Context
Context should inform, but should never dominate, your reading of the novella. Any comments on contextual factors must always be linked to the ideas in the novella. When exploring the context in which Animal Farm was written, you should consider:
- the contexts in which the text is set
- the contexts in which the text is received
- and its literary context (genre)
Exam Tip
Orwell wrote Animal Farm in 1945. While Animal Farm carries a mark of its time, you should try to consider what the text has to say about people, human nature, societal structures etc. and recognise these as universal themes, which are just as relevant today.
For example, if you were to write about how propaganda is used to manipulate the animals on the farm, you may also wish to consider the use of propaganda in society today and consider to what extent it is used today to promote misinformation, fear and distrust.
Each of the below topics links directly to Orwell’s ideas in Animal Farm: