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Nineteen Eighty-Four (also published as 1984) is a dystopian novel and cautionary tale by English writer George Orwell. It was published on 8 June 1949 by Secker & Warburg as Orwell's ninth and final book completed in his lifetime.
- Winston Smith
Winston Smith is a fictional character and the protagonist...
- George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950) was an...
- Big Brother (Nineteen Eighty-Four)
Big Brother is a character and symbol in George Orwell's...
- Doublethink
Doublethink is a process of indoctrination in which subjects...
- Cult of Personality
A cult of personality, or a cult of the leader, is the...
- Nations of Nineteen Eighty-Four
In George Orwell's 1949 dystopian novel Nineteen...
- Julia
Nineteen Eighty-Four, film adaptation directed by Michael...
- Nineteen Eighty-Four in Popular Media
In the U.K independent Chucklefish game Starbound, the race...
- Thoughtcrime
In the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), by...
- Ministries in Nineteen Eighty-Four
The Ministry of Truth, the Ministry of Peace, the Ministry...
- Winston Smith
- Overview
- Summary
- Analysis
Nineteen Eighty-four, novel by English author George Orwell published in 1949 as a warning against totalitarianism. The chilling dystopia made a deep impression on readers, and his ideas entered mainstream culture in a way achieved by very few books. The book’s title and many of its concepts, such as Big Brother and the Thought Police, are instantl...
The book is set in 1984 in Oceania, one of three perpetually warring totalitarian states (the other two are Eurasia and Eastasia). Oceania is governed by the all-controlling Party, which has brainwashed the population into unthinking obedience to its leader, Big Brother. The Party has created a propagandistic language known as Newspeak, which is designed to limit free thought and promote the Party’s doctrines. Its words include doublethink (belief in contradictory ideas simultaneously), which is reflected in the Party’s slogans: “War is peace,” “Freedom is slavery,” and “Ignorance is strength.” The Party maintains control through the Thought Police and continual surveillance.
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The book’s hero, Winston Smith, is a minor party functionary living in a London that is still shattered by a nuclear war that took place not long after World War II. He belongs to the Outer Party, and his job is to rewrite history in the Ministry of Truth, bringing it in line with current political thinking. However, Winston’s longing for truth and decency leads him to secretly rebel against the government. He embarks on a forbidden affair with Julia, a like-minded woman, and they rent a room in a neighbourhood populated by Proles (short for proletariats). Winston also becomes increasingly interested in the Brotherhood, a group of dissenters. Unbeknownst to Winston and Julia, however, they are being watched closely (ubiquitous posters throughout the city warn residents that “Big Brother is watching you.”).
Orwell wrote Nineteen Eighty-four as a warning after years of brooding on the twin menaces of Nazism and Stalinism. Its depiction of a state where daring to think differently is rewarded with torture, where people are monitored every second of the day, and where party propaganda trumps free speech and thought is a sobering reminder of the evils of ...
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Nineteen Eighty-Four (also published as 1984) is a dystopian novel and cautionary tale by English writer George Orwell. It was published on 8 June 1949 by Secker & Warburg as Orwell's ninth and final book completed in his lifetime.
Nineteen Eighty-Four is a novel written by George Orwell in 1948. The book is what Orwell thought the world might look like in the future. It describes a terrifying world where governments control and watch everyone's lives. The main character is Winston Smith. He lives in a country that is ruled by a powerful "Party" and its leader Big Brother.
- United Kingdom
- English
- Michael Kennar
- George Orwell