"1984" GEORGE ORWELL

George Orwell 1984

About the author

• 1903: India

• A minor colonial office's son
• Independent-minded personality
• “Every form of man’s domination over the man”
• Insightful perspective of English society
• Writing as a social tool

Characteristics

GENRE: dystopian

DISTOPIA

UTOPIA

Possible pessimistic future society where the world is not described as a must-be-followed model but as a hypothetical negative alternative

Ideal state of life and society, although impossible to realize

Plot summary

Rising action

Introduction

Resolution

Falling action

Winston and Julia meet each other in London without any feeling left-> 2+2=5

Julia (the protagonist's lover) is introduced-> They rendezvous in secret -> O'Brien's trap

Winston finally sorrunders to Big Brother

Winston Smith is introduced-> description of the settlement (London city in 1984)

->

Climax

Torture and disenchantment for Julia

Context

This book was published in 1949

1) Reminiscence of World War II- idea of the three countries - burnt books 2) Not long after Josef Stalin's great purge in the 1930s - no opposition to the ruling party -secret police -records destruction

Characters

Winston Smith (protagonist)

- everyman- will of truth

Big brother

Julia

- supreme leader of Oceania- adoration- symbol or real person?

- 26-year-old girl - pretence of being a good party member -> cautious rule breaking activities -> enjoys pleasure -> opportunistic and proactive

Symbols

• Julia -> personal conciousness and key to freedom

• Big Brother -> direct symbol of tiranny

• The telescreen -> omnipresent control

• The false equation (2+2=5) -> party lies and Winston's defeat against the system

• Newspeak -> lack of expression range

• The rented room and the singing prole woman -> social dehumanization

• The Memory Hole -> though control

Themes

1) danger of totalitarianism2) psychological manipulation 3) freedom of expression and language 4) importance of individuality 5) historical revisionism

"Orwellian"

The adjective Orwellian has come to characterise a dystopian totalitarian future (“characterised by a totalitarian government, irrational political concepts and the politicization of everyday language”).Several words from "1984" have entered the English-speaking lexicon (big brother, newspeak, thought police and doublethink among others).

War is peaceFreedom is slavery Ignorance is strenght