John Rodden's Contribution to Orwell Studies

The chapter examines John Rodden’s extensive contribution to George Orwell Studies. First, it maps Rodden’s major interventions in the field, focusing on his landmark contribution to Orwell – and contemporary – reception studies through The Politics of Literary Reputation (1989); his efforts to popularise Orwell through numerable articles and such edited works as The Cambridge Companion to George Orwell (2007) and The Cambridge Introduction to George Orwell (2012); his works that locate Orwell in context and reassess his current status and legacy and works that explore new areas, including the counterfactual that ventured to pose often disfavoured questions such as ‘what if Orwell had not died young?’ and ‘what would Orwell say?’. Second, the chapter explores Rodden’s impact on other Orwell enthusiasts, as it traces his reception in leading periodicals and his influence on and reception in the work of major Orwell scholars. Finally, it provides a selected bibliography of Rodden’s work.