Main content

Why Orwell Is the Supreme Mediocrity

A weekly reflection on a topical issue. Will Self takes on one of the nation's best-loved figures, George Orwell, and braces himself for the backlash!

Will Self takes on one of the nation's best loved figures, George Orwell.....and braces himself for the backlash! "Not Orwell, surely!" he hears the listeners cry.

He uses Orwell's essay "Politics and the English Language" to make his point. This - he says - is often seen as "a principled assault upon all the jargon, obfuscation, and pretentiously Frenchified folderol that deforms our noble tongue". That - in Self's view - couldn't be farther from the truth.

Describing Orwell as a "Supreme Mediocrity", Self gets to work.....

Producer: Adele Armstrong.

Available now

10 minutes

Last on

Sun 31 Aug 2014 08:48

A Point of View: Why Orwell was a literary mediocrity

A Point of View: Why Orwell was a literary mediocrity

George Orwell was a literary mediocrity and his views on the importance of plain writing are plain wrong, argues writer Will Self.

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Will Self
Producer Adele Armstrong

Broadcasts

  • Fri 29 Aug 2014 20:50
  • Sun 31 Aug 2014 08:48

Podcast