Well – this must be the least likely pairing so far in my choices of two Penguin Moderns to read at a time! I’ve been picking them out in pairs in numerical order, but George Orwell and Gertrude Stein?? Not obvious bedfellows…
Stylistically, I don’t think you could two more dissimilar authors: Orwell is prized in these parts for his wonderful clarity, immense reasonableness, and his clear-sightedness about humans, their foibles and the way the world was going; Stein, however, can be a murky writer, spinning webs of words that often appear to make little sense. Yet both have been acclaimed as geniuses in their own way which just goes to show that there is plenty of appetite out there for different kinds of writing. So – what did I make of these two little books?
Penguin Modern 7 – Notes on Nationalism by George Orwell
It’ll be no surprise to anyone that this was a great joy – Orwell is much loved on the Ramblings. And Penguin are remarkably clever at choosing very apposite Orwell essays to reprint which chime in remarkably well with the times. Penguin Modern 7 contains three essays first published in 1945: the title one, Antisemitism in Britain and The Sporting Spirit.
The nationalism Orwell refers to is not just an extreme love of country, but a violent partisanship for country, creed or group. It’s a dangerous state of mind, breeding intolerance and causing conflict and as always Orwell is spot-on at identifying problems which are still relevant today.
To study any subject scientifically one needs a detached attitude, which is obviously harder when one’s own interests or emotions are involved. Plenty of people who are quite capable of being objective about sea urchins, say, or the square root of 2, become schizophrenic if they have to think about the sources of their own income.
The anti-Semitism essay is of course remarkably topical and GO is clear about how it is impossible to look at the subject objectively as so many emotions get in the way – as we can see from hysterical modern media reactions. As for sport – well, that one had me laughing all the way through!
Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play. It is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard of all rules and sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence: in other words it is war minus the shooting.
There speaks a fellow sport-hater! :)))
As always, and as I (and many others) have said before, what strikes you is Orwell’s basic decency and reasonableness. I read this little book while the Royal shenanigans were going on, distracting us all from the real issues and hiding everything up in fake news. As GO says so presciently:
The calamities that are constantly being reported – battles, massacres, famines, revolutions – tend to inspire in the average person a feeling of unreality. One has no way of verifying the facts, one is not really fully certain that they have happened, and one is always presented with totally different interpretations from different sources.
As with all of Orwell’s writings, I ended up with a sheaf of post-its marking relevant and quotable parts, places where I shouted “Yes!” as I was reading (not literally of course, as that would have alarmed OH – though I did feel obliged to read him the above quote, and send messages to the Offspring reminding them how much I love Orwell and what a genius he was. Youngest Child was moved to reply that she lived for receiving such messages from me… But I digress!) The world is in many ways no better or no different from how it was in Orwell’s day; the rich are getting richer (and greedier) while the poor suffer lack of services, lack of basic living standards, lack of respect. Oh, how we need Orwell now…
Penguin Modern 8 – Food by Gertrude Stein
Aaaaand, in complete contrast – Gertrude Stein. Where Orwell is all clarity, Stein’s work comes in varying degrees of comprehensibility. I’ve read a number of her works (mostly pre-blog) and have enjoyed some more than others. These pieces come from her book “Tender Buttons” which I have vague memories of struggling with – and I can understand why…
… it is so easy to change meaning, it is so easy to see the difference.
The short extracts are given titles like Roastbeef, Breakfast and Single Fish. Do they describe food? Or the art of cooking? Or shopping? Or dining? Or indeed sex, as the blurb claims. The answer is, I don’t know! I’ve found when reading Stein in the past that if you treat the prose as musical, going for sound rather than obvious meaning, you get further. But I didn’t, if I’m truly honest, get very far trying that here.
It may be that because the text actually had a strong subject I was looking *too* hard for meaning and wasn’t able to get past that into the sound. Or it may just have been the wrong timing. Or it may just be that this was one of Stein more incomprehensible works. Which was a little frustrating, because occasionally lovely and silly phrases did jump out at me!
This is no authority for the abuse of cheese.
If you’re looking to read some Gertrude Stein, I have to honestly say this is probably not the best place to start. “The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas” (which I read decades ago) I remember as definitely being more approachable – “Tender Buttons” and its extracts I would class as for Advanced Stein Readers only!
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So a mixed bag of Penguin Moderns this time. I obviously loved the Orwell (but then when do I *not* love reading Orwell?) Stein was difficult, and I think I will go for something less lexically complex next time I want to read her. Any road up – the next two titles in the box look rather intriguing. Watch this space! 🙂
Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings 
May 28, 2018 @ 07:57:22
I love George Orwell, he always seems a person I would have liked on the whole. The theme of that essay is very relevant at the moment. It sounds excellent. Sometime since I read him however. Gertrude Stein I haven’t tried but I have always assumed I wouldn’t like her. Her writing sounds confusing, and I don’t much like being confused.
May 28, 2018 @ 11:08:58
Yes – much as I love Virginia Woolf, I think tea with George Orwell would be much more comfortable! :)))) Stein can be confusing, but not always – but life is too short definitely to read someone you won’t enjoy!
