From: rhino1@NOSPAM.sympatico.ca   
      
   "Martha Bridegam"  wrote in message   
   news:414F3877.88465C9E@pacbell.net...   
   >   
   >   
   > Rhino wrote:   
   >   
   > > Thanks to all who replied to my question. There is apparently not a lot   
   > > written by Orwell about his purpose behind 1984 but it this is not   
   > > surprising considering how he died only a few months after publication   
   and   
   > > was presumably quite ill for those last few months.   
   > >   
   > > The letter cited by Mabel is very informative and goes a long way   
   towards   
   > > answering my question(s).   
   > >   
   > > Rhino   
   >   
   > "Mabel?" It's Martha. One of those old-fashioned sitcom wife names, yes,   
   but   
   > not "Mabel."   
   >   
   > Orwell wrote a lot of things that shed light on his intentions for   
   *1984* --   
   > notably that Burnham essay -- but you have to read between the lines and   
   > there are a lot of longstanding arguments about which writings are most   
   > relevant. And then a few of his later letters to friends and editors   
   mention   
   > *1984* specifically, though often just in passing. For example, this in   
   June   
   > 1949 to the writer Julian Symons re: Symons' review of *1984* in the Times   
   > Literary Supplement: "...You are of course right about the vulgarity of   
   the   
   > 'Room 101' business. I was aware of this while writing it, but I didn't   
   know   
   > another way of getting somewhere near the effect I wanted..." Or this to   
   Sir   
   > Richard Rees: "...'1984' has had good reviews in the USA, such as I have   
   seen   
   > of them, but of course also some very shame-making publicity..."   
   >   
   > As far as the chronology goes on the composition of *1984*, he finished   
   > typing out the fair copy in December 1948 -- a huge effort for him because   
   of   
   > his illness, especially considering it was a manual typewriter, but he was   
   > living on the remote island of Jura and no typist could be found to go   
   there   
   > and do the typing for him. He died in January 1950. In between, the   
   Complete   
   > Works Vol. XX contains 181 pages of essays and correspondence (mostly   
   > correspondence, it's true -- he *was* ill). Besides that, some of the Vol.   
   XX   
   > appendices, such as the notes for his uncompleted novel "A Smoking-Room   
   > Story," would presumably have been worked on during that final year.   
   >   
   > Vol. XX can be ordered by itself in paperback, I think. You might try   
   Random   
   > House directly, or the U.S. or U.K. versions of Amazon. But that also has   
   a   
   > lot of small detail about his health, translation and serialization   
   > arrangements for *AF*, his son's starting school, etc., etc. It might be   
   more   
   > satisfying to go back to his earlier full-length books and the good old   
   1968   
   > four-volume "Greatest Hits" edition, the *Collected Essays, Journalism and   
   > Letters*, which is now back in print, and decide for yourself what's   
   relevant   
   > out of his major works.   
   >   
   > Hope this helps,   
   >   
   Thank you Martha! (Please forgive me for calling you Mabel; I'm not sure how   
   that happened!)   
      
   Rhino   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)