Alright, so I’m only six chapters in, but 1984 is a great book!
Good show, Orwell

It is a good book - I haven’t read it for ages though.

I actually have to read it for a class I’m taking at Kent State in the fall…
Sort of a, “Does this book apply to today, and how?“
Sounded interesting

If anything, it’s more relevant to today’s society than to the time in which it was written.

So generally speaking what is it about?

N E O - 27 June 2007 12:29 PM

So generally speaking what is it about?

Who are you asking? lol

Who ever cares to answer.

This site might help - it’s got a pretty comprehensive review.

The narrator of the book is all-knowing and he is not participating in the action of the book himself. We are intorducted to the protagonist of the story, Winston Smith. Winston is a member of the Outer Party, working in the Records Department of the Ministry of Truth. His job is to rewrite documents and alter records and newspaper articles. The action starts when Winston begins to become skeptical of the ruling dictatorship of the party. Doing so he buys himself a book, a rare thing these days, to use it as a diary. As individual expression was forbidden by the Party, having a diary was a crime, which could be punished with death. There were so-called telescreens in each room, showing propaganda and political pamphlets, which had a built in camera and microphone to watch over the citizens.

Oooo Neo, go read it! Unless you were being sarcastic, in which case , instead

It’s an anti-utopian novel, and I agree with Mouse, I think it’s even more relevant now than when it was written.

Me sarcastic, never!  In this case anyway.

I didn’t really think it was all that great.  Not that it was bad, but just not all that great. . .I much prefered Animal Farm.

It’s been a long time since I read it, though, so I can’t remember the exact reasons why I didn’t think it was all that great.

Anti-Utopian….....hmmm, isn’t ‘Utopian’ a nice thing?  Or place?  The Shangri-La?

Perhaps ‘Anti-Orwellian’? a phrase coined from that book itself, meaning where we are all under the control of Big Brother.

Warning!  Am about to spoil the end of the book:  Do not look below if you do not want to know the ending!

In the end, the central character concludes, within himself, ‘He loved Big Brother’.

I remember back in the 60’s, when the rallying cry of all us young know-everythings except how to run our own lives was:

“Only four more voting days ‘til 1984!“

And actually, the trend is toward more and more civil liberties, the Roberts Court notwithstanding (see’Bong Hits 4 Jesus’).

I daresay one could not have burned the US flag (or the Union Jack) one hundred years ago and gotten away with it, or the flag of any other nation (on its own ground) at any time, anywhere, in history, until here and now.

And while Bush / Cheney would certainly be demagogues if allowed, I know with all certainty I can criticise them all I want and not risk prosecution.  Oh, wait, there is some loud knocking at my door…....hmmm, jack-booted strangers…....be right ba