Written in 1948, 1984 was George Orwell's chilling prophecy about the future. And while 1984 has come and gone, Orwell's narrative is timelier than ever. 1984 presents a startling and haunting vision of the world, so powerful that it is completely convincing from start to finish. No one can deny the power of this novel, its hold on the imaginations of multiple generations ...moreWritten in 1948, 1984 was George Orwell's chilling prophecy about the future. And while 1984 has come and gone, Orwell's narrative is timelier than ever. 1984 presents a startling and haunting vision of the world, so powerful that it is completely convincing from start to finish. No one can deny the power of this novel, its hold on the imaginations of multiple generations of readers, or the resiliency of its admonitions a legacy that seems only to grow with the passage of time.(less)
Paperback, 298 pages
Published
January 1st 1950
by Signet Classics
(first published January 1st 1949)
In George Orwell's 1984, Winston Smith is an open source developer who writes his code offline because his ISP has installed packet sniffers that are regulated by the government under the Patriot Act. It's really for his own protection, though. From, like, terrorists and DVD pirates and stuff. Like every good American, he drinks Coca-Cola and his processed food has desensitized his palate to all but four flavors: (sweet, salty-so-that-you-will-drink-more-coca-cola, sweet, and Cooler Ranch!(tm...moreIn George Orwell's 1984, Winston Smith is an open source developer who writes his code offline because his ISP has installed packet sniffers that are regulated by the government under the Patriot Act. It's really for his own protection, though. From, like, terrorists and DVD pirates and stuff. Like every good American, he drinks Coca-Cola and his processed food has desensitized his palate to all but four flavors: (sweet, salty-so-that-you-will-drink-more-coca-cola, sweet, and Cooler Ranch!(tm)). His benevolent overlords have provided him with some war happening somewhere for some reason so that he, and the rest of the population, can be sure that the government is really in his best interests. In fact, the news always has some story about Paris Hilton or yet another white girl who has been abducted by some evil bastard who is biologically wired by 200,000 years of human evolution to fuck 12-year-olds, but is socially conditioned to be obsessed with sex, yet also to feel guilty about it. This culminates into a distorted view of sexuality, and results in rape in murder, which both make for very good news topics. This, too, is in Winston's best interests because, while fear is healthy, thinking *too* much about his own mortality is strictly taboo, as it may lead to something dangerously insightful, and he might lose his taste for Coca Cola and breast implants. The television also plays on his fears of the unknown by exaggerating stereotypes of minorities and homosexuals, under the guise of celebrating "diversity", but even these images of being ghetto-fabulous and a lisping interior designer actually exist solely to promote racism and homophobia, which also prove to be efficient distractions.
For some reason, Winston gets tired of eating recycled Pop Tarts and eating happy pills and pretending to be interested in sports and manufactured news items. But, in the end, they fix him and he's happy again. Or something.(less)
DaveActually, when I wrote this, I was living in a Zen Buddhist monastery in Canada (I am American). I shit you not.
Don't worry, I'm better now...moreActually, when I wrote this, I was living in a Zen Buddhist monastery in Canada (I am American). I shit you not.
Don't worry, I'm better now. At least it wasn't an interrogation room.
I mostly forgot about this review, but I'm really glad that it has inspired so much debate. You guys are really cool. I especially appreciate Eoin, who seems to think that I'm a dummy, for taking the time to elaborate on his/her reasons for disagreeing instead of just calling me a dummy. I shan't try to refute any of his/her points because, as Jamie pointed out, I just wrote the review to be a dick. I was really tired of monks forcing me to wake up at 4am and shve my head every morning and was feeling really anti-authoritarian.
This is why I love the Internet.(less)
Oct 22, 2011 08:04am
MarvinSophie wrote: "@ Marvin: Do you read French? If yes, you should definitely check out "La Zone du Dehors", from Alain Damasio. It develo...moreSophie wrote: "@ Marvin: Do you read French? If yes, you should definitely check out "La Zone du Dehors", from Alain Damasio. It develops all the points you presented, and is furthermore set in a world in which a..." It's funny you should mention it because I have studied French a couple of times and even lived in Cote D'Ivoire for a year but I didn't put in as much effort as I should have and don't read or speak it very well. Thanks for the recommend! I could use it to work on my french skills sometime.(less)
Oct 25, 2011 09:52am
Those words keep sounding in my head since I read this book. Gosh, probably the most haunting not to mention frightening book I've ever read. 1984 should also be included in the horror genre.
1984 describes a Utopia. Not Thomas More's version of Utopia, but this is one is the antithesis, i.e. Dystopia. Imagine living in a country, whose leaders apply a totalitarian system in regulating their citi...moreWAR IS PEACE.
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY.
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH.
Those words keep sounding in my head since I read this book. Gosh, probably the most haunting not to mention frightening book I've ever read. 1984 should also be included in the horror genre.
1984 describes a Utopia. Not Thomas More's version of Utopia, but this is one is the antithesis, i.e. Dystopia. Imagine living in a country, whose leaders apply a totalitarian system in regulating their citizen, in the most extreme ways, which make Hitler, Mao, Stalin and that old bloke in V for Vendetta look like sissies.
Working, eating, drinking, sleeping, talking, thinking, procreating...in short living, all are controlled by the state. Any hint of obedience or dislike can be detected by various state apparatus such as the Thought Police, telescreen, or even your children, who will not hesitate to betray you to the authorities. Even language is modified in such ways that you cannot express yourself, since individualism is a crime.
The past is controlled, rewritten into something that will strengthen the incumbent ruler. Who controls the past, controls the future. Who controls the present, controls the past. There is no real truth. The "truth" is what the state says it is. Black is white, 2+2=5, if the state says so.
The world in 1984 is divided into three states, originated from the ashes from World War II: Oceania (British Isles, the Americas, Pacific, Australia), Eurasia (Europe & Russia), and Eastasia (the rest of it). Continuous warfare between those three (who hold similar ideologies) is required to keep the society's order and peace. Si vis pacem para bellum. That's describes the first slogan.
The second slogan, freedom is slavery, means the only way to be free is by letting you lose yourself and to be integrated within the Party. That way, you'll be indestructible and immortal.
Ignorance is strength, means the division on high, middle, low classes in society will never be changed. The middle wants to be the high and they'll act "on behalf of the low" to dethrone the high. Afterwards, a new middle class arises, all will change except the low. The high and middle make and uphold the law, the low (proletarian) is just too stupid to revolt. The state maintains its structure by torture, intimidation, violence, and brainwashing.
Blimey, Orwell's Animal Farm is already depressing, but 1984 gives "depression" a new meaning, at least for me.(less)
Recommends it for: Classics readers, political readers concerned with overreaches
1984 is not a particularly good novel, but it is a very good essay. On the novel front, the characters are bland and you only care about them because of the awful things they live through. As a novel all the political exposition is heavyhanded, and the message completely overrides any sense of storytelling. As an essay, the points it makes can be earthshaking. It seems everyone who has so much as gotten a parking ticket thinks he lives in a 1984-dystopia. Every administration that reaches for po...more1984 is not a particularly good novel, but it is a very good essay. On the novel front, the characters are bland and you only care about them because of the awful things they live through. As a novel all the political exposition is heavyhanded, and the message completely overrides any sense of storytelling. As an essay, the points it makes can be earthshaking. It seems everyone who has so much as gotten a parking ticket thinks he lives in a 1984-dystopia. Every administration that reaches for power, injures civil liberties or collaborates too much with media is accused of playing Big Brother. These are the successes of 1984's paranoia, far outliving its original intent as a battery against where Communism was going (Orwell was a severely disappointed Marxist), and while people who compare their leaders to Big Brother are usually overreaching themselves and speak far away from Orwell's intent and vision, it is a useful catchcloth for dissent. Like so many immortalized books with a social vision, 1984's actual substance is so thin that its ideologies and fear-mongering aspects can be stretched and skewed to suit the readers. If you'd like a better sense of the real world and Orwell's intents, rather than third-hand interpretations of his fiction, his non-fiction is highly recommended.(less)
John WiswellChipper, it's been my understanding from autobiographical and biographical writing that Orwell came from the Marxist-Leninist tradition, but became ac...moreChipper, it's been my understanding from autobiographical and biographical writing that Orwell came from the Marxist-Leninist tradition, but became acutely disillusioned. Hence the "severely disappointed." I already know that Marxism and Communism have similarities.(less)
Dec 09, 2011 10:37am
leong kar nimNo one should be under the illusion that Orwell's language in 1984 has any literary aesthetics. For once I prefer the ideas rather than the execution ...moreNo one should be under the illusion that Orwell's language in 1984 has any literary aesthetics. For once I prefer the ideas rather than the execution of the book.
I am re-reading it after the recent media attention on Kim Jong Il's death. North Korea comes closest to the dystopian society described in the book.(less)
Dec 27, 2011 05:03am
Heads up! Let me be up-front admitting that this is one of those self-absorbed reviews that doesn't tell you much about the book itself, but rather my experience reading it. So much has been written about the contents and significance of 1984, I don't think I can add much there. I write about how it affected me because it did. A lot. And I remain grateful to George Orwell for writing it.
-Thanks also to Ceridwen, for the Listopia link that got me thinking about rewriting this rev...moreHeads up! Let me be up-front admitting that this is one of those self-absorbed reviews that doesn't tell you much about the book itself, but rather my experience reading it. So much has been written about the contents and significance of 1984, I don't think I can add much there. I write about how it affected me because it did. A lot. And I remain grateful to George Orwell for writing it.
-Thanks also to Ceridwen, for the Listopia link that got me thinking about rewriting this review today.
It's one of the "Big Books" (capitalized, but without quotation marks in my mind) in my life. One of the top four or five which touched me in some way which transcends the conventional reading experience. I'm not a very fast reader, so I can count the number of books on one hand that I've completely read cover-to-cover in one sitting. 1984 is among them.
I was fourteen years old on Christmas of 1983, and somebody (I forget who) decided that with 1984 just around the corner, Orwell's work would be a good Christmas present for me. A few days later, with the luxury of ample Christmas break free time on my hands, I started in on it. I was home alone all day, and devoured the book. Afterwards, I just lay on my bed staring at the ceiling for like twenty minutes, digesting its contents in my parents' silent home, my room bathed in the anemic light of late afternoon in winter, which somehow reinforced the power of Orwell's dark vision. The experience hadn't been like reading a book at all. It had been like opening a message in a bottle. A message Orwell had scrawled off thirty-five years earlier, and then cast into an ocean of media and ideas whose unpredictable currents had somehow ended with me. It wasn't a prophecy, as in "These things will come to pass". It was a receipt for Orwell's thoughts, which were now being whispered to me across time and from beyond the grave: "Brian, I thought these things, and that means other people can think them too. I wrote this in 1948, when Hitler still seemed real. You live in a world where he doesn't seem real anymore, but he was real. He wasn't the only one with a horrible plan."
The mere existance of Orwell's dystopic story proved that it was important. Standing on the cusp of a paradigm shift for months, this little push was all I needed. There was a flutter in my stomach.
There really is a monster in the attic.
The call really is coming from inside the house.
My interest and knowledge of history at that time was minimal. School had taught me the standard fare about the Pilgrims and Indians, Lincoln freeing the slaves, and World War I killing 16 million people because a virtually unknown archduke (is that like a prince?) was assassinated. Everything else I knew had been powerfully drummed into me by my party-line patriotic, Republican-leaning, economically abused blue collar family and hometown. The political narrative I received in childhood went something like:
America are the good guys who always fight countries like the USSR and the Third Reich, who treat their citizens poorly. Well, we treat black people poorly, and probably other people too, but not as bad as Hitler treated Jews; plus, things are getting better now. (well, the worst parts of Buffalo do have a lot of black people living there, so it doesn't really look like things are getting better for them, but that's what everybody says) Anyhow, everything was fine until Jimmy Carter got into the White House and screwed things up so badly that my father got laid off and eventually lost his job at a company in Buffalo that made industrial presses. (another thing which had an enduring impact on me)
There was probably a little more to my worldview then, but not much more, and those were the highlights. I don't really want to debate the merits of my perspectives at age fourteen; the point is only that I embraced a sort of sanitized, black-and-white, star-spangled American exceptionalism mixed with Hollywood happy endings which didn't quite ring true in the face of actual evidence from my own life.
