Module 4: The Novel - Animal Farm

By now, you have read several short stories and expanded on your writing skills. Now, you will turn to examining a new genre of writing - the novel. A novel is a fictitious narrative of greater length than a short story. By this time in your academic career, you have probably read several different types of novels. In this module, you will read and explore the world of George Orwell's Animal Farm, a work that tells the tale of how animals come together to try to create a Utopian, or perfect, society. The animals are being treated poorly by their owner, and decide that it is the time for change. Through the story, you will also examine how literary elements like allegory, satire, propaganda, characterization, and irony enrich a novel. In addition, you will expand your grammar knowledge by studying direct and indirect objects.

Getting Started

Before you begin your study of Animal Farm by George Orwell, make a list from memory of all of the novels that you have read throughout your life. Not all novels are the same in terms of topic, length, time period, or setting. Try to think of a few different ways to categorize the novels that you have read. Do you usually read the same types of novels?

Key Vocabulary

To view the definitions for these key vocabulary terms, visit the course glossary.