A question of identity : the manifestation of Englishness in George Orwell’s political writing

Abstract

The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the manifestation and influence of Englishness in George Orwell’s political writing. The concept generates a dilemma in trying to assign it an appropriate definition—whether it is of a constructed or inherited nature. By focusing on three main texts from Orwell’s body of work, I aim to demonstrate how it can indeed act as both; while exerting an impacting force on the author and reader. The first text, Shooting an Elephant, demonstrates the innate struggle experienced by Orwell in trying to abide by his identity as an Englishman and the ambivalence that emerges as a result of this. The following chapters, focusing on The Lion and the Unicorn and Nineteen Eighty-Four respectively, illustrate the use of English national identity as a strategic tactic to garner political support. Orwell does this by appealing to the English through generally accepted traits—however he does appear to select specific characteristics that are relevant to his subject. Therefore his purposeful use of Englishness in The Lion and the Unicorn is somewhat propagandist in relation to his political theory. However in Nineteen Eighty-Four, his manipulation of Englishness is executed in its absence. By imagining a setting devoid of English national character or culture, Orwell aims to provoke a sense of unease in his reader in hopes of arousing revolutionary action. The culmination of the three chapters aims to provide a chronological trajectory of Englishness as an integral, and influential, factor in Orwell’s work.