Before you fire up your keyboards to tell me "Sorry about your Dad's job, but Jimmy Carter isn't Big Brother", let me clarify that I didn't and do not think he is. 1984 didn't speak to me directly about my family's finances or Jimmy Carter, but merely crystallized the vague notion that had been swimming around in my head that maybe all the lauded institutions around me were not necessarily designed with my personal Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness in mind. Lest you think that 1984 made me suddenly think I had all the answers to history and social injustice, let me assure you I didn't. Orwell shocked me, but didn't turn me overnight into a... well, into anything. I started reading a lot more about history after that, and changed course in my thinking more times than I can remember. I guess 1984 made me more curious and engaged in current events, more critical in my thinking, and more skeptical of authority. That's all Orwell did for me, and I can't imagine an author doing more for a reader than that.
...
It is twenty-seven years later, and Orwell is all around me, as ubiquitous as the air. His whispered warnings have become shouts, which remain (it seems) mostly unheeded. Whereas my initial response to 1984 was a vague unease and a drive to examine the mechanations of history and politics, my present-day response is a much more specific and literal recognition of the many ways Winston Smith's world mirrors my own. Analogies to 1984 pop up every single day, painful and uninvited, but irrefutable and obstinate. If you search the phrase "police taser citizen" on YouTube, you'll get enough results to occupy the next solid week watching them all. It's called "pain compliance" in law enforcement circles. (See? -it's not brutality!) Since the PATRIOT ACT was passed, America has collectively consented to waive its privacy, allowing our phones and computers to be warrantlessly surveilled at any time and without notice. The terrorists these laws were supposed to be for don't live here. These laws are for us. We talk about waterboarding and secret renditions as matter-of-factly as we would discuss gardening. We are in the ninth year of an apparently unending "War on Terror" against Islamic extremism. We've always been at war with Islamic extremists. (except when they were our friends against the Soviets in 1979)
There really is a monster in the attic.
The call really is coming from inside the house.
Am I oversimplifying some of these things? I know some of you are just dying to tell me that I am. Go ahead. It won't change the fact that Orwell has never been more relevant than he is today, and there may never be a more important book in my life than 1984.(less)
1984 v. The Divine Comedy (with apologies to Dante Alighieri)
Setting: an exotic bazaar somewhere. Joseph Stalin is perusing the stalls. He happens past George Orwell’s stall.
Orwell: You! You there! You seem to be looking for something! What’s your pleasure? Essays? Satire?
Stalin: (avoiding eye contact) [in a thick Russian accent] No. No, my friend. Just looking, that’s all. (starts to walk away)
Orwell: (motioning to Stalin's uniform) A sharp-dressed man like yourself? You’re looking for a dystopia!
Stalin hesitates, interested.
Stalin: Well, of course if you have something good to show me… if the price were right….
Orwell: (chuckles) The price?! Picture a boot stomping on a face… FOREVER!
(slams a copy of 1984 on the table in front of him)
How are you going to put a price on something like that?
Stalin: (poker faced, but blushing with excitement) Nat- naturally a boot stomping on a face is good…
Orwell: (picks up the book and begins to read a passage aloud)
“...He who controls the present, controls the future.
He who controls the past, controls the present...”
Stalin: (swooning, puts one hand, open-palmed against his chest) Poetry!
Dante Alighieri (occupies the stand across from Orwell) overhears the sales pitch.
Dante: [in a thick Italian accent] You lika the poetry??
(picks up a copy of The Divine Comedy and begins to read aloud)
"...Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita
mi ritrovai per una selva oscura ché la diritta via…"
[Editor’s note:
Midway through the journey of my life
I found myself within a dark wood where the straight way…]
(Dante puts down the book and makes a motion kissing his fingers.)
It’s a beautiful! (to Stalin) You ever hear so beautiful words inna your ear?
Stalin, unimpressed, turns back to Orwell.
Orwell: He’s not interested in your poems, Dante! Mind your own business!
(turns back to Stalin, and begins to explain…)
See, this dystopia is air-tight. The entire world is divided up into three…
Dante: (interrupting) Whaddya do over there, Orwell? Hawking a-junk a-dystopias again?
(reaches over and pulls Stalin toward him)
You a BIG man! You gotta think a BIG! What dystopia’s a BIGGER than a Hell? Hell is the (emphatic hand gesture) classico dystopia!
(picks up an illustrated copy of The Divine Comedy again, and gestures to a picture of Count Ugolino della Gherardesca buried up to his neck.)
Looka here- we gotta everybody a buried to their a neck… eating a’ head, a’ the man in front a him….
(Stalin is impressed)
Stalin: (nodding, with a slight smile)
I do like that! It’s horrible, and it’s cheap!
(snaps his fingers, as he suddenly gets an idea) …And I could make each man dig the hole he was going to be buried in himself!
Dante: (shrugs, agreeable but not particularly impressed)
You can do how-a you like…
Orwell: (flips pages nervously, until he finds the right spot)
Room 101! It’s located in the basement of the “Ministry of Love”! It’s a torture chamber which contains each man’s worst fear!
Stalin turns back to Orwell, interested.
Stalin: (encouraging) Go on…
Orwell: Well, this fellow Smith is scared of rats, so they put his face up close to a cage with two rats…
Stalin: (excited) Genius!! Why haven’t I thought of that?!
Dante: (unimpressed) You only gotta one way to control.
Stalin: (annoyed, but curious) What?
Dante: (dismissive gesture toward Orwell)
Is only a scaring and inflicting pain… Only hurting all the time.
(motions to The Divine Comedy) We gotta the fear for Hell, but also we gotta the hope for Heaven. It’s a two ways to control.
Orwell: You’re talking to a big-time totalitarian dictator here! You think he wants to bother with hope?
Dante gives a knowing look to Stalin.
Dante: (to Stalin) When Mr. Hitler breaka the treaty an’ attack you… whaddya you did?
Stalin: (sheepish) Well, I kind of hid for a few days because I didn’t know what to do… (resolute) But then I FOUGHT! We fought back and defeated Hitler!
Dante: (annoyed that Stalin is missing his point)
Yes, yes.. But whatta you did with the church?
Stalin: (looking guilty) Well, we opened the churches so people could prey for Hitler’s defeat…
Orwell: (astonished, pointing at Stalin) You…!???
Stalin: (trying to explain) I… it was...
Dante: (beaming, vindicated) You a see?! Even "Mr. Atheist State" knows: the people needa’ hope too! Two ways to control!
Stalin: (puts down money on Dante’s table)
Okay, I’ll take a copy.
Stalin and Dante conduct the transaction, and Stalin walks off, perusing the pages of his new book.
Madison: (to Dante and Orwell) I wonder if you might be able to help me. I’m trying to convince my colleagues at the U.S. Constitutional Convention to include a Bill of Rights, but I’m having difficulty showing some of them why freedom of speech and the right to bear arms is important. Have you got any cautionary tales?
Orwell: Have I got the book for YOU!
(Dante slaps his hand over his eyes) Mama mia!
(long pause)
.
.
.
(message appears on screen: JUDGES DELIBERATING)
.
.
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MATCH POINT: 1984, on a technical point for extreme present-day relevance(less)
Setting: a dingy bar, empty, except for a bored-looking prole bartender, and a dejected Humbert Humbert (HH), who sits alone, shotglass in his hand, with a half-consumed bottle of INGSOC Vodka on the cheep wooden table in front of him. Humbert is staring into space, as the telescreen blares in the background, recounting the latest casualties from the ...moreCELEBRITY DEATHMATCH REVIEW* (* entertainment purposes only) For my real 1984 review: (click here)
1984 v. Lolita
Setting: a dingy bar, empty, except for a bored-looking prole bartender, and a dejected Humbert Humbert (HH), who sits alone, shotglass in his hand, with a half-consumed bottle of INGSOC Vodka on the cheep wooden table in front of him. Humbert is staring into space, as the telescreen blares in the background, recounting the latest casualties from the frontlines. Eurasian troops in Northern Africa have been defeated...
Winston Smith (WS) walks in, haggard and sickly. He spots Humbert and sits down at the table. He speaks in monotone, not making eye contact...
WS: I betrayed you.
HH: (also in a slow monotone, without eye contact)
I betrayed you too.
WS: I told them about you and Dolly.
HH: I told them about you and Julia.
WS: They put my face in a cage with rats, until I begged them to torture Julia.
HH: They threw me in a room with thirty-year-old women until I begged them to torture Dolly.
WS: Now Julia hates me, and I'm an enemy of the State. They'll toy with me for a few months, maybe years, and then I'll be uncerimoniously disappeared and executed.
HH: Dolly married a mechanic, and is pregnant with his child. I'm a sex offender who can't go within 500 feet of a school or playground. I'm scorned by one and all.
WS: Aren't you a murderer too? Why aren't you in prison?
HH: The State doesn't have a problem with murder. Messing with tomorrow's soldiers and party members, though... that's trouble.
(Smith nods in silence)
(pause)
HH: They're reassigning me. I'll be heading off for a labor camp on Thursday.
WS: They've reassigned me as well. Now I'm a counselor at a summer camp for girls.
(HH looks up, startled)
Suddenly, the telescreen is interrupted, and a triumphant, vaguely Asian-sounding music starts to blare. An Asian man in a heavily-decorated military uniform appears on the screen. Behind him is the INGSOC flag, which he promptly rips from the wall, and replaces with a different, unfamiliar flag. He speaks with authority, but in a way that seems warm and engaging:
"People of INGSOC! I am Supreme Commander Chang of the East Asian armed forces. I am speaking to you from the newly-erected East Asian command center in London. Despite what your propaganda has been telling you, INGSOC has just suffered the last and most devestating in a series of battles, and the last of your troops have been defeated. INGSOC is no more; you are now citizens of the Free Republic of East Asia. Do not be alarmed by this- we have an open and democratic system, we respect individual liberties, inalienable human rights, and commodity-backed money. From this day forward, you are a free people. I welcome you warmly into a new age..."
Outside, people begin cheering and singing, ripping down posters of Big Brother, and dismantling surveillance cameras.
Winston stands, looking first outside, and then at the warmly smiling Supreme Commander Chang on the telescreen. Tears of joy begin to flow freely down his (Winston's) face...
WS: I'm free... I'm going to live... I have to find Julia! WE'RE GOING TO BE FREE!
HH: (somewhat shocked, but with a faint smile of realization on his face)
I'm not going to the labor camp...
WS: (turning, now making eye contact with Humbert for the first time, speaking in a stern, deadly-serious tone, and pointing aggressively in his face)
Yeah, but you're still a sex offender. Stay away from my family.
Bartender: (shocked, looking at Humbert) You're a SEX OFFENDER!?!! Get the hell outta my bar!
Alice was sitting next to her sister, who was absent-mindedly gazing to the ground. They were sitting on a huge rock, in a drab and gloomy place once known as Hyde Park.
“What are you staring at?” asked Alice abruptly.
“Staring? What is ‘staring’?” asked her sister without moving her gaze.
“Staring means looking continuously at something without moving your eyes away, just like what you are doi...moreCelebrity Deathmatch Review: 1984 vs. The Annotated Alice
Alice was sitting next to her sister, who was absent-mindedly gazing to the ground. They were sitting on a huge rock, in a drab and gloomy place once known as Hyde Park.
“What are you staring at?” asked Alice abruptly.
“Staring? What is ‘staring’?” asked her sister without moving her gaze.
“Staring means looking continuously at something without moving your eyes away, just like what you are doing now,” said Alice.
“What is ‘means’? What is 'continuously'? Why are you talking ungood again?” said her sister reproachfully. “When last year father was talking like this, I told the thought police about him. They took him away for a long time and when he came back, he was talking doubleplusgood. Do you want me to tell them about you?”
“No, no. I don’t want to go away. I was just asking what you were looking at” said Alice fearfully.
Her sister didn't reply and seemed not paying attention to her.
Once, when Alice was on her way home, she stumbled upon a very old blue book upon which was written "Oxford Concise Dictionary" in big letters. She took the book home and showed it to her father. The latter seemed very interested in it and kept it hidden inside one of the old unused pillows. He told her not to tell anyone about it, and when she asked him why, he told her a silly story which Alice can't even remember now. Only Alice and her father knew about it and she used to look up words every couple of days, which her father taught her to do.
Sitting in the gloomy place, Alice felt very bored and started looking around. Some ten yards away she saw a huge brown rat, which was moving its mouth and seemed to be making some noise. When Alice came near it, she heard it saying: “I’m late. I must hurry!”
These words were very familiar to Alice. When the rat began running and went behind a huge rock, Alice followed it and as she reached the place, she saw a dining table on which dozens of ugly rats were eating and drinking while chatting very loudly.
“Long live Big Brother” said one of the rats suddenly, raising its glass of Victory gin.
When the others heard this, they all raised their glasses and shouted at once: “long live Big Brother.”
