Keep the Aspidistra Flying
Keep the Aspidistra Flying (1936, UK; 1956, US), George Orwell’s fourth novel, has turned me away from you a little. Critic Lionel Trilling calls it “a remarkable novel. a summa of all the criticisms of a commercial civilization that have ever been made.” Gordon Comstock resembles John Flory, the protagonist in Burmese Days, but Flory is a much more sympathetic and likable character.
What is the meaning of Keep the aspidistra Flying?
The aspidistra, a symbol of middle-class stuffiness, is used in the title phrase, along with the locution “to keep the flag (or colors) flying.” The title can thus be read as a sarcastic exhortation in the sense of “Hooray for the middle class!”
Who wrote Keep the Aspidistra Flying?
“Of all the fiction that Orwell produced in the 1930s, Keep the Aspidistra Flying is the one most closely associated with him as a writer,” writes Taylor in his recently published biography. Orwell was himself a struggling writer working part-time in a Hampstead bookshop.
How long is Keep the Aspidistra Flying?
At 250 WPM (words per minute), the average reader will spend 5 hours and 14 minutes reading this book. The book’s description is not available on Reading Length.
When was Keep the Aspidistra Flying published?
Gordon leaned in closer to Ravelston as they walked down the street, wishing he could take his arm. He looked frail, fretful, and miserably shabby next to Ravelston’s taller, comelier figure. He adored Ravelston and was never quite at ease in his presence.
Who is Gordon Comstock?
Before joining PFSCM, Comstock was the Director of Intellectual Property for the University of Illinois College of Medicine, and has over 30 years of consulting and management experience.
Do Aspidistras flower?
Spotty leaves, stripy leaves, narrow leaves, tall leaves, and rounded squat leaves all share a love of dry shade, and they flower, too: not in a glamorous, brightly-colored way, but more in a “get down on your hands and knees with a magnifying glass and wonder” kind of way.
What genre is keep the aspidistra flying?
George Orwell’s works include the political fable Animal Farm (1944), the anti-utopian novel Nineteen Eighty-four (1949), the unconventional political treatise The Road to Wigan Pier ( 1937 ), and the autobiographical Down and Out in Paris and London (1933), which contains essays that fictionalize true events.