The representation of ideology: Orwell’s (re)reading of ‘Boys’ Weeklies’

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to unmask the underlying assumptions of Orwell’s reading strategy in order to illustrate that texts written from a conscious and specific ideological perspective is much more vulnerable to ideological “unmasking” than texts which do not have such a specific ideological bias. A number of key aspects with regard to commitment, ideology and representation are identified and used as criteria for a critical reading of “Boys’ Weeklies”, one of Orwell’s most famous essays.