Alice scowled. She used to hear these words at school for several times each day. She hated them. Every time she had managed to start a conversation with a friend about toys, candies, or Imaginary places, the teacher used to shout “Long Live Big Brother,” and they had to repeat the words after her.
One of the rats, who seemed to be taking interest in Alice, came near her.
“Hello my child. What are you doing here?” said the rat with a familiar tone.
“Hello. I followed the brown rat," said Alice. "I once dreamed of a talking white rabbit, which I followed into a very beautiful and curious place. There, I used to grow and shrink in size, and saw talking animals which played games with me. There were even rats there, but not as ugly as you_” she regretted the last sentence, but the rat didn't seem to pay attention to it.
“And?” said the rat.
“And that’s it. It was a very nice place. Much more beautiful than here," said Alice with a frown.
“Hmm. Now tell me about the way you speak my dear” said the rat, with a malicious grin.
Alice suddenly realized that she was inadvertently using words from the dictionary, and the rat understood them. She remembered that every time she accidentally used words from it with a friend or a family member (her father told her not to do so), they didn't understand what she was saying.
“Tell me my dear," repeated the rat, "how do you know so many words?”
She tried to think about an answer, when the rat suddenly took out its hand, which was holding the very dictionary, from its pocket.
“Is this the reason?” said the rat pointing to the dictionary.
Alice didn't understand what was happening and how the rat had the dictionary. She suddenly realized that dozens of rats were rushing towards her and began taking her away. She started crying and tried to free herself, asking them to be taken back to her sister, but no one paid attention to her.
All the rats disappeared except the one with the dictionary and another fat and extremely ugly one. Both took off their disguise and turned out to be members of the thought police.
“Good job comrade” said the fat man, who seemed to be the chief. “Let me know your name once more.”
“Smith, Winston Smith” said the man, who was now burning the dictionary with the same malicious grin.
YOU. ARE. THE. DEAD. Oh my God. I got the chills so many times toward the end of this book. It completely blew my mind. It managed to surpass my high expectations AND be nothing at all like I expected. Or in Newspeak "Double Plus Good."
Let me preface this with an apology. If I sound stunningly inarticulate at times in this review, I can't help it. My mind is completely fried.
This book is like the dystopian Lord of the Rings, with its richly developed culture and...moreYOU. ARE. THE. DEAD. Oh my God. I got the chills so many times toward the end of this book. It completely blew my mind. It managed to surpass my high expectations AND be nothing at all like I expected. Or in Newspeak "Double Plus Good."
Let me preface this with an apology. If I sound stunningly inarticulate at times in this review, I can't help it. My mind is completely fried.
This book is like the dystopian Lord of the Rings, with its richly developed culture and economics, not to mention a fully developed language called Newspeak, or rather more of the anti-language, whose purpose is to limit speech and understanding instead of to enhance and expand it. The world-building is so fully fleshed out and spine-tinglingly terrifying that it's almost as if George travelled to such a place, escaped from it, and then just wrote it all down.
I read Fahrenheit 451 over ten years ago in my early teens. At the time, I remember really wanting to read 1984, although I never managed to get my hands on it. I'm almost glad I didn't. Though I would not have admitted it at the time, it would have gone over my head. Or at the very least, I wouldn't have been able to appreciate it fully.
From the start, the author manages to articulate so many of the things I have thought about but have never been able to find a way to put into words. Even in the first few chapters I found myself having to stop just to quietly consider the words of Mr Orwell.
For instance, he talks about how the act of writing itself is a type of time travel. It is communicating with the future. I write these words now, but others may not discover them for hours, weeks, or even years. For me, it is one time. For you the reader, it is an entirely different one.
Just the thought that reading and writing could one day be outlawed just shivers my timbers. I related to Winston so much in that way. I would have found a way to read or write.
The politics and psychology of this novel run deep. The society in the book has no written laws, but many acts are punishable by death. The slogan of the Party (War is Peace...) is entirely convoluted. Individuality is frowned upon and could lead to being labeled a traitor to the Party.
I also remember always wondering why the title was 1984. I was familiar with the concept of Big Brother and wondered why that wasn't the name of the book. In the story, they don't actually know what year it is because so much of the past has been erased by the Ministry of Truth. It could very easily have been 1981. I think that makes the title more powerful. Something as simple as the year or date is unknown to these people. They have to believe it is whatever day that they are told it is. They don't have the right to keep track. Knowledge is powerful. Knowledge is necessary. But according to Big Brother. Ignorance is strength.
1984 is written in past tense and has long paragraphs of exposition, recounting events, and explaining the society. These are usually things that distance me from a book and from the characters, but Orwell managed to keep me fully enthralled. He frequently talks in circles and ideas are often repeated but it is still intriguing, none the less. I must admit that I zoned out a bit while Winston was reading from The Book, but I was very fascinated by the culture.
Sometimes it seems as though the only way to really experience a characters emotions is through first person. This is not the case with this book, as it is written in third person; yet, I never failed to be encompassed in Winston's feelings. George manages to ensure that the reader never feels disconnected from the events that are unfolding around them, with the exception of the beginning when Winston is just starting to become awakened. I developed a strong attachment to Winston and thrived on living inside his mind. I became a member of the Thought Police, hearing everything, feeling everything and last but not least, (what the Thought Police are not allowed to do) questioning everything.
I wasn't expecting a love story in this book, but the relationship between Julia and Winston was truly profound. I enjoyed it even more than I would have expected and thought the moments between them were beautiful. I wasn't sure whether he was going to eventually betray Julia to the Party or not, but I certainly teared up often when it came to their relationship.
George has an uncanny ability to get to the base of the human psyche, at times suggesting that we need to be at war for many different reasons, whether it's at war with ourselves or with others. That is one thing I have never understood: why humans feel the need to destroy and control each other.
It seems that the main and recurring message in this book is about censorship and brainwashing. One, censorship, is limited and little exposure to ideas of the world; the other, brainwashing, is forced and too much exposure to a certain ideas. Both can be extremely dangerous.
Inside the ministry of Truth, he demonstrates the dangers of censorship by showing how the Party has completely rewritten the past by forging and abolishing documents and physical evidence. We also spend quite a bit of time with Winston in the Ministry of Love, where the brainwashing takes place. Those who commit thoughtcrime are tortured until they grow to love and obey Big Brother and serve only the interests of the Party.
A common theme occurred to me throughout the book, although it wasn't necessarily referenced consistently. The good of the many is more important than the good of the one. There are so many variables when it comes to this statement and for the most part it seems natural to say, "Of course, the many is more important than the one", but when inside Winston's head, all that I began to care about was his well-being and not if he was able to help disband or conquer the Party and Big Brother. I just wanted him to be at peace.
Whether or not the good of all is more important than that of the one, I can't answer. I think most people feel their own happiness is more important than the rest of the world's, and maybe that's part of the problem but it's also human nature. I only wish we could all accept one other regardless of belief and culture and not try to force ways of life onto other people. Maybe I'm naive for thinking that way, but so be it.
I almost don't know what to think about this book. I'm not even sure my brain still works, or if it ever worked right at all. This book has a way of making you think you know exactly what you believe about everything and then turning you completely upside down and making you question whether or not you believe anything at all about anything. It's the strangest thing. Hmmm. Doublethink? Perhaps. Perhaps not.
Everything about this book is captivating. It's groundbreaking yet at the same time, purely classic. Ahead of its time, yet timeless. From Big Brother to the Thought Police, I was hooked and wanted to know more about it all.
Basically, I think everyone should read 1984 at some point. You really have to be in the mood to work at reading it, though. But it's all worth it in the end. It's absolutely incredible and I loved it. I don't re-read many books but this will definitely be one of them. It is a hard read, but more importantly, it is a MUST read.(less)
What a scary book. This is another one that seemingly everyone else read in highschool but somehow I managed not to. My favorite quote: "Orthodoxy means not thinking-not needing to think. Orthodoxy is unconsciousness."
For me this book put a whole new spin on relativism, both moral and philosophical. The past doesn't actually exist in any concrete way, all that exists is evidence (i.e. the effects the present time has on the physical world that lasts into the future) and memory;...moreWhat a scary book. This is another one that seemingly everyone else read in highschool but somehow I managed not to. My favorite quote: "Orthodoxy means not thinking-not needing to think. Orthodoxy is unconsciousness."
For me this book put a whole new spin on relativism, both moral and philosophical. The past doesn't actually exist in any concrete way, all that exists is evidence (i.e. the effects the present time has on the physical world that lasts into the future) and memory; both of which can be manipulated and controlled. So is anything actually real, except in relation to the individual? This reminds me of the arguments in "the dancing wu li masters". I don't like it because it is so anthropocentric; basically stating that human consciousness forms reality, which I cannot buy into being that the universe is billions of years old, and Homo sapiens have only been around for 100,000 years or so.
So basically I reject the thinking of The Party. However I do agree that people who desire power do it for it's own end, because they want power, not as a means to anything else. Amazingly good book.(less)
صدمة. تحتاج وقتًا لاستعادة القدرة على كتابة ريفيو.
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عودة للريفيو، هذه الرواية تمثّل بكل صدق بيضة الديك :). هذه الرواية - كما نصّت صفحة الغلاف لهذه النسخة المترجمة للعربية - تُقرَأ ثُمَّ تُقرَأ من جديد.
تتناول الرواية الديكتاتورية في أبشع صورها، و تتناول الاستعمار "الفِكري" في أفضل صوره، بل و تصف سياسة التجسس في أروع صورها!
هي رواية تحلل الفِكْر السياسي و أداوت السيطرة و الحُكم و الحرب النفسية. لا توجد أي جزئية تستطيع أن تقول عنها أنها مملة في هذه الرواية. ...moreصدمة. تحتاج وقتًا لاستعادة القدرة على كتابة ريفيو.
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عودة للريفيو، هذه الرواية تمثّل بكل صدق بيضة الديك :). هذه الرواية - كما نصّت صفحة الغلاف لهذه النسخة المترجمة للعربية - تُقرَأ ثُمَّ تُقرَأ من جديد.
تتناول الرواية الديكتاتورية في أبشع صورها، و تتناول الاستعمار "الفِكري" في أفضل صوره، بل و تصف سياسة التجسس في أروع صورها!
هي رواية تحلل الفِكْر السياسي و أداوت السيطرة و الحُكم و الحرب النفسية. لا توجد أي جزئية تستطيع أن تقول عنها أنها مملة في هذه الرواية. كل جزئية تقودك لما بعدها بشغف. بل و تتابع الأحداث لتصدمك بعد أن كنت واثقا من أن توقعاتك للصفحات القادمة هي التي ستقرأها! تماما كما يحدث في هذا النمط من الحكم و السياسة الذي مثّله أوريل أيما تمثيل.
أعتبر قراءتي لهذا العمل من القراءات التي أفتخر بها فعلا، لأنها ليست رواية فحسب! بل هي عمل تاريخي و سياسي وُظَّف في قالب روائي بأفضل مهارة و قدرة يمكن أن نتخيلها - بل ربما لا يمكن أن نتخيلها.
مُجَدّدًّا: إنها رواية تُقرَأ ثُمَّ تُقرَأ من جديد :)(less)
After 2-1/2 years, I re-read this. Reason: First book that our Filipinos book club here in Goodreads had discussed face-to-face. This was last Saturday. It was a very interesting and stimulating discussion. We were 12: 7 boys and 5 girls. Ages ranged from 17 to 52. Corporate rats, an entrepreneur, a college student, etc and from different industries: IT, manufacturing, publishing, marine, service, oil, etc. Mostly single except for three. ...moreVerdict After Re-reading:
Same Rating: 4 STARS
After 2-1/2 years, I re-read this. Reason: First book that our Filipinos book club here in Goodreads had discussed face-to-face. This was last Saturday. It was a very interesting and stimulating discussion. We were 12: 7 boys and 5 girls. Ages ranged from 17 to 52. Corporate rats, an entrepreneur, a college student, etc and from different industries: IT, manufacturing, publishing, marine, service, oil, etc. Mostly single except for three. Mostly Catholic but varies in terms of actual practice.
Most except three read this for the first time. I think all of us who re-read this did not change our perception from first to second reading. So, I am not an exception. Orwell's prose is exact and there is almost no hidden message whose meaning can change as you grow older. It is still his book that shows the evil of totalitarianism. It all still boils down to that.
