Shooting an Elephant and other essays vs The Defendant: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: English essays, British and irish fiction, Essays, Nonfiction
Shooting an Elephant and other essays
'Shooting an Elephant' is Orwell's searing and painfully honest account of his experience as a police officer in imperial Burma; killing an escaped elephant in front of a crowd 'solely to avoid looking a fool'. The…
vs
The Defendant
Covering topics ranging from literature to philosophy, history to social criticism, this is a snapshot of thought on 20th-century Europe (and the world) by one of Europe's sharpest wits and ablest pens. With chapter…
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Defendant is the quickest read — about 1 hours vs 3 for Shooting an Elephant and other essays.
- Shooting an Elephant and other essays has the widest readership — 12697 ratings behind its score.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Shooting an Elephant and other essays | The Defendant | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.0 (12697) | 4.1 (390) |
| Hardcover | 4.2 (19) | — |
Reception
| Shooting an Elephant and other essays | The Defendant | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 12697 | 390 |
| Editions | 10 | 138 |
| Film adaptations | — | 1 |
| Want to read | 16529 | 584 |
| Reading it now | 358 | — |
| Written reviews | 843 | 80 |
| Wikipedia attention | — | 17041 |
| Pages | 206 | 53 |