1984
June 15th 2006 09:42
Considered by many to be the definitive George Orwell novel, 1984 is a bleak and cautioning science-fiction classic that can be found on many people's 'greatest novels' lists. Why is this? Well, you could say that it's fairly accessible to modern readers, that it (sadly) hasn't dated at all, and that it resonates with a real sense of tragedy and foreboding - all the more so for being Orwell's last completed novel - and will stay with anyone who reads it for a long time.
Written more than fifty years ago, the world of 1984 is surprisingly unfuturistic. It isn't that far removed from either the world of 1948 (when it was released) or the world of 2006. Winston Smith is a lonely put-upon man who works for the euphemistically-named Ministry of Truth. Like all his fellow citizens, he lives under the pervasive scrutiny of Big Brother's surveillance. But unlike his fellow citizens, who live in a drug-addled stupor of fear, hate and depression, he sets about quietly resisting the measures of control laid out for him. He searchs for an outlet to rebel... he embarks on a secret love affair with a co-worker, and he seeks to join with a rumoured resistance group.
In this dark, drab and depressing world Orwell paints a picture of no escape. From the start we feel how futile and useless it must be to resist, and Winston's rebellion is a sad and pathetic gasp for freedom in light of this. The book's last third or so is very hard to take, but also very important and meaningful in terms of what Orwell wants to get across in showing us how the system of control works. Orwell attacks socialism and fascism head on, disdaining authority and any government's attempts to control the hearts of minds of it's populace. By creating his own nation-states in the future of 1984 he removes his nightmare society from any real society in his time or any other and ensures that the book remains timeless (so far) and applicabale to the tyrannies of all countries. The rise of reality TV and identification technologies like DNA testing, the Internet and public surveillance brings Orwell's 1984 into sharper focus than ever. Even our democratic and capitalist society isn't exempt from his criticisms, and I'm sure he would be appreciative of how it can be applied today.
This is a very worthy book, one of the better titles to be released as a 'classic' I think. It certainly holds more credence in my world than Pride and Prejudice or Jane Eyre, it certainly feels more important to me. It's certainly proof to all the other restless readers out there that not all of the classics are boring melodramatic humdrum to be ignored. As I mentioned before, what with 1984 being just as reminiscent of our current society as it was of the socialists and facsists back in the 40s, it's strange to think that the American CIA (of all people) would champion this book as a powerful piece of pro-American propaganda. The CIA, who are responsible for some of the most heinous breaches of human rights in the 20th century, allegedly helped fun both the films to 1984 and Orwell's 'Animal Fam'! It's amazing how relevant a text can be to completely seperate points of view.
1984 by George Orwell
In this dark, drab and depressing world Orwell paints a picture of no escape. From the start we feel how futile and useless it must be to resist, and Winston's rebellion is a sad and pathetic gasp for freedom in light of this. The book's last third or so is very hard to take, but also very important and meaningful in terms of what Orwell wants to get across in showing us how the system of control works. Orwell attacks socialism and fascism head on, disdaining authority and any government's attempts to control the hearts of minds of it's populace. By creating his own nation-states in the future of 1984 he removes his nightmare society from any real society in his time or any other and ensures that the book remains timeless (so far) and applicabale to the tyrannies of all countries. The rise of reality TV and identification technologies like DNA testing, the Internet and public surveillance brings Orwell's 1984 into sharper focus than ever. Even our democratic and capitalist society isn't exempt from his criticisms, and I'm sure he would be appreciative of how it can be applied today.
This is a very worthy book, one of the better titles to be released as a 'classic' I think. It certainly holds more credence in my world than Pride and Prejudice or Jane Eyre, it certainly feels more important to me. It's certainly proof to all the other restless readers out there that not all of the classics are boring melodramatic humdrum to be ignored. As I mentioned before, what with 1984 being just as reminiscent of our current society as it was of the socialists and facsists back in the 40s, it's strange to think that the American CIA (of all people) would champion this book as a powerful piece of pro-American propaganda. The CIA, who are responsible for some of the most heinous breaches of human rights in the 20th century, allegedly helped fun both the films to 1984 and Orwell's 'Animal Fam'! It's amazing how relevant a text can be to completely seperate points of view.
Richard Burton and John Hurt in the film to 1984
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Comment by Aallecks
I've been reading this blog all day at work & want to say how impressed I am. I'm heading to the library tomorrow for sure!
Comment by Luke
Old Movies
Cane Toad Warrior
I've only read 1984 and Animal Farm by Orwell but I'm keen to read his other works.