Jun 02, 2018 @ 16:50:13
I love the idea of tea with Orwell! Down and Out in Paris and London is one of my favourites, and shows he can talk to anyone and be open and non-judgemental, definitely far less intimidating that Woolf 😉
Jun 02, 2018 @ 16:55:27
Absolutely! He would have been such a stimulating tea guest! And so sensible and interesting and fair-minded. Tea with Orwell would make a wonderful book title! 🙂
May 28, 2018 @ 08:20:36
I love Orwell on sport and have to say that rings very true! I’ve never read any Stein because she’s so damn impenetrable and I am lazy.
May 28, 2018 @ 11:07:47
Yes – Owell is so often spot on – I kind of look to him as a voice of sanity in a mad world. And yes, LOL, Stein is quite impenetrable at times. When she works, though, I find her worth the effort. 🙂
May 28, 2018 @ 08:42:06
Orwell was either sensible and perceptive or just the opposite; when he was the former, he was superb. And he didn’t just pontificate – he fought the fascists in Spain and paid the price. Like Liz and Ali I’ve steered clear of GS, apart from some of the poems, which can be interesting
May 28, 2018 @ 11:06:37
Yes – Orwell actually stood up for his ideals with all the consequences. He *is* one of my heroes. As for Stein – I like some of her work, and some is very beautiful, but this one lost me i’m afraid.
May 28, 2018 @ 09:58:36
Great review Kare
I never read Stein works or found her works in other languages so i guess she is a new author ir you introduced me to her.
But i found Orwell is beloved all around the world because most of what he writes can be seen and felt everywhere around the world not only in UK.
May 28, 2018 @ 11:05:26
Thank you! Orwell is such a wonderful writer and commentator, and yes – still relevant and read the world over. As for Stein, she’s difficult at the best of times – if you do want to give her a try one day I would suggest The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas to start with – and treat the language as music rather than having meaning!
May 28, 2018 @ 10:15:40
The Orwell should be pressed into the hands of everyone I think! How completely depressing that it’s still so relevant, but how reassuring to have an intelligent, measured voice pointing out these things.
I’ve only read Blood on the Dining Room Floor by Stein, and I found the best way was to let it wash over me. It was OK, but I’m not hurrying to seek out more…
As you say, very unlikely bedfellows 😀
May 28, 2018 @ 11:03:14
Definitely! Enforced reading of Orwell might knock some sense into the world. I find reading him oddly comforting – like having a conversation with a sensible friend. But sad that we are still dealing with the same issues.
As for Stein, I read a lot of her back in the day (and read Blood… fairly recently, and liked it). It depends I think which book it is and my reading mood – but the washing over you of the language is often the best way with her, I find.
May 28, 2018 @ 11:28:59
Share your love for Orwell as you know, and I do miss having a clear voice of reason and conscience and empathy such as his nowadays.
May 28, 2018 @ 12:22:30
Definitely – I think real empathy is missing from the modern world. Instead we have either hysteria or false, overwrought sentiment. We could all do with a crash course in Orwell, I feel.
May 28, 2018 @ 12:36:42
Love this review, Karen. It certainly does feel as if we are going backwards (and not in a good way) when reading Orwell. Stein was bonkers but brilliantly so.
May 28, 2018 @ 13:41:39
Thanks Paula! Yes, it’s worrying really that Orwell is still so relevant. As for Stein – I have loved her in the past, but this perhaps was not the best collection of her work! 😉
May 28, 2018 @ 16:23:15
I love your review. I have not read any Orwell’s non fiction pieces? How come? You surely have piqued my interest. (Stein can wait, ha ha ha)
May 28, 2018 @ 17:29:36
Thank you! And you have treats in store if you haven’t read Orwell’s non-fiction – he’s wonderful! 🙂
May 29, 2018 @ 09:07:43
A fabulous post (as ever) but despite enjoying it, especially as half of it concerns my hero too (Orwell) the stand-out was your aside comment on Youngest Daughter’s response to your enthusiastic bookish messages. Made me cry. Delightful. We all need unexpected moments of exposure to what is good and fine in the world, when ‘mega news’ is often evidence of the reverse.
May 29, 2018 @ 11:28:04
Thank you Lady F! Yes, YC’s response made me smile too – she is very tolerant and undertanding of my bookish addictions (as are all my family, really) and very supportive. That does make me happy.
May 30, 2018 @ 15:09:53
I feel I must share my favourite poem about nationalism, Patriot, with you, by Norman MacCaig:
My only country
Is six feet high
And whether I love it or not
I’ll die
For its independence.
May 30, 2018 @ 15:25:38
That’s wonderful! Love it – thank you for sharing it! :)))
May 31, 2018 @ 21:52:39
Your post and pairing makes me think of a character I met recently who decided to shelve her books according to which ones would make good companions (rather than alphabetical or whatnot), in Sarah Ladipo Manyika’s Like a Mule Bringing Ice Cream to the Sun. Here’s the passage:
“Now the books are arranged according to which characters I believe ought to be talking to each other. That’s why Heart of Darkness is next to Le Regard du Roi, and Wide Sargasso Sea sits directly above Jane Eyre. The latter used to sit next to each other but then I thought it best to redress the old colonial imbalance and give Rhys the upper hand – upper shelf.”
Jun 11, 2018 @ 00:27:11
I, too, enjoy Orwell–eminently sane!–and, alas, don’t appreciate Stein. She had an interesting life, but I find even her sense of humor dull.:) At least she always writes short!
Jun 11, 2018 @ 14:52:18
He is – so sane! And Stein is fascinating but odd – I think I have to be in the right mood for her!