Second Read: January 27, 2012
Bottomline: although this is an excellent well-written dystopian, its meaning does not grow old with you. It is still what it is. Maybe if I first read this when the Cold War was still on-going and the second time when it was already over, the impact could have been different. It is true that many governments (or even individuals on a personal or professional levels) take some form of control on its people that can be compared to how Big Brother takes hold of the lives of the non-Proles in Oceania. Take for example the way President Bush declared the War Against Terror after the 9/11 attack and he made people of the world believe that there were weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Iraq and that justified the US and allies to invade Iraq after Afghanistan. However, I did not really fell the urge to strongly associate these two. George Orwell, in his effort to go against the fad of the European and Americans during the Great Depression tinkering with Marxist ideologies, tried to call attention to himself by attacking the Russian model of communism by publishing Animal Farm and this book 1984. However, 1984 has passed, the hidden camera installed all over the place did not come into reality, Newspeak and Doublethink were still old Orwellian literary theories. His prophecy after 39 years (1949-1984) did not come true. Even up to this year, 2012, not one of his predictions came into reality. Shades of it yes, but nothing exact or almost there. Don't get me wrong though but some writers can be too imaginative for their own good. Unlike say, Aldous Huxley's The Brave New World: the drugs like LSD, babies being cloned, etc. His predictions nearly, almost exactly, came true.
Still, if you read this without thinking that this was a political propaganda or a prophetic book, it is still excellent. The storyline is solid. The telling is strong and taut. Orwell's language is timeless. His characters are multi-dimensional, human and memorable.
There you go: I still highly recommend this. But for the writing and not really as a political propaganda.
But, don't you notice my review? It has more depth. I am growing as a reviewer in terms of book insights ha ha.
First Read: August 29, 2009
This is one of the best books that I've read this year. It's 300+ pages and I finished it in just 1-1/2 days. It is classified as sci-fi so I thought that it is one of those entertaining easy read but I got hooked right from page 1 down to its last sentence: "He loved Big Brother." It has serious political message which at the surface could be interpreted as an attack to communism or capitalism (depending on which viewpoint you take) but it could be as relevant to all of those whose current government is ungood (so I picked at least 1 sample of Newspeak word!).
It's also about love story (between Winston and Julia), betrayal and being in the doldrums of one's life. It's also about growing up and the son's relationship to his mother. It did not have a good ending because Winston had a full transformation to being the Party's supporter but it is brilliantly written. No wonder that it has been named as one of the Best Novels Written in English since 1928 by Time Magazine in 2005 and is included in the 501 Must Read Books that I have been trying to collect and read since early this year.
I agree with them saying that this is George Orwell's magnum opus. This is really, really great! (less)
K.D.That's nice. Some participants during our face-to-face discussion last weekend also had some debates. Huxley's book came up but not too many of us hav...moreThat's nice. Some participants during our face-to-face discussion last weekend also had some debates. Huxley's book came up but not too many of us have read it so the debate on this did not materialize.(less)
Jan 30, 2012 08:06pm
s.penkevichAh nice. In Orwell's defence, I always liked his writing a bit more as I always felt Huxley was talking down to me when reading him. But I think you h...moreAh nice. In Orwell's defence, I always liked his writing a bit more as I always felt Huxley was talking down to me when reading him. But I think you hit the nail of the head with your comparisons of their ideas and that Huxley's panned out while Orwell's did not. yet...(less)
Jan 31, 2012 04:46am
I am a big fan of speculative fiction and in my literary travels I have encountered a myriad of dystopias, anti-utopias and places and societies that make one want to scream and..... ...(with or without contemporaneous loss of bladder and other bodily functions)....
Simply put, George Orwell's 1984 is unquestionably the most memorable and MOST DISTURBING vision of a world gone mad utterly bat-shit psycho that I have ever experienced. Ever!!! Despite being published back i...more I am a big fan of speculative fiction and in my literary travels I have encountered a myriad of dystopias, anti-utopias and places and societies that make one want to scream and..... ...(with or without contemporaneous loss of bladder and other bodily functions)....
Simply put, George Orwell's 1984 is unquestionably the most memorable and MOST DISTURBING vision of a world gone mad utterly bat-shit psycho that I have ever experienced. Ever!!! Despite being published back in 1948, I have yet to find a more chilling, nightmarish locale than Orwell's iconic world of BIG BROTHER and INGSOC. The very mention of either of those terms invokes images of Nazis and Soviet gulags in my mind. Yet Orwell's creation is in many ways even more insidious than these real-world bogeymen.
I first read this book when I was 12 years old in 7th grade as a...get this...class reading assignment. Looking back on it, I have NO IDEA why on Earth we were reading this book at that age but I do recall we spent quite a bit of time discussing it. I wish I could recall the substance of those discussions because I can only imagine the kind of PIERCING INSIGHT that a group of hormonally challenged pre-teens thought up in regards to this book. Needless to say, I think that this is a book that is best appreciated AFTER your first pimple.
Anyway, I decided to re-read this book recently as an adult in the hopes that I would be able to gain a great appreciation for this classic. Well, the book did more than that. IT ABSOLUTELY FLOORED ME. From the very first sentence, "It was a bright, cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen" to the unforgettable final sentence (which I will not give away here), this story sucked me in, beat the living shit out of me and through me out the other side a hollow, wasted wreck. I know, it doesn't sound very cheery, but it is a life-changing experience.
I have always thought that one of the best and most important qualities of science fiction is that it frees the author to take the controversial, politically charged issues and trends of the day and create a possible future based on exaggerations of such trends and in so doing present a compelling and critical argument for change. Well NO ONE has ever done a better job than better Orwell in showing the possible nightmare (and thus potential danger) of a society without basic civil liberties and a government with complete and unchallenged control.
This book is bleak, dreary, frightening, upsetting and absolutely BRILLIANT and one of my "All Time Favorite" novels. HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION!! 6.0 stars.
...........REMEMBER, BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU.............
RichardMike wrote: "Yeah, that last line--"I have been and always shall be your friend. Live long and prosper." Classic stuff!"
...moreMike wrote: "Yeah, that last line--"I have been and always shall be your friend. Live long and prosper." Classic stuff!"
Mike, for a minute there you had me believing that Orwell ripped his ending off from Star Trek! And you would have gotten away with it too, if I hadn't pulled my copy of the book off my shelves. But still a spocktacular joke!(less)
updated
Jan 30, 2012 10:06pm
StephenMike wrote: "Yeah, that last line--"I have been and always shall be your friend. Live long and prosper." Classic stuff!"
...moreMike wrote: "Yeah, that last line--"I have been and always shall be your friend. Live long and prosper." Classic stuff!"
Well played, sir. Well played.(less)
Jan 31, 2012 08:28am
I've put off writing a review for 1984 because it's simply too daunting to do so. I liked 1984 even better after a second reading (bumping it up from a 4 star to a 5 star) because I think that, given the complexity of the future created by Orwell, multiple readings may be needed to take it all in. I thought it was genius the first time and appreciated that genius even more the second time.
Orwell had a daunting task: creating a future nearly half a century away from the time peri...moreI've put off writing a review for 1984 because it's simply too daunting to do so. I liked 1984 even better after a second reading (bumping it up from a 4 star to a 5 star) because I think that, given the complexity of the future created by Orwell, multiple readings may be needed to take it all in. I thought it was genius the first time and appreciated that genius even more the second time.
Orwell had a daunting task: creating a future nearly half a century away from the time period in which he was writing. This future had to be its own complex, independent society, but it also had to be the natural end result of the totalitarianism Orwell witnessed in the communist and socialist regimes of World War II. That's part of the horror of 1984: this future is a recognizable one, even in 2010. It's easy to see how those in control can, through manipulation and propaganda, maintain that control simply for the sake of sating their own power hunger. It's easy to say "no one could ever tell me what to think or what to do," but the Party's use of Big Brother, the Thought Police, the Two-Minute Hate, and Doublethink make it easy to see how a person's ability to think independently and discern fiction from reality can be eroded when there is no touchstone to fact. Revising and rewriting the past to make certain that Big Brother and the Party are always correct has effectively eliminated historical accuracy. How can one think and reason in a society where everything is a fabrication?
Another facet of 1984 that I find fascinating is the relationship between Winston and Julia. Winston claims Julia is a "rebel from the waist down," engaging in promiscuity and hedonistic indulgences forbidden by the Party. She doesn't care about social injustice or defining "reality"; she only longs for what will make her feel good in the moment and only rebels far enough to get what she wants. By comparison, Winston is an intellectual rebel, constantly worrying over the issues of truth and freedom and the real, unvarnished past, but limited in how far he's willing to push the boundaries (until he meets Julia). Together, they make a complete rebellion--physical and mental, but apart they find themselves impotent to stand up to the Party.
A cautionary tale, social commentary, and exemplary example of dystopian fiction, 1984 is one of those perfect novels that not only entertains, but forces one to think about the danger associated with giving any one person or entity too much power or control over our lives--issues well worth consideration in post-9/11 America.(less)
James ThaneNice review, Amanda. I need to go back and read this book again myself.
Feb 01, 2012 10:43am
AmandaThanks--this is one of those books that I'd want with me if I'm ever stranded on an island. I could content myself by sipping on coconut milk and rep...moreThanks--this is one of those books that I'd want with me if I'm ever stranded on an island. I could content myself by sipping on coconut milk and repeatedly reading 1984. It's that damn good.(less)
Feb 01, 2012 09:26pm
"It will be good for you. No one wants to be around you anymore, honestly. You will learn how to behave like a proper young lady should, to be a true sister in the sisterhood of our new country. In the meantime it will be unseen and unheard from you." Alice allowed herself to be led into the last door after a series of similar looking doors, all the same size with proper sized keyholes. She vaguely w...moreCelebrity Death Match Review takes tea with Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
"It will be good for you. No one wants to be around you anymore, honestly. You will learn how to behave like a proper young lady should, to be a true sister in the sisterhood of our new country. In the meantime it will be unseen and unheard from you." Alice allowed herself to be led into the last door after a series of similar looking doors, all the same size with proper sized keyholes. She vaguely wondered to herself who held the keys for all of these doors. She knew that asking her sister would not do her any good. All she had done is ask Dinah, her cat, to make more sense when she meowed. Who could understand her when it all sounded the same! It was the last straw, apparently to Alice's importantly married sister and apparently to their importantly retired parents. Important business relations of the important in-law had overheard and asked who was the funny girl. It wouldn't be good to have a talker in the background when the important elections were around the corner. Eighteen eighty-four should be a very big year. No, no one wanted to take tea with Alice anymore. They had found someone who would. Dinah would not answer "What is a support group?". She asked if there would be food. Meow. It was the appropriate cat language response. Dinah was in line. "You will love this Tea Party."
There were rows of people sitting uniformly in uniform chairs uniformly wearing their uniforms. Alice looked down at her dress and thought that she was not properly dressed. May perhaps her expression of dreaminess could pass for a vacant one. Did they have a vacancy for a girl with a backbone of a whalebone corset?
She picks up a card next to the offered refreshments and reads from it. "Hello, my name is Alice and I think too many questions and ask them before I have unthought them. Wait, that doesn't make any sens..."
"Hi, Alice!"
There is another card next to the miniature cakes. "Don't eat me." On the other side it says "Eat me."
Alice looks around the room as if to ask, "Is this a joke?"
She also notices that no one else is eating. She's already not wearing the same outfit and no one else wants to have tea with her. Maybe the thing to do is to not take tea and to especially not take cake. But she really wants those cakes. There is vanilla, chocolate, vanilla and chocolate together, with strawberries and clotted cream (good English kind or whatever the important husband has been talking about. Oceanic kind. Does that make sense? Who gets cream from the ocean? It comes from cows. Although that doesn't make sense either. Whoever saw cream come out of a cow?). If only she could get everyone else to also eat the cakes then she could have some too.
She shows the card with the side up to present 'Eat me' for the people who said "Hi, Alice!"
"No, no. This is an experiment with no winning or losing answers. Just like no one wins or loses with votes on goodreads! Big brother is always watching! He can count as high as the highest number."
"You mean infinity?" said Alice, who was feeling mysterious and mysteriouser as the time went by although she couldn't tell because the little hand and the big hand were the same size and not moving on the clock.
"Higher than infinity, but like a count down in the sky ticking down to the final hour of infinite doom. If you eat the cake they will see you eat the cake and they'll know that you chose the side that says eat me! That will say something about you."
"What will it say?" asked Alice, who was by now curioser and curioser.
"It will say that you chose. You are not supposed to do that for yourself. All cakes belong to Big Brother and he does not share." Alice did not know which of the uniforms had said this. Probably the Ace. He was at the end closest to her and his A was a capital letter, like the A in Alice.
"Well, I don't know which to choose... And I am not good at following my own advice... I suppose I will wait here with the rest of you until someone tells me which side I am supposed to follow. I will think about having cake and eating it but I dare not put the too tiny piece between my unmoving lips. I do not want to eat freely and alone."
