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- Title
Orwell's Efforts in (Self-)Persuasion.
- Authors
Considine, John
- Abstract
When George Orwell was appointed literary editor of London's Tribune magazine in late 1943 he was a financially unsuccessful author. Encouraged by his new position, he engaged in a campaign of journalistic persuasion. The campaign started by seeking to persuade the public to purchase more books. His initial enthusiasm was replaced by a despairing realization that the public's purchases were less than he suspected and that his campaign was unlikely to change the situation. His journalism then changed in a subtle way. On the surface he asked the public to admit their preference for movies, dog racing, and socialized alcohol consumption. But at a deeper level, Orwell's weekly columns were an effort in self-persuasion. Ironically, as his editorial campaign failed to persuade people to buy more books, his efforts to find a larger market for his own books started to succeed. Maybe this persuaded him to be more accepting of the public's preferences.
- Subjects
LONDON (England); ORWELL, George, 1903-1950; JOURNALISM; BOOKS; ALCOHOL drinking
- Publication
Capitalism: A Journal of History & Economics, 2023, Vol 4, Issue 1, p181
- ISSN
2576-6392
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1353/cap.2023.a899275