Orwell on Gulliver's Travels, Candide and Notes frm Undrgrnd

[moon_vixen33]

Hey everyone...
How do you think Orwell would have responded to Gulliver's Travels, Candide and Notes from Underground? If you only reply to one of these books, I'd be grateful....I already a few ideas for GT and Notes, but more would be welcome. Thanks sooo much!

:P

[linespalsy]

Somewhat old topic, I wonder why nobody responded yet? Oh well.

I have'nt read Orwell's takes on Voltaire or Dostoevsky, but Orwell made an extensive living of essays and articles which included reviews of classic literature so they may be out there. I know of at least one fairly lengthy review he did of Gullivers Travels in 1946 for Polemic, titled Politics Vs. Literature: An Examination of Gulivers Travels. In it he professes a strong admiration for Swift but at the same time claims his views border on insanity. Here's a quote, "The durability of Gullivver's Travels goes to show that, if the force of belief is behind it, a world-view which only just passes the test of sanity is sufficient to produce a great work of art."