This is one of those books that I had always meant to read, but never got around to. Finally, one of my college classes required it, so I was happy to pick it up, though not without some reserved skepticism beforehand. I knew it was one of those books that is constantly referred to by people who are paranoid about government and distrust everything the government does, which wouldn't really describe me, in general. But, I have to admit that Orwell's writing is masterful. Right from the start, th...moreThis is one of those books that I had always meant to read, but never got around to. Finally, one of my college classes required it, so I was happy to pick it up, though not without some reserved skepticism beforehand. I knew it was one of those books that is constantly referred to by people who are paranoid about government and distrust everything the government does, which wouldn't really describe me, in general. But, I have to admit that Orwell's writing is masterful. Right from the start, the world he presents is mesmerizing. I think I am safe in saying that in the first third of the book, almost nothing happens. Yet, I can also say that the first third of the book was just as interesting as any of the action that comes later. Every detail, every description, every movement is analyzed in the most fascinating way. Orwell is no idiot. He has that very rare ability of few great authors to show the workings of the inner mind of man in such a true and believable way that you very well believe that he could look at you and know what you are thinking. After the first third of the book, when the story actually progresses, it gets exciting almost in the way that a thriller does. You keep on wondering what move will be next and how the character is going to strategize the demise of the enemy. Then the last third of the book is a devastating, but still masterful analysis of the human mind, free will, and reality. At almost every stage, Orwell presents his ideas with a written clarity that is a language all in its own. In spite of this whole experience and my recognition at how skillful the writing and analysis was, I cannot say that I liked the book, or even if I would recommend it. The main reason for this is that I believe Orwell cheated at the end. The protagonist was putting up a fight against the machine, and in spite of its all-powerful, seemingly omnipotent status, he held off. Now, Orwell had two options. The protagonist either would capitulate under the increasingly intelligent pressure put on by the oppressor, or he would outlast and maintain his own free will to the end. I think that the ending Orwell chose was contrived, and what he did to get the protagonist there was unbelievable. Maybe it's my own principles or feelings, but I suspect that if Orwell had done it well enough, I would have at least respected his approach. But as it is now, I had to shake my head and say to myself: No. That's not true to human nature. I don't buy that. And what's worse, I felt that Orwell must have known that himself. His writing was too brilliant before, too logical, too well-reasoned. The person who wrote all of that can't possibly believe in this moment either. So, I suspect, that in order to get the ending that he wanted, he contrived the tipping point and then returned to his brilliant form to bring the story to its conclusion. One misstep is a harsh way to judge a truly exemplar book, but I believe that it was a key moment and it unravels all the true elements Orwell had so carefully set up before. Overall, however, it would be difficult to say to not read the book, because this type of writing and insight is difficult to come by. So if you are looking for a meaty intellectual treat, read it. But don't let him cheat you in the end. (less)
Onni StoneAwsome detailed review!
Oct 29, 2010 07:16pm
Ellen KeimI think what IS so devastating is that Winston and Julia weren't able to achieve any emotional depths. Orwell kept it just out of their reach. It woul...moreI think what IS so devastating is that Winston and Julia weren't able to achieve any emotional depths. Orwell kept it just out of their reach. It would have been more powerful in a different way if they'd really loved each other (I don't know if I could have stood it!). I do thin, though, that there should have been more foreshadowing about the rats.(less)
Jan 15, 2011 12:12pm
About two days ago, I wrote an entry about Schrödinger's Cat (among other things) in which I argued that the people who do end up making especially prescient observations distinguish themselves in a way that we should allow people to be distinguished. No where is that statement more relevant than in discussing George Orwell's (the nom de plume of Eric Blair) prophetic dystopian vision of totalitarianism: 1984.
Though the year 1984 has come and gone (hell, I was still wipping around wi...moreAbout two days ago, I wrote an entry about Schrödinger's Cat (among other things) in which I argued that the people who do end up making especially prescient observations distinguish themselves in a way that we should allow people to be distinguished. No where is that statement more relevant than in discussing George Orwell's (the nom de plume of Eric Blair) prophetic dystopian vision of totalitarianism: 1984.
Though the year 1984 has come and gone (hell, I was still wipping around with my little tail somewhere inside my pops in '84), Orwell's demonic vision of a world without history, without truth, without any notion of physical reality remains as poignant and haunting now as it must have been when it was first published in 1949. In fact, in many ways, reading this book for the first time cover-to-cover (I had previously read excerpts), I am truly shocked that it was published so early on. Though many aspects of the novel are either ostensibly or clearly based on Stalinist Russia (particularly notable are the similarities between Big Brother and Stalin, and Goldstein and Trotsky), the work remains general enough that readers of any era—any political persuasion—might notice parallels to their own respective societies.
Certainly, our own does not escape indictment. I think one of the most poignant and thought-provoking aspects of this novel was the discussion in third chapter of the book (War is Peace) of perpetual war as a mechanism for retaining power and perpetuating domestic oppression; without doubt, no study of the Cold War would be complete without this consideration, nor, cynics would argue, would any study of the early 21st century.
All in all, 1984 easily remains one of the most important and influential novels of the past century, and I think in many ways, one of the few truly timeless works of literature. The issues Orwell wrote about in 1949 are only likely to grow more relevant as technology continues to advance at its breakneck pace. The greatest folly for us, as modern readers, would be to relegate this phenomenally prescient work as yet another Cold War classic, another case study in Stalinist barbarity; one need only pick up a newspaper today to realize the slippery slope to totalitarianism is one human society will likely navigate for as long as it is in existence.
Overall, 5 stars of 5. If you have never read this book, or perhaps, read it when you were younger, I encourage you to pick it up again. Without doubt, I was able to gain more perspective having read it as an adult than when I first read excerpts as a high school student.(less)
RmhI really don't think that Orwell was prescient. Everything described in his book had already come to pass in states like Nazi Germany. There are other...moreI really don't think that Orwell was prescient. Everything described in his book had already come to pass in states like Nazi Germany. There are others, of course, but that's a ready example.
Huxley was closer to our here and now, I think. Although I really didn't like Brave New World, his argument that we'd be undone by our own triviality rather than force seems to hold water.(less)
Feb 15, 2010 06:51pm
"The thought police would get him just the same. He had committed--would have committed, even if he had never set pen to paper--the essential crime that contained all others in itself. Thoughtcrime, they called it. Thoughtcrime was not a thing that could be concealed forever. You might dodge successfully for a while, even for years, but sooner or later they were bound to get you."
Written in 1949, this book is George Orwell's imagining of a dystopian future where Big Brother...more"The thought police would get him just the same. He had committed--would have committed, even if he had never set pen to paper--the essential crime that contained all others in itself. Thoughtcrime, they called it. Thoughtcrime was not a thing that could be concealed forever. You might dodge successfully for a while, even for years, but sooner or later they were bound to get you."
Written in 1949, this book is George Orwell's imagining of a dystopian future where Big Brother is the ultimate control freak. Those in power, the Inner Party, control the actions in their own ranks and those of the the Outer Party who could also be termed the Middle Class.
The world has split into three super governments. Oceania, Eurasia and Eastasia with a constant war brewing between one or the other. This book take place in Oceania and concerns one Winston Smith. We watch as he suffers through a life where a telescreen (read creepy camera surveillance) watches his every move and monitors his heartbeat and facial expressions for anything that could indicate he might be a dissident.
People disappear every day in his life and everything is regulated. The Inner Party is even writing dictionaries to limit and dictate what people can talk about. Every subsequent dictionary is smaller, with fewer words because the party believes that by controlling words they can control thought. After all, if you never heard the word 'lemon' would you ever know what it was?
What I liked was how accessible this book was even after almost 60 years. While some parts seemed quite archaic I found the piece quite modern and easy to read. The only place I was a little put off was the sentence "Winston's entrails seemed to grow cold." There was just something about that line that didn't work for me.
The story moved along at a quick pace and then immediately got bogged down when Winston started reading "the book". Whether Orwell started to suffer from soapbox hysteria, spouting his own ideals and morals from his book, I don't know. What I do know is the story started to drag and I got bored with all the technical gobbledegook that didn't move the plot along.
Orwell completely lost me at the end. It was as if the story had unraveled. When I reached part three I assumed the story would pick up again and quickly come to a conclusion. Things only became more confusing, especially where O'Brien was concerned. And Winston's transition at the end felt as if it was skimmed over. The very ending was a little surreal as well, though I don't know if it was meant to be. The first two thirds were amazing though and I would recommend the book just for that.
The sad thing is that I really got into this book. I completely devoured it and in the end I was disappointed. I would almost recommend reading up to the point where Winston receives the book and then stop.(less)
Any book or movie that has created a cultural point of reference is worth a look, by my estimation anyway.
For those of you who've heard the phrase "Orwellian" and never knew what it means, this book is a good place to start.
Before there was "The Matrix", "V for Vendetta", or virtually any other dreary view of a totalitarian future, there was 1984, George Orwell's bleak vision of a world under the thumb of a brutal, oppressive regime.
...moreAny book or movie that has created a cultural point of reference is worth a look, by my estimation anyway.
For those of you who've heard the phrase "Orwellian" and never knew what it means, this book is a good place to start.
Before there was "The Matrix", "V for Vendetta", or virtually any other dreary view of a totalitarian future, there was 1984, George Orwell's bleak vision of a world under the thumb of a brutal, oppressive regime.
The setting is London, which is now a part of Oceania, a large and poweful new empire under the myterious, watchful eye of it's ruler, Big Brother (yes, this is where that phrase comes from as well).
Oceania is perpetually at war with Eurasia or Eastasia, though which is a confusing blur of details at times. That's where Winston comes in. Our protagonist works for the "Ministry of Truth", and his job is to correct details in offical records as to who exactly Oceania is at war with, and how long it's been going on.
The story follows Winston on his journey to discover the truth about the society in which he lives and his hopes to make things right by attempting to join the Brotherhood, an organization dedicated to the destruction of the Party.
1984 is as relevant today as it was when it was written, in the shadow of Communism and the Cold War. Not only because we find ourselves today involved in controversial, unpopular and polarizing conflicts, but because at it's core, this book is about propaganda, and how powerful a tool it is at the base of our society.
The reason this book is a classic and why young people still read it in school today is that it should make you think, about who and where you are in your own society, about your society and it's place in the world at large. And hopefully, someday, future generations will read this book, not because it is the way we were but was rather the way we could have been.
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Simple: Nineteen Eighty Four is a book that everyone should read. Not because it should be classified under non-fiction, nor because it explores entirely new aspects of human nature, and nor even because of the breathtaking imagination of George Orwell, but because of the simple fact that if we want to “survive,” it can be crucial for our survival and of our world as we know it.
One of my favorite books is The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky. I believe that human beings are capable ...moreSimple: Nineteen Eighty Four is a book that everyone should read. Not because it should be classified under non-fiction, nor because it explores entirely new aspects of human nature, and nor even because of the breathtaking imagination of George Orwell, but because of the simple fact that if we want to “survive,” it can be crucial for our survival and of our world as we know it.
One of my favorite books is The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky. I believe that human beings are capable of doing what Dostoyevsky outlined and the world would be a far better place if they do. I can surmise that it is my favorite book because it talks about the world as I want it and think that it should be. But the perfect world can be entirely different for each and every one of us, and that's why I don't see as a necessity for everyone to read that book. But 1984 talks exactly about the opposite and in this lies the reason why I think everyone should read it: it talks about a world surely enough nobody wants to live in. Dostoyevsky’s world can be realized with enormous effort, whereas Orwell’s can be realized when no effort is done to change it from what it has become.
Readers of the book can argue that a world like that of the book would never be realized, given the “civilized” state we live in. I disagree and my counter argument is that the world the book discusses is imminent if not already here. Every tool of surveillance Orwell is talking about has an equivalent in our world today; The characteristics of Newspeak can be found in at least all the languages I speak; Every act of deception he talked about has been performed in some countries around the world if not in all of them. In short: everything he talked about is relevant to the our world more than anything.
One of the most interesting parts of the book is that of language. It shows how alteration of language can consequently alter thought and how for example the use of adjectives is crucial for being creative and able to use one’s imagination. Orwell also points out that the “simplification” of language affects the mind and its ability to think objectively.
Another interesting topic here is emotion. The book is filled about how emotions evolve and how someone can control them within oneself and others. In astonishing and smart prose, Orwell elucidates the means by which it is possible to erase love, plant hatred, induce respect, and even kindle belief of an idea. The book also recognizes the importance of sex along with other human instincts, such as the longing to be free, in shaping societies.
