1984 (Nineteen Eighty-Four) is a novel written by the English author George Orwell. The book falls into the dystopian social science fiction genre. Dystopian means relating to an imagined world that is undesirable or frightening. And social science fiction explores human society and behavior. The novel was published in 1949.
It popularized terms like “Big Brother,” “Doublethink,” and “Thought Police.” The adjective “Orwellian” describes a society controlling information to monitor and deceive its citizens. It depicts a repressive regime with restricted freedoms. However, similar concepts had previously appeared in the Russian novel “We” by Yevgeny Zamyatin.
Besides, 1984 became a bestseller and highly influential 20th-century book. Many believe modern society is becoming increasingly “Orwellian.” They see parallels between Orwell’s fictional world and current issues like government surveillance and manipulation of truth.
Recommended for: Readers interested in classic dystopian fiction, political/social commentary, and thought-provoking literature. This book is suitable for a wide range of readers, from high school students to adults.
You will:
- Explore the chilling vision of a totalitarian society depicted in George Orwell’s seminal work.
- Gain insights into the dangers of government surveillance, manipulation of information, and erosion of individual freedoms.
- Analyze the themes of power, control, and the struggle for personal identity and autonomy.
- Develop a deeper understanding of the lasting impact and cultural influence of this influential 20th-century novel.
- Engage with the thought-provoking concepts of “Newspeak,” “Doublethink,” and the omnipresent “Big Brother” that have become part of the modern lexicon.
- Reflect on the parallels between Orwell’s fictional world and contemporary issues such as government overreach, data privacy, and the rise of authoritarian tendencies.
- Appreciate the literary merit and enduring relevance of this classic work of dystopian science fiction.
Plot
The story tells us about the life of Winston Smith, a worker at the Ministry of Truth. And after several years, he becomes aware of the farce of his job in which its government has its bases. Further, Smith’s role is to rewrite history by satirizing the ideal imposed in the name of the Ministry. Also, Smith discovers how conscious the One-Party issues false information.
At the same time, Smith tries to evade the surveillance of Big Brother, who is already in every house of the city. He also falls in love with Julia, a rebellious young woman who resists the surveillance to which society is subjected. The two of them join forces and fight against the political system.
Throughout the novel, Orwell tells the tragic story of Smith and Julia, who try to escape from the system that forbids free thought and intimacy. Later, Smith and Julia join a supposed resistance group led by Emmanuel Goldstein. But then they realize that the group is another instrument of the One Party.
Adaptation
The story of 1984 has different adaptations to comic books, television, and movies. In 1956, director Michael Anderson made the first film version of the novel 1984. It starred Edmond O’Brien and Jan Sterling as Winston Smith and Julia, respectively.
Licensing
George Orwell. 1984 (Nineteen Eighty-Four). London: Secker & Warburg, Originally published in 1949. This work is in the public domain in countries in Canada and Australia because the author died at least 50 years ago and in UK and European Union countries because the author died at least 70 years ago.
This digital edition is provided by Ebooks-net in 2024 under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license. The full text of the license is available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
To cite this work
Orwell, George. 1984 (Nineteen Eighty-Four). Ebooks-net, 2024. CC BY-SA 4.0. https://ebooks-net.com/ebook/1984-nineteen-eighty-four/
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This eBook cannot be accessed from your location (United States) due to copyright restrictions on the original text source. This title most likely remains copyrighted under United States law, where works copyrighted in 1929 or later can remain under copyright for up to 95 years after publication. So this text will become public domain (no longer copyrighted) in 2044.
