Every Intellectual's Big Brother: George Orwell's Literary Siblings (Literary Modernism Series)

281 Pages·2006·2.75 MB·English

by  John Rodden

Every Intellectual’s Big Brother
literary modernism series
Thomas F. Staley, Editor
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George Orwell in early spring 1946.
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Every Intellectual’s Big Brother
George Orwell’s Literary Siblings
Q
John Rodden
university of texas press austin
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Copyright © 2006 by the University of Texas Press
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
First edition, 2006
Requests for permission to reproduce
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(cid:2)(cid:2) The paper used in this book meets the minimum requirements of
ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (R1997) (Permanence of Paper).
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Rodden, John.
Every intellectual’s big brother : George Orwell’s literary siblings / John Rodden.
— 1st ed.
p. cm.—(Literary modernism series)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-292-71308-6 (cloth : alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0-292-71308-8 (alk. paper)
1. Orwell, George, 1903–1950—Criticism and interpretation—History. 2. Orwell,
George, 1903–1950—Infl uence. 3. Orwell, George, 1903–1950—Political and social
views. I. Title.
PR6029.R8Z7753 2006
828(cid:3).91209—dc22
2006024667
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For Lynn,
who endured and prevailed
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Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Prologue: “Orwell” Still Lives xi
Introduction: George Orwell and His Intellectual Progeny 1
part one
Their Orwell, Left and Right
chapter one: “Not One of Us?” Orwell and the London Left of the
1930s and ’40s 9
chapter two: “A Moral Genius”: Orwell and the Movement Writers
of the 1950s 33
chapter three: “London Letter” from a Family Cousin:
The New York Intellectuals’ Adoption of Orwell 55
chapter four: “A Leftist by Accident?” Orwell and the American
Cultural Conservatives 75
chapter five: Does Orwell Matter? Between Fraternity and
Fratricide at the Nation 89
part two
Orwell’s Literary Siblings Today
chapter six: Iraq, the Internet, and “the Big O” in 2003:
A Centennial Report 113
chapter seven: The Man within the Writings 145
chapter eight: Unlessons from My Intellectual Big Brother 167
Epilogue: On the Ethics of Literary Reputation 181
Notes 193
Bibliography 245
Index 249
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acknowledgments
This study originated in numerous conversations two decades ago with for-
mer colleagues of mine at the University of Virginia about George Orwell,
cultural politics, and the vocation of the contemporary intellectual. At that time,
the serious study of Orwell was riveted on the approach of 1984, and public dis-
cussion was largely limited to Orwell biography and to interpretations of his last
novel, rather than to refl ection on his ambiguous legacy.
I am especially grateful to three former colleagues from my Virginia days.
First, Michael Levenson has been a close friend for a quarter-century, indeed a
benefi cent intellectual big brother. I am also deeply grateful to an emeritus Vir-
ginia scholar who shares in the liberal intellectual heritage that Orwell exempli-
fi ed: Walter Sokel. Tom Cushman has remained a dear comrade, a generous sup-
porter, and the model of a scholar who develops an argument without losing sight
of the evidence on which it needs to be based.
A number of other people have kindly off ered me their time, attention, and
memories in interviews and in correspondence. I am particularly indebted to the
many intellectuals with whom I corresponded and, in many instances, whom I
interviewed. Their cooperation was invaluable, and their assistance with my re-
search has been one of the most enjoyable aspects of this project. Those who
shared reminiscences with me include Steven Marcus, William Phillips, Mary
McCarthy, Alfred Kazin, Russell Kirk, Julian Symons, John Atkins, Kingsley
Amis, John Wain, and Martin Green. In particular I would like to thank Diana
Trilling, Irving Howe, Norman Podhoretz, Dennis Wrong, and Richard Kostela-
netz for taking the time to explain to me their New York intellectual milieu.
Friends, colleagues, teachers, students, and editors have also assisted me dur-
ing these years of research and writing. With particular pleasure, I thank Jack
Rossi for his unfailing encouragement, scholarly example, and sage advice. Scott
Walter, Jonathan Rose, and Peter Dougherty have proven themselves wise coun-
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