A PBS Great American Read Top 100 Pick With extraordinary relevance and renewed popularity, George Orwell’s 1984 takes on new life in this edition. “Orwell saw, to his credit, that the act of falsifying reality is only secondarily a way of changing perceptions. It is, above all, a way of asserting power.”—The New Yorker In 1984, London is a grim city in the totalitarian state of Oceania where … city in the totalitarian state of Oceania where Big Brother is always watching you and the Thought Police can practically read your mind. Winston Smith is a man in grave danger for the simple reason that his memory still functions. Drawn into a forbidden love affair, Winston finds the courage to join a secret revolutionary organization called The Brotherhood, dedicated to the destruction of the Party. Together with his beloved Julia, he hazards his life in a deadly match against the powers that be.
Lionel Trilling said of Orwell’s masterpiece, “1984 is a profound, terrifying, and wholly fascinating book. It is a fantasy of the political future, and like any such fantasy, serves its author as a magnifying device for an examination of the present.” Though the year 1984 now exists in the past, Orwell’s novel remains an urgent call for the individual willing to speak truth to power.
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A great, absorbing read. Prophetic. Easily parallels many things happening today,
1984 is one the greatest novels ever written! The beauty of this novel is that was not written as a commentary solely on totalitarian states. In fact, this story is all the more relevant for modern America where the media loves to tell people what to think every day instead of simply reporting the news. The irony is that, in the US today, it’s not …
Classic tale of authoritarianism run amok.
This was another one of the books we had to read during our senior year. This book is stunning, really makes you think how bad our government has become.
Winston Smith is stuck in a totalitarian society with it’s principles hard to understand for him. The one thing he is sure of: he dislikes the system and is eager to make his true feelings …
A relevant today as it seventy years ago when Orwell wrote it. The insidiousness of the all-seeing, all-knowing state and the futile tragedy of an awakening. Knowledge is not always power, nor does it bring comfort.
How easy it would be for a story full of weighty ideas and ideals to become turgid and depressing. But Nineteen-Eighty-Four is not; …
Another classic that is timely once again, unfortunately.
Not nearly as impressive or thought provoking in the past. Possibly PROPHETIC….
Prophetic
Depressing.
Orwell’s very best. His story reveals both the perversion of the intellectually gifted and the abject gullibility of the average. Just look around and you will see how prescient he was with this little time.
A reality coming to life with the leftist-socialist party in America. Give all responsibility to the government elitists and aristocratic population. Do not have an independent thought of your own. All individuals in public office immediately have the knowledge to know all and you can simply take a pill to lead a docile submissive life. BEWARE!
Thought-provoking.
The author depicted a very dismal future England ruled by a tyrannical government that allowed no independence of the individual. The government symbolized by one referred to as Big Brother, controlled absolutely, every aspect of your existence. The story is a polemic and a warning about a godless, amoral, ruthless governing power overtaking a …
More prophetic than it should be considering how long ago it was written. Everyone should read, or reread, this book now. It’s happening.
It was time for another re-read of this classic, and I do believe my favourite book ever. 1984 never loses its edge whatever the political climate, and never fails to make me think, and look at the world from another angle. The book was written in 1948 and it’s extraordinary that George Orwell had foreseen how the Chinese Revolution would unfold …
1984 told the truth about humanity and the future in which we betray one another to stay complacent.
Extremely thought provoking. I’ve highlighted more passages in this book than any other I’ve read.
Beyond required reading. Vital.
prophetic
Big Brother is watching
We’re almost there 🙁
This is a long, slow read that’s worth if for the political commentary,