I think the book deserves more than the buzz it gets, along with its author. He was one of the smartest people I met in literature and reading this book was definitely one of the best reading experiences I’ve had.
NB: for those interested in language and how it affects thought, an essay called “Politics and The English Language” written by Orwell will be worth a read. My review of the essay is also available.(less)
Oooh Big Brother is everywhere. Actually, for a while in the UK that was true, but then they banned the stupid show and the air waves were temporarily safe from the tedious monotone gurnings of fame-hungy wannabes who paraded around in skimpy Primarni clothing attempting to "win the heart of the nation". I say temporarily safe because obviously the fame hungry overspill could not be contained (not a big enough lead lined bunker into which to chuck said fame-hungry f*ck wits) and so The...moreOooh Big Brother is everywhere. Actually, for a while in the UK that was true, but then they banned the stupid show and the air waves were temporarily safe from the tedious monotone gurnings of fame-hungy wannabes who paraded around in skimpy Primarni clothing attempting to "win the heart of the nation". I say temporarily safe because obviously the fame hungry overspill could not be contained (not a big enough lead lined bunker into which to chuck said fame-hungry f*ck wits) and so The Only Way is Essex and Made in Chelsea were born. Anyway, I digress....
In Orwell's 1984 Big Brother really is watching you and this time, there are no bikinis or Primarni towelling jumpsuits in sight. A bleak view of the future where the nanny state has well and truly gone rogue. Freedom of speech? Independence of thought? Tut, tut, don't be silly. Big Brother knows best. Orwell presented us with a view of an oligarchical society with a three-fold social class system. Some of this rings true today, especially in Europe where peoples sensitivities towards class and economic divide have been heightened by the austerity measures currently being put into place for example in the UK it could be said that;
The Inner Party =David Cameron and his rogue school of braying public school elites
The Outer Party = Nick Clegg and his well meaning but easily led and ineffectual gang
The Proles = you me and anyone else you know with diminishing social prospects and fast-emptying pockets.
On a more personal note I was working in the Middle East (Post 9/11) and living about 1km from the Israeli border when I read this book for the second time. As part of a largely American team of professionals, our building was guarded/spied on round the clock by a none too inconspicuous group of secret police who watched our every move, followed us around, infiltrated our team and reported on our every move.
FYI should you ever visit Jordan the secret police can be identified by their identical suits, shoes and sunglasses with matching improbably large guns in shoulder holsters. They also talk into their sleeves in unsubtle ways... a lot. (less)
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.Quotes: (I know there’s a lot of them, but trust me I had more)
"And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed—if all records told the same tale—then the lie passed into history and became truth. 'Who controls the past' ran the Party slogan, 'controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.'"
"If the Party could thrust its hand into the past and say this or that even, it never happened—that, surely, was more terrifying than mere tortur...moreQuotes: (I know there’s a lot of them, but trust me I had more)
"And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed—if all records told the same tale—then the lie passed into history and became truth. 'Who controls the past' ran the Party slogan, 'controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.'"
"If the Party could thrust its hand into the past and say this or that even, it never happened—that, surely, was more terrifying than mere torture and death."
“In fact, there will be no thought, as we understand it now. Orthodoxy means not thinking—not needing to think. Orthodoxy is unconsciousness."
"It was like swimming against a current that swept you backwards however hard you struggled, and then suddenly deciding to turn round and go with the current instead of opposing it. Nothing had changed except your own attitude; the predestined thing happened in any case."
“He fell asleep murmuring ‘sanity is not statistical,’ with the feeling that this remark contained in it a profound wisdom.”
“In our society, those who have the best knowledge of what is happening are also those who are the furthest from seeing the world as it is. In general, the greater the understanding, the greater the delusion: the more intelligent, the less sane.”
Summary:
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell follows the life of Winston Smith a member of the totalitarian state of London in 1984. The Party, lead by Big Brother, controls and sees all through the power of thought police and telescreens. Winston is discontented with his present sate of being; he suspects something is quite wrong with the party. So he buys a diary and starts to write down his thoughtcrimes. He believes that a secret brotherhood exists who plan to overthrow the party, though this is only legendary. Winston works in the Ministry of Truth, which purpose is to create lies. Winston’s job is to correct inaccuracies of the past, to fit with the party’s present need. One day at work a girl named Julia passes him a note reading “I love you.” And so begins their long secret love affair, meets in secret and immaculate plans to not get caught. Eventually they find a room where they can meet more often. After a while O’Brien contacts Winston and fulfills his suspicion that O’Brien is actually part of the brotherhood. Both Julie and Winston go to O’Brien’s house to become full fledged members of this secret society. They read a book about the party, the war and the slogans: "War is Peace; Freedom is Slavery; Ignorance is Strength." However the thoughtpoilice catch up to them in their secret room, and they are brought to the Ministry of Love. O’Brian was not actually part of the brotherhood, but instead worked for the Ministry of Love. Julia and Winston are separated and Winston is put through months of torture and brainwash to ‘cure’ him from his disloyalty to the party. After a while Winston is brought to room 101 where O’Brian puts a cage full of rats on Winston’s head and threatens to open the cage door. Winston finally recants and tells O’Brian to “do it to Juila” that is what O’Brian needed. Winston is released to the outside world, he meets Julia again but nothing is there. In the end Winston is successfully brainwashed, he accepts and adheres to the Party, and he loves Big Brother.
Review:
I really enjoyed reading this book. I found it very well written and easily readable. I like the point of view of the author, it was very useful and unique, and at times I felt that I was the telescreen or a secret mike listening in on Winston’s life. I thought the author did a great job with the characters and their progression through the novel. I found all of the authors themes of power, language (as meaning of thought control) and the past controlling the present relevant and well-thought out. Possibly the single thing I didn’t like was the ending. Some part of me thought that in some way Winston was going to be able to come out of this unharmed. I didn’t want to believe that the protagonist could lose after fighting so hard. And I was pretty crushed when I read that last line “He loved Big brother.” I think the book needed that kind of ending, but I wish that there was a way for it to end better. This book deserve every single one of the five stars that i gave it, and i recommend this book. And hopefully 2+2 will never equal 5!
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The Mad Hatter shuffled furtively down the alleyway, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. He could feel sweat forming along the brim of his hat. If he stayed in the Proletariat Zone, he might be able to avoid suspicion. Approaching the intersection, he began to hear the stream of propaganda from a speaker mounted on the streetlight.
The Mad Hatter shuffled furtively down the alleyway, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. He could feel sweat forming along the brim of his hat. If he stayed in the Proletariat Zone, he might be able to avoid suspicion. Approaching the intersection, he began to hear the stream of propaganda from a speaker mounted on the streetlight.
“We are at war with Wonderland. We have always been at war with Wonderland…”
He tried to force it from his mind. Since the first rabbit hole was discovered outside St.Albans, the forces of Oceania had been relentless aggressors. If something wasn’t done soon, Wonderland would fall in a matter of months, so when the Red Queen approached him with this deadly-dangerous mission, he could hardly refuse. His pastoral existence of tea parties and croquet now seemed a lifetime ago.
Crossing the intersection and continuing on his way, the speaker’s message began to fade behind him. Smells of garbage and sewage wafted in from a side alley, but Hatter kept his eyes down, concentrating on the street, shutting out the offending stimuli of this rank surface world around him. He turned the folded paper in his pocket. It bore top secret information: upcoming Oceanian troop movements on the Malabar front… information which had been won with the blood of other brave Wonderlandian spies throughout Airstrip One. If he could just get to the nearest rabbit hole, about two miles away, it would be safely delivered through the global network of Wonderlandian portals to the Queen’s allies in Eastasia. The entry of a fourth power onto the world stage was a game changer. Through a tenuous partnership with both Eastasia and Eurasia, Wonderland might just be able to reclaim lost territory from Oceania, and enter into a stable equilibrium with the other powers.
He was approaching another intersection. A giant telescreen broadcast the image of Tweeledee, (or was it Tweedledum?) offering his public confession:
“…I met with Goldstein personally, and assisted him in poisoning the water supply. I went into the Proletarian Zones and deliberately contracted syphilis, so I could spread it. I seduced members of the Inner Party, and tricked them into altering agricultural production records…”
This whole place was getting to be too much. The Hatter was more wired than if he had drunk ten pots of tea; every nerve was on edge. He began to panic. He wanted to run, but the light had just gone red. After a moment of composure, he was able to stand obediently, waiting to proceed. As the seconds ticked on, he heard fragments of conversation around him:
“Now how many votes has 1984?”
“Why fourteen, I believe.”
“And if the Party should say thirteen?”
“Why then thirteen, of course…”
In addition to the sweat on his brow, he now felt a trickle advancing down his back. He glanced over at a group of children, who were waiting stoically at the light, dressed up smartly in their Youth League uniforms. A young blonde girl among them eyed him suspiciously. He averted his gaze and looked to the light. GREEN! Stepping eagerly into the intersection, he swallowed in relief, but just then several police cars skidded around the corner, sirens blaring. Rebuffed, he stepped back onto the sidewalk and fidgeted. Once more he noticed the young girl, and their eyes met. In the briefest instant, she appeared to have made a decision, an assessment of some sort. Her face became resolute, and she tugged at her nanny’s arm.
“Mary! Look here at this one!”, she pointed. “He’s a thought criminal. Doubleplusungood.”
The nanny clutched her folded black umbrella to her bosom in a show of distress.
“I think you’re right, Annabel! Burt! Hold him!! POLICE! POLICE!”, she screamed out, waving her hands in the air, and pointing down at the Hatter, “THOUGHTCRIMINAL!!”
The nanny’s platonic love interest wrestled the Hatter to the ground, as chaos began to break out among the nervous Proles around them. A female law officer in black riot gear pushed her way through the crowd.
“Make way! Make way!”
She grabbed one of the Hatter’s arms, and pulled him up, gazing over him suspiciously.
“WHAT BE THE PROBLEM HERE, CITIZEN?”, she barked.
“It… it’s totally unfair.”, he fought for words. “A third BirdBrian review!? …And now he’s bringing in crossover characters from other Deathmatches?!??! “ He began to find his courage. “It‘s beyond the pale!! Manny will never allow it!!!”
The officer considered his words for a moment and then replied, “I’m sorry citizen; no compunctious visitings of nature shall shake my fell purpose. Manny himself hads’t it written on the Round 2 Pairings page: ’remember to fight fair unless the urge to fight dirty is completely irresistible.’“ She gave him a wry smile and drew her weapon.
The Hatter’s eyes widened in realization. “Lady MacBeth?”
Sorry guys, I just couldn't finish this one. I made it about a 3/4 of the way through before throwing it at the ground in disgust.
The writing is just terrible. Simply terrible. A creative writing class would have done wonders for Mr. Orwell. Because don't get me wrong, his ideas aren't bad. At this point in time, his ideas are a bit overdone and outdated, but at the time this was written they were fairly new. I say fairly new (see We by Yevgeny Zamyatin)
But I read novel...moreSorry guys, I just couldn't finish this one. I made it about a 3/4 of the way through before throwing it at the ground in disgust.
The writing is just terrible. Simply terrible. A creative writing class would have done wonders for Mr. Orwell. Because don't get me wrong, his ideas aren't bad. At this point in time, his ideas are a bit overdone and outdated, but at the time this was written they were fairly new. I say fairly new (see We by Yevgeny Zamyatin)
But I read novels because I enjoy the pleasures of written fiction. If I wanted a lecture regarding the effects of a monocratic government, then I would just read an essay on it!!!!!!!!!! Not these 300 pages of drivel masquerading as a book. Every scene was plastic and stilted. I mean really? Who were these characters? Does anyone understand their motivations? They're two-dementional sketches who hardly ever have meaningful tensions within. And don't pull the "oh-they're-supposed-to-be-that-way-because-they-live-in-an-oppressed-government-society-they-don't-have-an-identity-now" card. Because it's a load of bullshit! There's no justifying uninteresting characters and sloppy writing. Plus, behind every scene I could just feel Orwell's dirty, manipulative hands over every scene. In every chapter I pictured him sitting down at his typewriter:
INT. Orwell's house, it is small and cramped. There are papers everywhere and communist signs hanging from the walls. We see Orwell sipping a cup of tea, adjusting his beret, deep in profound contemplation. We hear his voice
V.O. (Orwell) "Hmmmm. I need to show how this character both loves Big Brother and hates him. Maybe I'll try to show him doing a mundane thing around his apartment and have it implied that there is some kind of conflict going on. Maybe I will create a scene where I acknowledge that the audience is intelligent enough to understand the discord within this character. Even better, maybe I will leave it up to the reader to decide for themselves the complications of my world. Maybe I will make the conflict between the government more confused. Maybe I can reveal just how complex these kinds of issues can be! No, fuck that."
