Victorian Culture and the Idea of the Grotesque Book

Nearly a perfect book of criticism, accessible yet deep, written in prose that Orwell would commend, full of considerations and details that portray a conflicted and complex writer. It is all the better because Woodcock was briefly a friend of Orwell's in the later part of his life, which allows for good insights and quite interesting anecdotes. The closing chapter has a bit of a rushed, breathless quality to it, suggesting that Woodcock didn't have a grand conclusion to make, but a book like this doesn't need a grand conclusion.

The book is structured effectively, naturally progressing through biographical considerations and into analyses of Orwell's written works (nearly all of them are mentioned, excepting the very early stuff which Woodcock excludes as 'unimportant'), and pertinent discussion of Orwell's changing political views. Since Woodcock is no slouch, this book also gives one a fairly good idea of Orwell's era, and the larger and smaller events which shaped his responses. Since Woodcock is honest, the internal contradictions are explored, and there is no fawning about Orwell - but time and again Woodcock insists on Orwell's fastidiousness and decency, without making apologies or equivocating.

A must-read for anyone who cares about Orwell, or good prose, or good fiction. It wouldn't hurt to have an appreciation for good, insightful criticism (certainly a waning art in our time), but I wouldn't consider it a necessity in order to appreciate this. Read it. It will make you a better person.