I read recently that the ending to George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’ was changed from the original, but can’t remember what it was. I am trying to work out whether the version we now read is the original one or the doctored one. Can you help?

Interesting, 2Ys...don't know why anyone would go back and have the audacity to edit a piece of classic literature like that. If they did it would be a "crime" (literally and figuratively in my book). Unless Orwell himself made the changes before he published it, or before he died...but I don't recall hearing any mentions of this. Perhaps someone else on the board can enlighten us?

From what I remember of what I read, it was done before it was first published because it was considered inappropriate. I'm not sure whether we have the original ending or the edited one. I've just re-read it - makes me wonder what more Orwell could have included to be more offensive!

change of ending

2YsUR, I remember that the ending of the film was changed, compared with the book, but I don't remember the book being changed. But I found a good site via google: http://www.webenglishteacher.com/orwell.html. I haven't had time to read it for the answer to your original question yet.

Edit: Of course I just remembered there is a "new" film version as well as the "original" cartoon version.

Re-edit: from one of the links from above (http://pages.citenet.net/users/charles/links.html)

In the end, the wretched animals are looking in the window at an economic summit between Men and Pigs, "Looking from pig to man, and from man to pig they observe that there is no difference between them."

John Halas and Joy Batchelor, in their animated cartoon film of the book (1954), apparently could not bear this ending. In their version of the book, "the animals, united, came on relentlessly" and a brick was thrown through the window, "shattering Napoleon's magnificent portrait under the impact of yet another revolution." Understandably, students like this version better than the original.



Rod