes can be subverted by power and greed.”
“Even the noblest causes can be subverted by power and greed.”
It is described as an “allegorical fairy tale about the dangers of authoritarianism and how “absolute power corrupts absolutely,” according to the same source cited.
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Orwell was born Eric Arthur Blair on June 25, 1903, in India.
He was the son of a British colonial official and was educated in England, according to the BBC.
George Orwell was born Eric Arthur Blair on June 25, 1903 in India. He was the son of a British colonial official and was educated in England, according to the BBC. (Getty Images/Bettmann/Contributor)
He adopted the name Orwell in the 1930s.
Her writing credits include several works of fiction and nonfiction.
Orwell is also known for the book “1984,” a story about political oppression in a dystopian society.
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Orwell died of tuberculosis on January 21, 1950.
“Animal Farm” has become a classic of modern literature.
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The book is studied around the world and has been adapted into several films and stage productions.
His themes and characters have become part of the global cultural lexicon, according to The Mentoring Club.
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“The book's ultimate message, that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, remains as relevant today as it was when Orwell wrote it,” the source said.
