ANIMAL FARM—A Preliminary Bibliography

Boos, Florence, and William Boos. "Orwell's Morris And "Old Major's" Dream." English Studies 71.4 (1990): 361-371. Academic Search Complete. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. Compares and contrasts the political literature of nineteenth century writer William Morris and twentieth century writer Eric Blair/George Orwell. Morris wrote essays, journalism and poetry, including: "News from Nowhere" and "The Earthly Paradise"; George Orwell's novels: "Animal Farm" and "1984"; Morris leaned more towards "socialism"; Orwell as the classic satirist; More.

Dwan, David. "Orwell's Paradox: Equality In Animal Farm." Elh 79.3 (2012): 655-683. Academic Search Complete. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. The article offers a literary criticism of the book "Animal Farm," by George Orwell. Particular focus is given to the theme of equality within the novel, in the context of both the animal world and within the economic and political aspects of human life. The author contends that Orwell's views on topics including politics, justice, and morality present him with a paradox of understanding.

Kirschner, Paul. "The Dual Purpose of Animal Farm." Review Of English Studies 55.222 (2004): 759-786. Academic Search Complete. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. Debate continues over the political meaning of Animal Farm, owing partly to its use as propaganda, but also to Orwell's original purpose, which was artistic as well as political. This article shows how fictional rhetorical strategies inevitably led to a pessimistic conclusion contradicting Orwell's own political actions and opinions during the period 1936-46, and attributes that contradiction to the effect of Orwell's chosen literary genre, combining elements of the fable and fairy tales. The subtitle, 'A Fairy Story', indicates a neglected aspect of Animal Farm-literary parody of the 'proletarian' fairy tale that thrived in the 1920s and 1930s. A rare example of such a tale from the 1930s is quoted as an archetype of the politicized children's stories Orwell may have been parodying: it displays striking rhetorical and structural parallels with Animal Farm. The appealing form of such stories, adopted by Orwell, interfered with the full and accurate expression of his political thought. Animal Farm owes both its power and its ambiguity to the force and autonomy of literature itself, today menaced more than ever by the 'gramophone mind' Orwell detested.

Letemendia, V.C. "Revolution on Animal Farm." Journal of Modern Literature 18.1 (1992): 127. Academic Search Complete. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. Analyzes revolutionary allegories in the novel `Animal Farm,' by George Orwell. Betrayal of socialist ideals by the Soviet regime; Despair and pessimism of the tale; Dimension of democracy in the proletarian struggle; Alternatives to capitalism and dictatorship.

McHugh, Susan. “Animal Farm’s Lessons for Literary (and) Animal Studies.” Humanimalia: a journal of human/animal interface studies Vol 1, No 1 (September 2009), 24-39.

Miller, Stephen. "Orwell Once More." Sewanee Review 112.4 (2004): 595-618. Academic Search Complete. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. Presents literary criticism which profiles English writer George Orwell. His essays are often found in freshman college readers and in anthologies of English writers, and two of his novels—"Animal Farm" and "1984"—have been translated into many languages. Why biographers are interested in Orwell is understandable because he led a life that was unusual for a writer. He was a British policeman in Burma, a dishwasher in Paris, and an investigative journalist in England; he was also a bookstore assistant, schoolmaster, grocer, and foreign correspondent. Orwell's interest in military affairs is apparent in his essays and reviews, many of which touch on military questions.

Newsinger, John. "Life After Death: The Relevance Of George Orwell." Journal Of Contemporary History 48.4 (2013): 890-898. Academic Search Complete. 11 Nov. 2013. The article reviews several books including The Social and Political Thought of George Orwell, by Stephen Ingle, Orwell and Marxism: The Political and Cultural Thinking of George Orwell, by Philip Bounds, & Orwell Subverted: The CIA & the Filming of Animal Farm, by Daniel Leab.

Pearce, Robert. "Orwell, Tolstoy, And Animal Farm." Review of English Studies 49.193 (1998): 64. Academic Search Complete. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. Presents information on Leo Tolstoy and George Orwell while focusing on their attitudes of life with reference to the book `Animal Farm.' Description of their attitudes to life; Arguments for Shakespeare's `King Lear' by Orwell; Criticism of of Tolstoy's outlook on life; Similarities of methods used by Tolstoy and Orwell.

Rodden, John. “Appreciating Animal Farm in the New Millenium.” Modern Age (Winter 2003): 67-76.

Rodden, John. "Big Rock (Sugar)Candy Mountain? How George Orwell Tramped Toward Animal Farm.” Papers On Language & Literature 46.3 (2010): 315-341. The author discusses the possible role of the song "The Big Rock Candy Mountain," which was made popular when recorded by a homeless man in the 1920s, in Orwell's decision to include the song "Beasts of England," created by the character Old Major in the book. The article also explores the presence of the song in the book "Down and Out in Paris and London."

Sapakie, Polly. "Freud's Notion Of The Uncanny In ANIMAL FARM." Explicator 69.1 (2011): 10-12. Academic Search Complete. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. A literary criticism of the book "Animal Farm" by George Orwell is presented. It compares critics' multiple interpretations of the novel to neurologist Sigmund Freud's concept of the uncanny, which is produced when the distinction between imagination and reality is erased. The author states the uncanny is most visible in the final scenes of "Animal Farm," referencing the human-like behavior of pigs, the treatment of animals, and Orwell's manipulation of reality.

Shaw, Tony. "'Some Writers Are More Equal Than Others': George Orwell, the State and Cold War Privilege." Cold War History 4.1 (2003): 143-170. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. George Orwell's "Animal Farm" and "Nineteen Eighty-Four" are widely regarded as two of the best known and most influential novels in English of the Cold War. By 1989, the novels had sold almost 40 million copies in more than 60 languages, more than any other pair of books by a serious or popular post-war author. This article concentrates on the role official western propagandists played in lifting Orwell's profile during the first decade or so of the cold war. It examines why "Animal Farm" and "Nineteen Eighty-Four" were appropriated by the British and American governments and what financial assistance was given to foreign publishers in order to make books more accessible.

Sleeper, Jim. "Orwell's ‘Smelly Little Orthodoxies’—And Ours." Journal Of The Historical Society 4.2 (2004): 141-165. Academic Search Complete. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. Discusses George Orwell's difficulties in securing a publisher for “Animal Farm.” Book's satire of the Soviet example of socialism; Ways in which British socialists and communists condemned the book as treasonous for the left; Condemnation of the book's leftwing sensibility by liberals and conservatives; Illustration of Orwell's experience as emblematic of the intellectual coercion that democratic cultures exercise against those who challenge their pieties.

Smyer, Richard I. Animal Farm: Pastoralism and Politics. Twayne Pub, August 1988.

Thagard, Paul. "The Brain Is Wider Than The Sky: Analogy, Emotion, And Allegory." Metaphor & Symbol 26.2 (2011): 131-142. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.

This article uses psychological and neural theories to illuminate the use of analogies in literary allegories. It shows how new theories of neural representation, encompassing both cognitive and emotional aspects, have the potential to make sense of many kinds of literary comparisons including allegories. The main text analyzed is George Orwell's Animal Farm, whose effectiveness is discussed using the multiconstraint theory of analogy supplemented with observations about neural functioning.