22 March 2005, 14:10
NitroXI'd forgotten about the hunting section in Orwell's "Burmese Days". I used to read a lot of Orwell but remember his "Burmese Days" was rather negative and depressing (like most of his writing).
I could never quite work out if the hunting story in "Burmese Days" was anti-hunting or not. Or just showing the failure of the character in the story.
22 March 2005, 15:41
MarteriusThanks Nick!
NitroX, you wrote "I could never quite work out if the hunting story in "Burmese Days" was anti-hunting or not."
I think it is a sign of a good author that he leaves the moral judgement to his readers - this means he takes his readers seriously. Not very common, unfortunately.
Another, more general thought: I think that many older hunting stories, seen as very pro-hunting by the standards of those days, would be seen as anti-hunting if published by a modern writer.
Regards,
Martin
22 March 2005, 19:03
mehulkamdarNickudu,
Thank you very much for another set of superb articles. Baden Powell opined that a gentleman would only take a pig with cold steel and not shoot one, something impossible in this politically correct age, of course, in India. The article was a superb account of the past.
NitroX/Marterius,
Orwell's hunting articles - his "Shooting an Elephant" was taught to us in school - reflected his own personal problems, especially his depression. If one reads some of the other greats from that time, like Kipling, the same kind of feeling comes through.
I personally doubt that any of the writers of that time were anti hunting in any way.
Best wishes,
23 March 2005, 05:53
NickuduYou're very welcome, my friends.