[Marxism] Re: Hitchens and Orwell

["Fred Feldman" <ffeldman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The greatness of Homage to Catalonia and 1984, as works of art that gain
their power from being powerful political tracts as well, is a settled
matter.  Hitchens' attempt to justify himself by riding Orwell's bad
politics -- most people have bad politics -- into the sunset is really
beside the point. And to compare Hitchens' achievement to Orwell's is
just absurd.

Orwell was a Stalinophobe, a reformist, and all that.  I was never an
advocate of the Orwell as Saint view, and am glad to see it go down the
tubes.  But frankly, I am uninterested in the criticisms of Orwell from
the point of view of a cetain leftist embarrassment about the role his
played in his role played in exposing a part of the moral horror of the
would-be totalitarian Stalinist regime (there is no such thing as a
totalitarian regime just as there is no such thing as a monolithic party
-- these are not human possibilities -- but there is such a thing as
totalitarianism and monolithism.) In my case as a youth, they also
greatly sharpened my awareness of the totalitarian tendencies of the
society I was living in.

There was no doubt about Orwell's anticommunism, but the power of 1984
does not end there.  But no amount of leftist attempts to discredit
Orwell, often indicating a touch of defensiveness and embarrassment
about Stalinist crimes rather than the unabashed hatred they earned so
richly, will make a dent.  The matter has been settled by more powerful
forces, including the power of Orwell's talent and insight into certain
issues.

My view of the Stalin-Trotsky debate as basically outmoded is not
governed by the undesirability of opening old wounds, but by a
conception of stare decisis, as they say on the Supreme Court, the idea
of matters basically settled by history.

Homage to Catalonia, 1984, -- and also Animal Farm, and quite a few
essays have already stood the test of time and will continue to,
unaffected by this debate.
The leftist attacks on Orwell will never dim this achievement --
artistically or even politically-- and that is that.  Stare decisis.

The Trotsky-Stalin dispute, insofar as it concerns the character of the
Stalinist regime and the Moscow trials, is a matter settled by history
in favor of Trotsky and against Stalin.  I see no value in debating that
stuff over and over with the remaining votaries of Stalin.  If they want
to devote a little corner of their homes to the worship of Stalin and
Vishinsky, I am willing to recognize their freedom of religion and move
on.

If humanity is ever thrown back far enough for these to become really
live issues again, old wounds won't stop me from joining the fray.
Fred Feldman



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