Fictional Literature and Philosophy - Letters G, H, I

Hard Times

Author - Charles Dickens
Published - 1854
Genre: Victorian Novel
Major Theme: The struggle of family's and individuals in Nineteenth Century Industrialized England

Synopsis: Hard Times is a story that centres around the Gradgrind family and his adopted ward, Sissy.  It describes their various adaptations to industrialization during the Victorian era.  The hard-minded rationalizations of Mr. Gradgrind leave him unsympathetic to the the plight of others, while Sissy is often the victim of the many foreboding circumstances of her time.  The other major protagonist in the novel is a factory worker named Steven.  Steven is persecuted and mistreated as he experiences the abuse and misfortunes that befell many industrial workers of the era.

Philosophical Association:

John Stuart Mill - On Liberty

Relevance: This seminal work by Mill laid the groundwork for a comprehensive approach to utilitarian ethics.  Roughly speaking, utilitarian's believe that people should only act in such a way that their actions minimizes the amount of harm, while, simultaneously, maximizing the amount of good consequences.  Like Dickens, Mill was disturbed about the trends of English industrialization.  He believed that the majority of working class people and the poor in England at the time were being treated inhumanly.  He argues that most powerful elites justify their treatment of the poor through rationalizations that are both callus and invalid.  On Liberty is Mill's response to these latter rationalizations.  In it he outlines a rigorous ethical position that claims it is the responsibility of all people to increase the general good of humanity for all people.

Homage to Catalonia

Author - George Orwell
Published - 1938
Genre: Semi-autobiographical
Major Theme: The Spanish Revolution, fascism, communism, and anarchism

Synopsis: I am slightly cheating here as this book is not fictional literature but is rather an actual account of George Orwell's experiences of the Spanish Civil War.  However I could not resist including this book as it is my favourite work by Orwell and has a narrative that coincides perfectly with a novel format.  As stated, the story is a detailed account of Orwell's experiences during the Spanish Civil War.  Orwell, who wanted to fight against fascism, enlisted with the anarchist army in Barcelona.  During this time he experienced life on the front and revolution while away from the front in Barcelona.  His story provides a powerful insight into the lives of the citizens of Catalonia while they ran their society democratically, with worker control of industrialization and political decision making.

Philosophical Associations:

Rudolf Rocker - Anarchosyndicalism: Theory and Practice
Noam Chomsky - On Arachism

Relevance: Arguably, one of the best ways to understand a revolution like the Spanish Civil War and its political historical framework.  Worker control of a large portion of Spanish society in the 1930's did not occur in a vacuum.  Rather, the struggle of working class people and the poor to overcome their oppressed conditions was a gradual development of various social actions.  In his work, Rocker outlines the history of the political anarchist tradition, it's failures and triumphs.  In it he provides the framework of anarchist ideas that laid the foundation for revolutions like those in Spain to take place.  Chomsky's provides a good modern interpretation of anarchism.  In his work he argues with great lucidity as to why he believes anarchism is the most ethically justifiable political position.