Oh, well. Maybe I'm just a hater. I can't wait to move on to other books more worth my time.
Prose style: 1 Plot: 4 Depth of characters: 1 Overall sense of aesthetic: 1 Originality: 3 Entertaining: 1 Emotional Reaction: 1 Intellectual Stimulation: 4 Social Relevance: 2 Writerly Inspiration: 1
Stephen MJoanna wrote: "Can't agree with your review at all. If you need an action fix, or high-octane adventure, stick with Lee Child. You could try the ...moreJoanna wrote: "Can't agree with your review at all. If you need an action fix, or high-octane adventure, stick with Lee Child. You could try the movie but, then again, perhaps steer clear and watch some Transform..."
I have repeatedly stated my case in this thread as well as the other thread that I linked on message 12. Just because I thought this was dryly written, over-hyped book doesn't mean that I enjoy Transformers. Did you even read and understand my points?(less)
Jan 11, 2012 07:42pm
AntonioHahahaha, Orwell would have "enjoyed a creative writing class", that just killed me. Yeah, maybe you are just a hater.
Jan 17, 2012 09:18pm
" انتبه : الأخ الكبير يراقبك ! "
رواية صادمة تمثّل زلزالا للوعي و اللاوعي لدى كلّ من يقرؤها , هذه الرواية التي شكّلت ذروة عبقريّة جورج أورويل و تأثّره و تأثيره في الوعي العالمي و التاريخ الحديث .
الأخ الكبير عند أورويل له مرادفات في ثقافتنا العربية الراهنة ( مثلا : الأخ العقيد , القائد الخالد , القائد الضرورة ... أو الرئيس الشاب ! ) هذا الاختلاف في التسمية هو توافق عبقريّ في مأساويّته لدولة " أوقيانيا " مع دول مثل : سورية و العراق و ليبيا و تونس و مصر ... و باقي أن...more" انتبه : الأخ الكبير يراقبك ! "
رواية صادمة تمثّل زلزالا للوعي و اللاوعي لدى كلّ من يقرؤها , هذه الرواية التي شكّلت ذروة عبقريّة جورج أورويل و تأثّره و تأثيره في الوعي العالمي و التاريخ الحديث .
الأخ الكبير عند أورويل له مرادفات في ثقافتنا العربية الراهنة ( مثلا : الأخ العقيد , القائد الخالد , القائد الضرورة ... أو الرئيس الشاب ! ) هذا الاختلاف في التسمية هو توافق عبقريّ في مأساويّته لدولة " أوقيانيا " مع دول مثل : سورية و العراق و ليبيا و تونس و مصر ... و باقي أنظمتنا الثوريّة التي تأكلنا و تفتّتنا و تسحقنا منذ عقود , هذا التوافق في سايكولوجية الاستبداد و خلق القطيع و و تنصيب الصنم للجماهير , و توجيه غضبها نحو الوجهة التي ترضي " الأخ الكبير " , هذا التوافق في مفهوم "الحقيقة" الذي تلعب على أوتاره كلّ الأنظمة الشموليّة لتختصر البلد و تاريخه و ثقافته و حضارته و حروبه و سلامه في العقليّة الجمعيّة بأفق الحزب الحاكم و الوثن الأعلى فيه . ( أتذكّر هنا شعارات مثل : عراق صدّام أو سورية الأسد !! ) ـ
كيف نصنع الخوف .. كيف نقتل التفكير .. كيف تمحو اللغة .. كيف نجمّد الزمن .. كيف نصنع حدود النظرة
:
" الله هو السلطة "
هذاكان شعار الحزب , و هو الشعار المطبّق في كلّ الأنظمة الشمولية , لا إله سوى السلطة .. تخلق ما تشاء و تقرّر ما تشاء و تفعل ما تشاء , ولا يعلم حدود الرئيس و قدرته إلّا هو , هو الواحد الأحد و الفرد الصمد المحيي المميت الرزاق القهّار وحده !
هذه الأنظمة لا تريد أن تحكمك و تنهبك فقط , إنّها تريد أن تمسخ إنسانيّتك لتكون مجرّد روبوت مسيّر بيدها و لذلك كتب ونستون في مذكّراته :
" هم يريدون أن يلغوا إنسانيّتك .. ولذلك فأن تحافظ على إنسانيّتك حتى موتك هو ما يعني انتصارك عليهم , حتى لو لم يؤدّ ذلك إلى أيّ نتائج ! "
لماذا نعذّب لماذا نسرق لماذا نستبدّ لماذا نقتل لماذا نحكم طيلة حياتنا ثمّ نورّث الجمهوريّة لأبنائنا ؟!:
" إننا ندرك أنه ما من احد يمسك بزمام السلطة و هو ينتوي التخلّي عنها , إن السلطة ليست وسيلة بل غاية , فالمرء لا يقيم حكما استبداديا لحماية الثورة , و إنما يشعل الثورة لإقامة حكم استبدادي , إن الهدف من الاضطهاد هو الاضطهاد , و الهدف من التعذيب هو التعذيب , و غاية السلطة هي السلطة ... هل بدأت تفهم ما أقول الآن ؟!! "
هذا جواب أوبراين !
1984 رواية يجب على كلّ عربيّ أن يقرأها ليرى رموزه و أصنامه مرسومة , و ليجد نفسه أيضا مرسوما داخلها كما شاءت أنظمة الثورة و حكم الحزب الواحد و الفرد الواحد .
1984 بكلّ ما تنبّا و كتب و تعمّق و حلّل أورويل فيها عمل عبقريّ يقرأ و يقرأ و يقرأ .
الشيء الوحيد الذي لم يتوقّعه أورويل : هو أن التونسيّين و المصريين و اليمنيين و الجزائريين ( و آمل أن أكتب فيما بعد و السوريين و اللليبيّين... و .. و.. الخ ) سوف يثبتون بدمهم و حرّيتهم خطأ " النهاية " !!!ـ(less)
أحمد أبازيد Ahmad Abazedالآن أقرؤها و أتعجّب ... تحقّق الأمل و اشترك السوريّون و الليبيّون حقّا في معجزة هدم الأسطورة
Apr 21, 2011 09:03am
Mohammad Zeidanأحمد، شكراً جزيلاً. جورج أورويل كان يعني ما يقوله من أننا جميعنا عرضةٌ للعيش في دولة كهذه. كان يريد دائماً أن يقول لنا خذوا حذركم واحملوا أقلامكم...moreأحمد، شكراً جزيلاً. جورج أورويل كان يعني ما يقوله من أننا جميعنا عرضةٌ للعيش في دولة كهذه. كان يريد دائماً أن يقول لنا خذوا حذركم واحملوا أقلامكم وأحلامكم، وصورة القلم والحلم تكررت عدة مرات في الرواية، لتكونوا قادرين عن الدفاع عن معنى حياتكم الذي تقرروه أنتم لأنفسكم لا غيركم لكم. لأن نعرف دوماً أن الحرية ليست منةً من الآخرين، بل هي نعمة وحق أزلي. ولعل الإشارة إلى جولدشتاين في الرواية، وكأنه يعني المثقف المنشق،(وكأنه كان يقصد تروتسكي في ذاك الوقت) لها دلالات جمّة، كل منها له الحق في إسقاطها على واقعه وهمومه. إن صراعنا عادة ما يكون مع الداخل، مع الوعي، واللاوعي، من خلال تمحيص المقدس، وتمحيص المدنس. من خلال المراجعة التاريخية للتاريخ، من خلال الحب والفعل الحر.(less)
May 01, 2011 03:09am
أحمد أبازيد Ahmad Abazedالشكر لك محمد .. تماما هو تروتسكي , جورج أورويل قدّم لنا سوداويّة النهاية و انغلاقا للغد و التحرّر يكاد يبدو حتميّا ,و لكنّه قدّم لنا بين السطور معال...moreالشكر لك محمد .. تماما هو تروتسكي , جورج أورويل قدّم لنا سوداويّة النهاية و انغلاقا للغد و التحرّر يكاد يبدو حتميّا ,و لكنّه قدّم لنا بين السطور معالم الحلّ و الخلاص , المقارنة , استدعاء التاريخ , تنبيه الوعي الجمعي , تحرّر الشعور , استغلال الطفولة لئلّا يأسرها الطاغية من البدء .. و غيرها هذه المعالم بلا شكّ لم تغب عن ثورة تونس و مصر و اليمن و سوريّة حاليّا ... عسى أن تحطّم كلّ الأعلام التي لوّثها خطاب الديكتاتور اللاموزون بؤس النهاية ... كما اخترقت على عربة صديقنا البوعزيزي(less)
May 07, 2011 08:27am
قراءة 1984 تجربة جديدة بالنسبة لي(تجربة ثرية جداً)من عدة نواحي ,السياسه بكل مافيها كانت ولازالت سر غامض ولغز محير بالنسبة لي .
كلنا نثور بطريقة أو بأخرى على أساليب القمع التي تمارس علينا من أيٍ يكن كلنا لانملك أمام إنسانيتنا إلا أن نعيشها حتى إن كلفنا ذلك ان ندخل معركة خصمنا فيها الموت القوي الذي لايقهر وأنا أقرأ الرواية تذكرت مثل عربي (الحيطان لها ودان) وهذه "الودان" احيانا "تودي بدهيه" بالرغم من أننا نعرف بأن الحيطان بريئه وثمة تلفيق لتلك التهم التي تحاك للحيطا...moreقراءة 1984 تجربة جديدة بالنسبة لي(تجربة ثرية جداً)من عدة نواحي ,السياسه بكل مافيها كانت ولازالت سر غامض ولغز محير بالنسبة لي .
كلنا نثور بطريقة أو بأخرى على أساليب القمع التي تمارس علينا من أيٍ يكن كلنا لانملك أمام إنسانيتنا إلا أن نعيشها حتى إن كلفنا ذلك ان ندخل معركة خصمنا فيها الموت القوي الذي لايقهر وأنا أقرأ الرواية تذكرت مثل عربي (الحيطان لها ودان) وهذه "الودان" احيانا "تودي بدهيه" بالرغم من أننا نعرف بأن الحيطان بريئه وثمة تلفيق لتلك التهم التي تحاك للحيطان في "الداهية" التي وصل اليها حالنا , هناك في اوقيانيا لم يتركو مجال لظلم تلك الحيطه حيث أن شاشة الرصد حاضرة تترصد كل التحركات تسجل الأحداث صوت وصورة بل وتصل قدرتها إلى قياس معدل ضربات القلب وتحاول جاهدة أن تنفذ من خلال العيون إلى دواخل الإنسان لتحكم على ذلك بالخيانة و على تلك بالتآمر على أمن الحزب او الدولة كل مايحاك بالخفاء عن العامه الذين يعيشون في عالم آخر -غاص- بالكثير من المنغصات التي لاتترك لعقلائهم مجال التطلع إلى سلطة مرة يكون الغذاء نافذ ,ومرة تتراجع أو تتقدم تكلفة المعيشة ومرة السماء تمطر قنابل ومرة الحديث دائر عن حرب في الجبهة(أي جبهة ومن اين تأتي القنابل؟) هذا مايتم حياكته في الخفاء تذكرت مقولة - قرئتها سابقاً- أن كل دولة في أي زمان ومكان لابد لها من ان توجه طاقات الكره الشعبية تجاه عدو مختلق , لتخترع سبب يجعل شعوبها يكنون لها الولاء حتى إن كلف ذلك موتهم في حرب ضد العدو المزعوم , إن سحق الإنسان ليصير شيء آخر ليعيش ليكون محكوم بعدة أمور تتغير بتغير الزمن شيء موجود وإن إختلفت الأساليب التي يمارسونها على الكائن المغلوب على أمره "الإنسان" بكل زمن شيء لا نشاهده إنما يتغلغل إلى أفكارنا بطريقة أو بأخرى حتى أننا لانستطيع صده أبداً , وكما كتب على ظهر الكتاب , :
إنها رواية تُقرأ , ثم تُقرأ من جديد .
