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1、FEATUREDFOREMOSTInCelebrationofGeorgeOrwellontheFiftiethAnniversaryof"PoliticsandtheEnglishLanguage"SteveKoganButItellyouIdon'tcare.Idon'twantthewomen,Idon'tevenwanttobeyoungagain.Ionlywanttobealive.AndIwasalivethatmomentwhenIstoodlookingattheprimrosesandtheredembersunderthehedge.It'safeelin
2、ginsideyou,akindofpeacefulfeeling,andyetit'slikeaflame.---GeorgeOrwell,ComingUpforAir(1939)Orwell'sintellectualstrengthwasinhis"belly-to-earthattitude"1bothtolanguageandtolifeitself.LiketheEnglishpoetJohnDonne,hetoocouldfeelathought"asimmediatelyastheodorofarose,"2althoughinhiscaseitwouldbem
3、oreappropriatetosaythathecouldfeelathoughtasimme-diatelyasthesoundofamachinegunorpropagandabarrage;forhecame8fagein1921,andtheeffectsoftheGreatWaronhisgenerationmarkedhimforlife.InComingUpforAir,hisnarratorlooksback"tothetimebeforethewar,beforetheradio,beforeaeroplanes,beforeHitler"andcanalm
4、ostheartheirsoundsdrowningoutthelanguageoftheEnglishpastoralworld:There'sakindofpeacefulnesseveninthenamesofEnglishcoarsefish.Roach,rudd,dace,bleak,barbel,bream,gudgeon,pike,chub,carp,tench.They'resolidkindofnames.Thepeoplewhomadethemuphadn'theardofmachine-guns,theydidn'tliveinterrorofthesac
5、korspendtheirtimeeatingaspirins,goingtothepicturesandwonderinghowtokeepoutoftheconcentrationcamp.sBythe1940s,Orwellwasconvincedthatmodernproseitselfwaslargelybereftof"solid"wordsandthatthepracticeof"slovenly"writingpredisposedonetoaccepttotalitarianideas,observationsthatareasvalidforourtimea
6、stheywerein1946whenhewrote"PoliticsandtheEnglishLanguage."GiventheinfluenceofmodernliterarytheoryonEnglishstudiesandtheteachingofwriting,itisparticularlyappropriateonthisanniversarydatetoreviewtheSteveKoganisprofessorofEnglishatBoroughofManhattanCommunityCollegeofTheCityUniversityofNewYork.P
7、rofessorKoganwishestodedicatethisessaytothememoryofPeterShaw.PleaseaddresscorrespondencetoAcademicQuestions/NAS,575EwingStreet,Princeton,NJ08540-2741.14AcademicQuestions/Winter1996-97lessonsofhislifeandwork,forthecurrentconditionintheacademyhasallt
