A rat by any other name : an examination of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four from an animal studies perspective : a critical and creative thesis presented for MCW 139862 to fulfil the requirements of the Master of Creative Writing, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand. EMBARGOED until 7th February 2026
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Date
2024
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Massey University
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Abstract
There are differing views about animality, the nonhuman and the natural world in the works of George Orwell. This critical/creative master’s thesis takes an animal studies perspective on Orwell’s fiction, focusing primarily on the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, with substantial reference to the short story “Shooting an Elephant”, and the novels Animal Farm, and Coming up for Air. The thesis concludes that the nonhuman is fundamental to Orwell’s political vision, using the insights and perspectives of scholars including Susan McHugh, Piers G. Stephens, Rita Felski and Loraine Saunders. The creative component explores aspects of the human/nonhuman interface in a collection of fiction comprised of seven short stories, engaging with a range of themes. The longest is a speculative story, A rat by any other name, inspired by the function and fictional presence of rats in Nineteen Eighty-Four. The stories explore aspects of human identity; masculinity in Aotearoa New Zealand; linkages with the natural world and its inhabitants, fictional and real; and shifting perceptions of the nonhuman.
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Embargoed until 7th February 2026