Note :
تناقشنا أنا وصديقتي أنين عن لون الحياة لو كانت كما ورد في الرواية تجريد تام من الإنسانية والخصوصية إممم قالت هي بأنها رمادية أما أنا فرأيتها برونزية لأن الرمادي في نظري عبارة عن حل وسط بين الأبيض والأسود والحياة في تلك الحالة ليست حل وسط هي سحب بإتجاه المهانة لا يليق بها إلا لون الصدأ ما رأيكم ؟(less)
Mashael Alamriلأ شيماء في طريقة بموقع أدب وفن إنو تطلبي الكتب وتختاري طريقة الدفع عند التسليم متى ماتوفرت الكتب يبعتونها لك ولمن توصلك لحد باب بيتك تدفعي قميتها...moreلأ شيماء في طريقة بموقع أدب وفن إنو تطلبي الكتب وتختاري طريقة الدفع عند التسليم متى ماتوفرت الكتب يبعتونها لك ولمن توصلك لحد باب بيتك تدفعي قميتها مع قيمة الشحن انا كدا أسوي أفضل طريقة ,(less)
May 18, 2009 11:03am
خالد العشرىالراوية ممتعة و اعتقد انها من افضل الكتب التى كتبت ف القرن العشرين !!
May 25, 2009 04:44pm
War is Peace
Freedom is Slavery
Ignorance is Strength
This book read more like a discourse on Orwell's dystopia than a picture of one. I know that's indicative of the time, but this one was excessively so. Orwell's style of writing was very dry and very much tell without a lot of show. He missed a lot of good opportunities to make this book real for me. Every time I became invested in the story and sure the next turn of events would make the story worth it, it was just more ...moreWar is Peace
Freedom is Slavery
Ignorance is Strength
This book read more like a discourse on Orwell's dystopia than a picture of one. I know that's indicative of the time, but this one was excessively so. Orwell's style of writing was very dry and very much tell without a lot of show. He missed a lot of good opportunities to make this book real for me. Every time I became invested in the story and sure the next turn of events would make the story worth it, it was just more of the same dry, intellectual writing.
Having said that, his dystopia is pretty creepy and the opening line one of my favorites ever: "It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen." I liked the concept of doublethink and how easy it is for the mind to alter its reality and belief. History exists only in memory and is therefore not a solid reality. The idea of bleakness and control and the fascist creed of the State were a good idea if not well executed. I would have liked more exploration into the effects of these concepts instead of lectures on them.
Interestingly enough, the moment I lost faith in this society ever overthrowing its totalitarian government was when I discovered that it encompassed the entire world. That there was no diversity of government showed that ultimate power had already been gained, both in a macro and a micro sense. While disturbing in theory, I wish I had been shown more of Winston's transition in the end. As it was, I didn't quite believe a change I wasn't sold enough to understand. If I had taken the journey with him, it would have been powerful.(less)
Ok – so I’m probably the only one in the universe who didn’t read this in high school. This is a book that must be read, right? I knew the general premise of the book, big brother is watching you. But oh, how frightening it was! Big Brother was not only watching but he knew what you were thinking and when you were having sex and if you were having sex you better not be enjoying it; you better be just doing it to have a child. A child that would be trained to t...more1984, George Orwell
Ok – so I’m probably the only one in the universe who didn’t read this in high school. This is a book that must be read, right? I knew the general premise of the book, big brother is watching you. But oh, how frightening it was! Big Brother was not only watching but he knew what you were thinking and when you were having sex and if you were having sex you better not be enjoying it; you better be just doing it to have a child. A child that would be trained to turn you in to the party if you did anything that was out of line. And who the hell could know what was in line or out of line? Anyway – the story is about Winston, who is evidently the only human left who remembers stuff and thinks for himself. He takes his ration of nasty tasting gin each day and dutifully rewrites history in the Ministry of Truth so that things that the party wants to be so, can not be proven not to be so. And when he knew where his wife was he had sex with his wife each night, for the good of the party. But, (can you believe it) he’s not happy. He feels something is missing and he holds on to the hope that there are others who feel the same way. He sees little flickers in people’s eyes that he seems to think mean that they are in this secret organization called the Brotherhood who have plans to overthrow Big Brother and – god only knows what their plan is – but just something different than what they have.
Winston is shocked when a woman (Julia) that he is sure is a party spy – a member of the thought police – and who he has fantasies of bashing her head in because he hates her so much – comes up to him and hands him a slip of paper that says that she loves him. Turns out that she just wants to have sex – but hey! So they carry on in a secret little room in the Prol’s area of town knowing that one day they’ll be shot. And all they are doing at this point is taking little naps with each other and getting their freak on. But then they decide to take a chance and approach this inner party member (O’Brian, who they are just sure is a traitor to big brother because Winston has seen that little flicker) to say that they’d be willing to throw acid in the face of a child if that’s what the brotherhood wanted them to do in order to overthrow big brother. But remember how Winston misjudged Julia? He thought she was stalking him because she wanted to turn him in to the thought police and she really just wanted sex? Let’s just say that Winston misjudged O’Brian too.
And then we get into the torturing and the 2 plus 2 makes 5 or I’ll turn this dial up to 100 and room 101 and then we finally get to the rats!!!! Which I just can’t go into. But that is the tipping point for ol’ Winston and it is just a matter of time before he is back out in the world loving Big Brother. And my god if it’s not just the scariest book in the world!
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I cannot count the number of times I was asked, "What's so special about the book 1984?" That question scared me, because this novel is so important. Beyond that, I was floored that some people had not at least heard of "1984" (which was first published in 1949). That is not a criticism of those who are guilty of this, but rather an indication of my incredulity, because the impact had on our culture by Orwell's genius, manifested in "1984", cannot be overstated.
...moreI cannot count the number of times I was asked, "What's so special about the book 1984?" That question scared me, because this novel is so important. Beyond that, I was floored that some people had not at least heard of "1984" (which was first published in 1949). That is not a criticism of those who are guilty of this, but rather an indication of my incredulity, because the impact had on our culture by Orwell's genius, manifested in "1984", cannot be overstated.
`1984' is a cleverly written political satire often induced with dark humour, exploring life in a capitalist, would-be fascist-like totalitarian future where everyone was being monitored and compelled to keep in line ('thoughtcrime' is a crime!), where the individual could no longer differentiate between truths and lies (through the practice of `doublethink', where history was being constantly re-written to suit the prevailing political agenda, where language had been simplified to the point of uselessness (through Newspeak), where war had to be kept ongoing to reduce economic surplus so that the population could be held under control, and where party ideology had absolute power over a society dominated by fear, suspicion and distrust.
hmmm sounds familiar right?!? How much of Orwell's nightmare is something that can be true today? Do we have a government out of control, one that manipulates information for its own benefit, to justify war, ensure fear and terror reigns over the country; one that illegally detains people without trial, right to counsel, or even being charged with a crime; one that wants to extensively monitor our personal phone calls, e-mails, the books we check out of the library, the things we buy in stores. The dots are there to connect them; the challenge is, will you dare to do it, like Winston Smith dared?(less)
I really don't feel I have the right to judge or criticize such a lasting, timeless book with such a strong message. But then again, I don't care so I'll do it. This book I feel is more relevant now than it ever has been before, though Orwell was writing it at a time to bring to light the dangers of "communism" and more specifically totalitarianism and facism. But right now, with the state of chaos and fear the world is in right now (especially America) I feel this book has an even str...moreI really don't feel I have the right to judge or criticize such a lasting, timeless book with such a strong message. But then again, I don't care so I'll do it. This book I feel is more relevant now than it ever has been before, though Orwell was writing it at a time to bring to light the dangers of "communism" and more specifically totalitarianism and facism. But right now, with the state of chaos and fear the world is in right now (especially America) I feel this book has an even stronger message.
Let me point out the bad points (I found) of this book. At times it became a little too wordy and political for my taste. So much so where I began to get a little lost. And, now that I think about it, that's really the only downside I found to the book. Though, some may find the ending disappointing (I'm definitely not going to spoil it) I found it just hammering Orwell's message even further, that it takes a long time to make change, but that it has to start somewhere.
I think the thing I found most fascinating about this book, and what drew me to it in the first place, was the idea of Newspeak and the whole principal it was founded on. The fact that it's a language that gets smaller as it develops instead of bigger. To me, words are amazing, I love them. I love that you can look up the word "good" in a thesaurus and find a plethora of synonyms to it. It's why I often refuse to dumb myself down to talk to other people who may not know the words I'm using. This book illustrates how restricted and sheltered people become when cut off from certain aspects of language. You begin to realize how precious a single word can be. There are words out there to describe every single thing you are feeling, what you want to do, who you are. If those are taken away, can you still feel this, do you know what you want to do, are you still truly you? Or are you just another nameless face in a crowd?
There are so many other amazing issues this book brings up and I would love to highlight them all, but definitely pick this book up. I think it's one of those books everyone should chance, you know? It ends up being a worthwhile read, if not a little tedious at times.(less)
I recently had a discussion with Manny about why I don't like this book very much, so this would be the fruits:
For the record, I don't dislike either Animal Farm or 1984, I just don't like them nearly as much as everyone else seems to, and so I was deeply disappointed. But my liking or disliking of them makes no difference to how important they are to literature and to many people, and I like to think I appreciate that importance.
I suspect it could have a lot to do with ...moreI recently had a discussion with Manny about why I don't like this book very much, so this would be the fruits:
For the record, I don't dislike either Animal Farm or 1984, I just don't like them nearly as much as everyone else seems to, and so I was deeply disappointed. But my liking or disliking of them makes no difference to how important they are to literature and to many people, and I like to think I appreciate that importance.
I suspect it could have a lot to do with the fact that Orwell came at the end of a fairly long dystopia-binge and that I have a huge love-hate thing happening with dystopias anyway. Nonetheless, the hate for 1984 was in greater proportion to the love than with any of the others.
I also suspect (nay, I know) that I have a leftist bent and that I am therefore much more inclined to be sympathetic to Communism and so forth, for all that I am fully aware of its drawbacks. And I have just emerged from a very intensive study of the Russian and Chinese revolutions, so the over-simplification of events and concepts in Animal Farm actually offended me. I guess I just feel like it's unfair to focus so heavily on the bad aspects of Communism and completely ignore everything that is good about it or has the potential to be good about it.
I don't think they are well written, language-wise. The prose is as strictly functional as every aspect of the regime they are trying to criticise! It's not simple or unpretentious, it's unsophisticated and clunky. Camus is simple or unpretentious. Orwell just can't write. It's like a bizarre, twisted, reversed form of propaganda.
But the more I think, the more I am convinced it is simply the lack of originality in 1984's format that makes me dislike it. Orwell himself admitted that he was heavily inspired by Yevgeny Zamyatin's We, and reading Orwell just felt like a rehash of Zamyatin. Concepts like newspeak and doublethink are interesting and important, but I wish Orwell had chosen a form of expression that didn't make me feel like I was reading someone else's work. How hard can it be to write a traditional dystopia? Milan Kundera wrote a much more convincing, lyrical, beautiful and above all original criticism of totalitarianism in The Incredible Lightness of Being. (Yes, it's a love story too, but there are a few passages that summed up Communism so perfectly that there didn't seem to be any need to look elsewhere.)
And in the end, Manny and I agreed that it is probably the date of my birth that makes the difference. I was born just days after the Berlin Wall fell; I have never known a world in which Communism has seemed a threat. The western world, at least, has learned that Communism will never work, and I believe that lesson will stay learnt until many years after my death. Possibly I am young and naive, but only time will tell. So basically I'm the n'importe quoi generation brat who doesn't realise how much her forebears suffered. Some things are universal. But I maintain that 1984 is unoriginal and not very well written, and maybe I'm more willing to admit it because the historical context doesn't mean so much to me.(less)
Eric Arthur Blair,better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist. His work is marked by keen intelligence and wit, a profound awareness of social injustice, an intense opposition to totalitarianism, a passion for clarity in language, and a belief in democratic socialism.
Considered perhaps the twentieth century's best chronicler of English culture, Orwe...moreEric Arthur Blair,better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist. His work is marked by keen intelligence and wit, a profound awareness of social injustice, an intense opposition to totalitarianism, a passion for clarity in language, and a belief in democratic socialism.
Considered perhaps the twentieth century's best chronicler of English culture, Orwell wrote fiction, polemical journalism, literary criticism and poetry. He is best known for the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (published in 1949) and the satirical novella Animal Farm (1945)—they have together sold more copies than any two books by any other twentieth-century author. His 1938 book Homage to Catalonia, an account of his experiences as a volunteer on the Republican side during the Spanish Civil War, together with numerous essays on politics, literature, language, and culture, are widely acclaimed.
Orwell's influence on contemporary culture, popular and political, continues decades after his death. Several of his neologisms, along with the term "Orwellian"—now a byword for any oppressive or manipulative social phenomenon opposed to a free society—have entered the vernacular.
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review of another edition
Don't worry, I'm better now...more
Oct 22, 2011 08:04am
Oct 25, 2011 09:52am