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Loading... 1984 (Signet Classics) (original 1949; edition 1961)by George Orwell, Erich Fromm (Afterword)
Work Information1984 by George Orwell (1949)
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One of my favorite books. Prototype of my favorite genre ( ) This is a book as old as I am (1949). It’s one of the many important books that I had not read but felt I should have read, although there are aspects of it that I’ve managed to vaguely absorb (big brother, newspeak). I found this novel repellent, with Winston an unattractive protagonist. The skin-deep love story in a dystopian world of institutionalised torture and disappearance is neither sexy nor enticing. There is an underlying sado-masochistic delight that I found distasteful. Winston’s attraction to Julia arises from sadistic fantasy and his submission to O’Brien’s sadistic torture has a masochistic inevitability to it. As O’Brien himself says, We know that no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it. Power is not a means, it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes a revolution in order to establish a dictatorship. The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. (p. 276) Predictive novels are usually more about the present than the future and Nineteen Eighty-Four is no exception. So, it is not surprising that 1984 has been and gone without realisation, Mind you, Trump’s alternative facts or his method of fabricating fact-through-assertion and Xiang Ping’s reinvention of the Party in China make one wonder. The emphasis Orwell places on control of language is most detailed in the Appendix but it’s also curiously unconvincing. Is this because language is a wilder beast than institutions are capable of controlling? Nevertheless, the way such insidious terms like human resources, efficiency dividend, let him go, have entered the language, point to more subtle mechanisms of control. I found this book deeply flawed and unpleasant to read. Terrifying. On the surface, it seems like pure fiction and unrealistic, but even just a basic level of deeper thinking let's you see how real this future could become, how quickly our society could develop into this. Even more so now than when it was first written. With the Internet, smart phones and all the smart products around us, we essentially are being watched and listened to at all times, it is not a far leap to see how this could turn into a way to force compliance to societal or government demands. I think it is also terrifying to see how easily the party members accept it all, with little thought of upsetting the norms. It is easy to imagine groups today being swept into group hates and desire to see others punished, in many ways, we are already there. But today there are many more small groups of focused hate for many different people and subjects, if the hate became unified against only a few subjects, 1984 could easily become reality I had a hard time getting through this book, and ultimately didn't finish it. I got to around page 100 until I stopped reading it. I just couldn't get into Winstons POV and the way the book is written. Maybe in the future I will give it a new try, but as of now, it will most likely gather dust on my bookshelf.
But writing a book like 1984, which is violent, misogynist, sadistic, grim, paranoid: that comes out of a writer’s flaws. In conclusion, 1984 is not the pinnacle of dystopian novels. The insufficiency of Orwell’s writing, the blandness of the characters and the inappropriate content make this book just plain bad. "We get Arthur Calder-Marshall’s attack, in Reynolds News, on Orwell’s book and character" You don’t need to be Will Self to find fault with Orwell’s novel...It must surely be possible that the book can be both mediocre and brilliant, deeply flawed and enduringly great? George Orwell's handling of his main female character in 1984 is clichéd, clumsy, and not a little sexist. Belongs to Publisher SeriesClube de Literatura Clássica (CLC) (40 [August 2023]) Delfinserien (80) Destinolibro (54) Gallimard, Folio (177-822) Gallimard, Folio Classique (6891) — 7 more Gallimard, Folio SF (685) Penguin Clothbound Classics (2021) Penguin English Library, 2012 series (2018-06) SF Masterworks (New design) Ullstein Buch (23410) Is contained inIs retold inHas the adaptationIs replied to inWas inspired byInspiredHas as a studyHas as a commentary on the textHas as a student's study guideHas as a teacher's guideAwardsDistinctionsNotable Lists
Portrays life in a future time when a totalitarian government watches over all citizens and directs all activities. No library descriptions found.
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Current DiscussionsArtist wants copies of 1984 in Book talk St. James Park Press - forthcoming 1984 edition. in Fine Press Forum Popular covers
Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.912Literature English & Old English literatures English fiction Modern Period 1901-1999 1901-1945LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
Is this you?Become a LibraryThing Author. Penguin Australia6 editions of this book were published by Penguin Australia. Editions: 014118776X, 1405807040, 0141036141, 0141191201, 0143566490, 0141391707 |