Illness, infection inspires George Orwell's writing
20 October 2005
by Richard
Conan-Davies
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Suffering from tuberculosis, brochitis and a raft of ailments made George Orwell's writing all the more gloomy and depressing. This is according to a recent article in the Journal for Clinical and Infectious Diseases by Dr John Ross of Elizabeth's Medical Center in Boston. Dr. Ross explained that he author's severe illness "gave him a tremendous amount of focus," perhaps by making him aware of his own mortality. Dr. Ross further suggests that Orwell described his experience with collapse therapy in detail, and the treatment "may have influenced the depiction of the tortures of Winston Smith in the Ministry of Love" in 1984. |
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