"Realistic fiction leaves out too much." - Gene Wolfe

Mo Holkar · 06 May 2011, 09:00 · from 2011-May.txt.gz

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From: lists at ukg.co.uk (Mo Holkar)
Date: Fri, 06 May 2011 10:00:32 +0100
Subject: (urth) "Realistic fiction leaves out too much." - Gene  Wolfe
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At 19:01 05/05/2011, Sergei wrote:
>By the way, I didn't like much the Orvell's "1984" (I did like
>the Animal Farm). The reason - "Animal Farm" is presented as abstract,
>symbolic fiction, and it seems almost perfect symbol.
>The "1984" contains many details that were not convincing,
>even as a possible development of the society in the USSR.
>It was still very good
>as a scheme, on the level of abstract ideas (language in "1984",
>inner Party, etc), but not in realistic details.

It's interesting that you had that reading of Nineteen Eighty-Four. I 
read it not as trying to depict a development of USSR society, but as 
trying to depict what a collectivist society would be like 
specifically as it could be in the UK. So I think there is no real 
attempt by the author to think about the Soviet actuality -- but 
mostly just a mission to critique tendencies in 1930s-40s UK politics 
and society.

I guess I have this perspective because I live in the UK myself, but 
then Orwell did too :-) and I think that in Nineteen Eighty-Four he 
was trying to send a message to his own country, more than to the 
rest of the world. As you say, Animal Farm, because of its 
abstraction, is a more universal piece of work.

best wishes,

Mo

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