provides no evidence that earlier times had been perennially populated by paragons of literary virtue
That's an astounding alliteration, but I always took from Orwell's essay that this was intended for public communicators like politicians(hence the title), and not literatis. A few years back when I was trying to figure out why someone who seemingly spoke like a fifth grader on purpose had such a tremendous appeal in his run for president, I thought of Politics and the English Language. Sure enough, using very simple language(my favorite was probably "super duper missile"), he could get the attention and support of people who would otherwise never find the motivation to vote.
That's an astounding alliteration, but I always took from Orwell's essay that this was intended for public communicators like politicians(hence the title), and not literatis. A few years back when I was trying to figure out why someone who seemingly spoke like a fifth grader on purpose had such a tremendous appeal in his run for president, I thought of Politics and the English Language. Sure enough, using very simple language(my favorite was probably "super duper missile"), he could get the attention and support of people who would otherwise never find the motivation to vote.