Shooting an Elephant: Fact or Fiction?
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over the validity of "Shooting an Elephant", specifically that there are no
records of any elephants being shot by a British officer during the time
Blair was in Moulmein (April 19 to December 22, 1926 according to Michael
Sheldon's biography.)
Does anyone know of the book or article that makes this case? I have been
asked to research this question by a professor, yet I can only find articles
that raise similar questions concerning accuracy about "The Road to Wigan
Pier" and "Homage to Catalonia."
Thanks in advance for your help.
Martha Bridegam
"news.verizon.net" wrote:
An editors' note in the Complete Works (Vol. X, item 63, p. 88) has an
ambiguous paragraph addressing the elephant question. I'll transcribe it here
as printed -- it's a little bit oddly written, as though written or revised
hastily:
"Another colleague of Orwell's in Burma, possibly, was George Stuart, a
recording of whose reminiscences is in the Orwell Archive. A G.R.T. Stuart is
recorded in Thacker's Directory in the India Office Library as being assistant
engineer, Burma Railways, Katha, in 1929, though that would not preclude his
being there earlier. The recorded interview was by Jane Langdon-Davies and John
Wall; they gave their address as 50 Lawford Road, N 1 (presumably an error for
NW5) Orwell's address in 1935-36. Michael Shelden was unable to trace the
recordists but Crick did and believed them to be 'thoroughly reliable
witnesses' (Crick, 3rd edition, 586-89). These reminiscences show a detailed
knowledge of Burma at the time. Stuart states that Orwell was easygoing and
keen about his job; he was the life and soul of parties, and very fond of
animals, rescuing waifs and strays. He spoke slowly and softly, was not
anti-establishment, was very popular and an excellent linguist. He learned not
only Burmese quickly, but also 'the most difficult languages' (Shaw-Karen?),
particularly for the thousand-rupee bonus given for each examination passed.
Even at that time, he had a weak chest and failed to look after himself, so he
suffered badly now and then. Mrs Stuart kept Orwell's clothes in repair. Stuart
states that Orwell was sent to Katha as punishment for shooting an elephant in
Lower Burma, which, if correct, throws an interesting light on the essay
'Shooting an Elephant.'."
The Crick reference is to the 1992 3rd edition of Bernard Crick's *George
Orwell: a Life*.
The other obvious starting points would be the other two main Orwell
biographies, by Michael Shelden in 1991 and Jeffrey Meyers in 2000.
/MAB
Bonnie
"Martha Bridegam" <brid...@pacbell.net> wrote in message
news:3DE9953B...@pacbell.net...
I'll add the Meyers footnote to the George Stuart account, whom he states
'was on the scene at the time': "In Animal Crackers (1930), Groucho Marx
says, "One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got into my
pajamas I'll never know."" Hmm, that's very helpful.... the footnote
continues: "On March 22, 1926 under the headline "Rogue Elephant Shot",
the *Rangoon Gazette* reported that Major E. C. Kenny, subdivisional
officer, Yamethin, when on tour "came across a rogue elephant ... and
brought it down to the delight of the villagers. The elephant had killed
a villager and caused great havoc to the plantation. It is not known
whether or not this is the elephant claimed by the Bombay Burma Trading
Corporation" (quoted in letter from Peter Davison to Jeffrey Meyers,
April 6,1999)." Meyers' footnotes are a little bit wonky btw - he will
group several references together under just one footnote.
ßonnie
>
>
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Mark
I seem to recall hearing an item on the news that there was some
dispute over the validity of "Shooting an Elephant",.........
Is it really important? I prefer a good fictional story above a bad
true story.
There is a same discussion about "A hanging"
Crick in the Observer of Dec,30. 1985:
Question: 'Why do you take away my faith in Orwell by saying that he
may never have shot an elephant or witnessed a hanging ?'
Crick: 'I don't give a damn for your faith in Eric Blair, I just wish
that you could see that George Orwell was in some of his works a great
imaginative writer.'
http://home.planet.nl/~boe00905/OrwellObserver301285.html
Mark
Jonathan Mason
> "news.verizon.net" wrote:
>
> I seem to recall hearing an item on the news that there was some
> dispute over the validity of "Shooting an Elephant",.........
>
> Is it really important? I prefer a good fictional story above a bad
> true story.
> There is a same discussion about "A hanging"
Same thing about the young Blair being beaten for bed-wetting at St.
Cyprians. Others recollected that it did happen, but not to Blair.
Bonnie
"Mark" <deboer-v...@planet.nl> wrote in message
news:1bc9213d.02120...@posting.google.com...
Thanks for this, Mark. "ON A STICK WITH ONE LUNG" - that Crick!
ßonnie
Martha Bridegam
Bonnie wrote:
Yes. "...the damned 'Nineteen Eighty-Four.'..." "... Tomb-robbing is such
an indecent substitute for argument...."
thx/MAB