From: "Alex David Groce" <adgroce@eos.ncsu.edu>
Subject: Re: (urth) Re: Robert Graves' books [Digest urth.v019.n020]
Date: Mon, 19 Oct 1998 17:58:56 

John Bishop wrote:
> I've read most of them, a long time ago.  I subsequently
> learnt a bit of anthropology, linguistics and history,
> all making me doubt the background element of matriarchy
> replaced by patriarchy.  And I only ever saw the "bln..."
> alphabetic order in his works ("Beth Luis Nion"), until 
> just now, when an altavista search shows them being used
> by neo-pagans.
> 
> But could he write!  Like Orwell, his work was once famous
> and is now undeservedly obscure.

	1984 isn't obscure, but most of his best writing (Road to Wigan Pier &
the essays in general) is.  1984 is an important book, but it isn't all that
well written, except for a spots here and there (the opening and the finale).
	I wonder why it happened to Orwell.  To bring us on topic, Wolfe's
talked about his two favorites, also far more obscure than they deserve to be,
Kipling and Chesterton.  You can see political/social agendas lurking behind
those falls from critical favor, but that really shouldn't hurt Orwell--I mean,
having argued with Gollancz and criticized Shaw and the Webbs isn't exactly
cause for blacklisting now that nobody defends Stalin...
-- 
"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free." - John 8:32
--
Alex David Groce (adgroce@eos.ncsu.edu)
Senior (Computer Science/Multidisciplinary Studies in Technology & Fiction)
'98-99 NCSU AITP Student Chapter President
608 Charleston Road, Apt. 1E (919)-233-7366
http://www4.ncsu.edu/~adgroce

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