Such, Such Were the Joys
A Graphic Novel
by George Orwell, Sean Michael Wilson, Jaime Huxtable · first published 1920
40% recommend60% neutral
Title essays reveals the abuse Orwell experienced as a child at an expensive and snobbish boarding school and other essays focus on Gandhi, Dickens, Kipling, and Henry Miller.
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Here is Orwell's essay about his time at a public school, "Such, Such Were the Joys." I, an American, had had a romantic view of these schools for years, after reading Harry Potter as a youngster. Reading this essay disabused me of my enchanted castle imaginings. It also speaks more…
on “Sad Little Men: Assessing the impact of an elite education” ↗Reminded me of Orwell's account of his education (Such, Such Were The Joys) which contains one of my favourite quotes ("It was not only money that mattered: there were also strength, beauty, charm, athleticism and something called ‘guts’ or ‘character’, which in reality meant…
on “Troubled teens left traumatised by tough love camps” ↗…determine whether bullying causes a lifetime of misery, or whether 7 and 11 year old bullies are deliberately picking on those they think are just beginning their lifetimes of misery? (reading Orwell's Such, Such Were the Joys about his english private school days gave me great insight into his "the cruelty is the point" world of 1984)
on “The adult consequences of being bullied in childhood” ↗On that note, I found Orwell's posthumously-published Such, Such Were the Joys (about his boarding school days) suggests the inspirations behind large swaths of 1984.
on “Currying” ↗In connexion with 1984, I recommend "Such, Such Were the Joys" > willingness / ability to cut deep into his own ideology the Pythons' Life of Brian? "What have the Romans ever done for us?" "You're all individuals" "Where's the fetus going to gestate?" etc. etc.
on “Orwell on the Isle of Jura” ↗…spontaneously — what kind of barbarians make notes in their agendas to kick each others' ass, in cold blood, later? [1] the better kind of bully only goes to first blood. Worse are the O'Briens (read "Such, such were the joys" and you may understand were that character comes from) who continue beating you up just so others see they can: > "Even if people stop rebelling against the party, the Party will manufacture new traitors…
on “Trump aide says no-one would fight US over Greenland” ↗FWIW, most of Orwell's works, including essays, have been available for many years at https://orwell.ru/ These include "Such, such were the joys", referenced in the Guardian article when it states: "Neither will anyone be allowed to trespass on all the material that came to light post-1950 and which Davison painstakingly assembled in his compendious…
on “George Orwell is out of copyright. What happens now?” ↗Reminds me of Orwell's [Such, Such Were The Joys](http://www.orwell.ru/library/essays/joys/english/e_joys).
on “Why Innocent People Plead Guilty” ↗This reminded me of Orwell's Such, Such Were The Joys: <http://www.orwell.ru/library/essays/joys/english/e_joys> My own memory of bullying was witnessing it happen to two classmates in elementary school. Years later I read that when you are in danger in…
on “How the Internet Has Changed Bullying” ↗To get an idea of what experiences led to 1984, see Orwell's "SUCH, SUCH WERE THE JOYS (1947)" http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks03/0300011h.html#part49 about his schooling at St Cyprian's. "And above all, I believed Sambo and Flip when they told me they were my benefactors. ... from Sambo's…
on “Deschooling Society (1970)” ↗…apparently not enough to break bones. Screamed at, but mostly questioned (not giving leave to urinate is another detail that makes me think Orwell was writing cathartically about his public school days. See "Such, Such Were The Joys".) Part 3, Chapter 3: restrained. a "dial" of unclear action. scars of unknown origin (and we know that Smith already suffered from varicose lesions well before) Part 3, Chapter 4: mention of dentures…
on “The CIA’s Afghan Death Squads” ↗…realistic than Smith) and it gets much better. It might even become a story of what happens if one seriously attempts to implement Plato's Republic. Also compare to various essays of Orwell's, especially Such Such Were the Joys, The Atomic Bomb and You, etc.
on “The lesser-known Orwell: are his novels deserving of reappraisal?” ↗…bring up the exam scores at a boarding school that otherwise catered to the rich and thick [cream of society — "inner party" sprogs]; many scenes in 1984 can be traced back to the posthumously-published Such Such Were the Joys)
on “Schooling improves intelligence, socioeconomic/genetic differences not affected” ↗And Dahl was one of the luckier ones, a child of relatively rich parents. Compare to Orwell's seriously darker experience as a scholarship student: https://www.george-orwell.org/Such,_Such_Were_The_Joys/0.htm...
on “Eton and All the Murder (2019)” ↗If you read Orwell's Such Such Were The Joys it seems 1984 may channel UK public schools (in particular, being a scholarship student and not a full-fare client) more than any of his adult experiences.
on “Thought Examinations, Indoctrination Meetings and Struggle Sessions” ↗