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

James Wynn · 06 May 2011, 15:01 · from 2011-May.txt.gz

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From: crushtv at gmail.com (James Wynn)
Date: Fri, 06 May 2011 10:01:46 -0500
Subject: (urth) "Realistic fiction leaves out too much." - Gene  Wolfe
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Mo,

That's interesting observation. What specific ideas did you find 
unconvincing? Have you seen the movie "The Lives of Others"?

The only thing that *might* be unconvincing to me is that such a society 
could be maintained _worldwide_ among three nations. But then, I only 
know about the other two nations from what we are told. They might 
actually be free. On the other hand, the belief in the eventual 
inevitably universal spread of Soviet Socialism was not uncommon in the 
UK in 1947 (much as the current belief in Liberal Democracy). So, maybe 
Orwell was speculating "What if it _did_ happen?"

J.

On 5/6/2011 4:00 AM, Mo Holkar wrote:
> 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
>
>
> # ~ # ~ #
>
> WolfeWiki -- a wiki about Gene Wolfe
> http://www.wolfewiki.com/pmwiki/
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