A Clergyman’s Daughter by George Orwell

Description

A Clergyman’s Daughter is a book by George Orwell, first published in 1935. The novel follows Dorothy Hare, the dutiful daughter of a self-righteous and domineering Anglican clergyman, as she navigates a sudden upheaval in her sheltered and repressed life. Through a series of harsh, even surreal experiences—including amnesia, destitution, and exploitative labor—Orwell paints a stark and often uncomfortable picture of the oppressive moral and social systems of early 20th-century England. Unlike some of Orwell’s more overtly political works, A Clergyman’s Daughter blends realism with experimental structure, notably incorporating a theatrical, stream-of-consciousness passage that draws influence from Ulysses. Though Orwell himself later dismissed the book as “tripe,” it remains a revealing exploration of themes that would dominate his later works: class injustice, institutional cruelty, and the individual's struggle for autonomy. The novel critiques both the hypocrisy of religious institutions and the bleakness of the educational system, making it an important piece for understanding Orwell’s development as a social critic and novelist. While not as widely read as 1984 or Animal Farm, A Clergyman’s Daughter offers valuable insight into the author’s early voice and ideological preoccupations.

This book is available for free download in PDF, EPUB, and Kindle formats. Or you can read it online. No registration is required. Just click the links below the donation buttons.