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@Overcomer that’s true. Come to think of it, though I was frightened of scary images (extraterrestrials, bears with huge teeth, sharks, etc.) the one thing that scared me most when my dad read us ‘Scottish Chiefs’, for instance, was Marion’s death. And it didn’t scare me because of the violence itself. It scared me because I couldn’t understand why they would want to kill her.
So that’s a very good point.Well, folks, now we come to the midpoint. Notice how it was in chapter 5 of ten that we hit the real turning point (or rather point of no return) where we see without any doubt that Animal Farm is sunk into despotism.
I noticed something interesting about this book that I’d like to put before the others who have read it before. I’m not the type of person who reads any book twice. I think I might have I’ve made one exception in my entire life, this being my second. Now at this moment, I’m reading K.M.Wieland’s book Storming. I’m liking it better than animal farm, but I read the first chapter of Storming right when it came out, and when I read it again, I wasn’t particularly engaged, even though I was very engaged the first time. I wouldn’t say Animal Farm is better written, but it’s much more re-readable. So for those of you who do read books more than once, I thought I’d ask, why do you think that is? What makes this book so re-readable.
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For me, I think it would be the refreshing simplicity of the style coupled with the strength and complexity of the allegory. There’s always something you didn’t notice before; always something else to remark on and think over. And it doesn’t require say, two weeks of commitment. Like the Count of Monte Cristo would. 😛 It can be read through in a day, or two at the most. So you can enjoy it thoroughly without having to worry about it taking up too much of your time.
Also (and this sounds really dumb coming from a writer who has repeatedly emphasized the importance of showing instead of telling) the spoonfeeding style really is very relaxing. It lets you focus on the theme without having to worry about anything else. This may be an allegory thing. In fact, I’m almost certain it is. Such strong and absolute allegories are written solely to make a point, and anything that distracts from this point (complexities of character, setting, motivation, etc.) only distract from the actual reason for the story. And most, if not all, of Animal Farm’s charm (my inner poet is wincing at that word-combination 😛 ) lies in its message. So we can unreservedly enjoy the depth of the story without having to sift out minor details for ourselves, which can be a very refreshing experience once in a while. I love complex stories that I have to sift out myself; don’t get me wrong. But it can be nice to get away from that.Okay. I’m done rambling. 😉
For me, what makes a story re-readable is the right combination of humor, allegory, description, friendship, terrific characters, action, satire, wit, adversity, and a good cause or purpose … whatever Chuck Black’s Kingdom Series has. I have re-read, re-read, and re-read those over the years, and the story only gets better with time.
I recently began re-reading (after several years, but for the umpteenth time) the first 20 or so books of the Bionicle series. Most of you have probably never heard of them. They’re kids books, a bit allegorical, with heroes, action, adversity, friendship, and lots of wit and satire. Now I can pick out a few grammatical errors, but they still succeed in making me laugh and drawing me in. The strange friendship between two of the characters, (they didn’t get along very well 😉 ) in particular, remains one of my favorites.
If your story hangs upon the end, like a mystery, then often once the end has been read all interest fades. The story must be good all the way through.
I liked “Alice in Wonderland” on the first read, but was bored by the second. It had nothing I missed on the first read, or that got better with time. The Hobbit’s magic never fades, and the first lines are immortal.
Sherlock Holmes is fairly re-readable, mainly because of the great friendship between the two main characters, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson. I’ve read Pride and Prejudice three times at least, and the characters, wit, and conversation just get better the more familiar they become.
I can’t wait to read “The Choosing” by Rachelle Dekker again. I really enjoyed it. 🙂
The re-readable books are the ones that manage to create an unforgettable impression of enjoyment and connection: The best books. The ones that aren’t re-readable usually have weak spots or a shallowness to the characters, plot, or writing. They force me to remain on the surface and outside of the story, and I feel no regrets for finishing them.
You thought you rambled, @kate-flournoy ! Sorry, @daeus . 🙂
Eh? I don’t know what you’re sorry about. That’s a good overview. I’m gathering that the re-readability factor has much more to do with wit than story line. I guess you could say it’s mainly about good prose and intellectual stuff.
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@daeus @kate-flournoy and @overcomer I haven’t read Animal Farm before, but I agree with all those re-readability factors based on other favorite books. I also think that it has a lot to do with the minor details like subtext or foreshadowing, the subtle clues that you don’t pick up on until you know the ending. I also enjoy reading books like LotR multiple times because the writing itself contains so much intricate detail and sheer excellence of prose. It’s like listening to a favorite song over and over- you’ve memorized the lyrics or notes, but you never tire of the music.
Alright everybody, and so we’ve arrived at the gloomy part. Thoughts so far?
One thing that struck me was the technique Orwell used for irony. He basically took the animals perspective and stuck fastly too it. Even though as the narrator he showed you all the terrible truth, he had the animals accept the situations with such confidence and simplicity that it really heightened the evil. It’s funny, he played the idiot and it made his writing brilliant.
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@Daeus I know! He pulled it off perfectly— and this is where I think the essence of ‘show, not tell’ is really made clear. He didn’t tell us anything. I mean, we literally have nothing that he gave us to base our opinions on. For all the story gave us, this could be a turn for the better.
But if we have even the most basic sense of human decency/truth vs hypocrisy, it’s impossible to miss what happened. Orwell was counting on that, I think, for which I applaud him. It can be difficult trusting your readers that way.Something else that helps with this is he’s very consistent with the wording of each argument— ‘You don’t want Jones to come back, do you?’ has been the number one tool phrase since the beginning. It’s taken on an ironic twist now, but the reader understands that since this is the argument that started everything (i.e, expelling Jones) the animals still respond in the same manner, which makes their blindness understandable.
Even though the words have changed in the minds of those dratted, clever pigs.*sneaks in* *peeks at topic* Hey… @Daeus, sorry I didn’t respond for the last couple weeks! I was gone for the first week, and I was really busy last week…
So back to Animal Farm. I think one of the areas that Orwell really does well is foreshadowing. In the beginning of the book, he puts in subtle warnings that the animal characters don’t pick up on but the reader does.
@Daeus and @kate-flournoy, I agree. Although he does “tell” in his prose style, he stays in the animals’ perspective the entire time. That’s probably why he gets away with telling in his prose. It’s amazing how Orwell reveals so much about the true workings of the Farm without telling anything at all. I feel so sorry for the animals. 🙁
Everything about his political allegory is subtle but not too subtle. It’s a tough balance, but Orwell pulls in off well.It’s official. Orwell get’s the writer hero 2nd class award. (1st goes to Dumas?)
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I find the ‘media side’ of the story interesting. The twisting of the story about different farmers and Snowball to make sure there is always someone everyone is upset with. Since the animals are given someone to blame, they don’t look closer to home at the real reason of their trials. And, through all the stories told about all the ‘enemies’ of the animal, poor Snowball is the one consent; the mythical power behind every evil which befalls the animals.
INTJ - Inhumane. No-feelings. Terrible. Judgment and doom on everyone.
Oh boy, look at me being so forgetful. Hey folks, we’ve come to the end of Animal Farm. I hope you’ve enjoyed it. I know I did. It was a style that was different which was unhelpful in some ways, but helpful in others. There’s not much out there like that. I think the best things we learned from it where how to write bold characters and irony.
Everybody ready for another book? Tell you what, we can just use this thread to vote on the next one since we’re already down with it. Looking forward to your suggestions.
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I vote for Black Beauty, The Hobbit, Frindle, and The Butterfly Lion. 🙂
(It might help if you tag people @daeus. I almost didn’t see this cause it was still in under Animal Farm) 😉
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