"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

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

UTOPIA

DISTOPIA

Characteristics

GENRE: dystopian

Torture and disenchantment for Julia

Falling action

Winston finally sorrunders to Big Brother

Resolution

Plot summary

->

Introduction

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

Rising action

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

Climax

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

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

Context

This book was published in 1949

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

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

Winston Smith (protagonist)

Big brother

Julia

Characters

- everyman- will of truth

• The Memory Hole -> though control

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

• Julia -> personal conciousness and key to freedom

• The telescreen -> omnipresent control

• Newspeak -> lack of expression range

• Big Brother -> direct symbol of tiranny

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

Symbols

Themes

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

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).

"Orwellian"

War is peaceFreedom is slavery Ignorance is strenght