Notes on Nationalism by George Orwell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I am, normally, not in the habit of posting quotes specifically from a work I am reviewing, however, Mr Orwell managed to succinctly summarise the very point he is making in this essay and therefore I do allow myself an exception to the rule: “The point is that as soon as fear, hatred, jealousy and power worship are involved, the sense of reality becomes unhinged.”
And, along with the above, the sense of reality of every nationalist is unhinged as they do not follow logic but emotion in their sense of the present and the day. Mr Orwell describes this take with regards to the 1940’s atmosphere in Britain, and some of the examples he brings are particularly good to read about (and just as true now as they were then).
