Book Cover of 1984

1984 (Nineteen Eighty-Four)

by George Orwell

It is set in a future society where the government, led by the Party and its enigmatic leader Big Brother, controls every aspect of people's lives and manipulates the truth to maintain power. 1984 is a dystopian novel written by George Orwell in 1949. The story follows the life of Winston Smith, a low-ranking member of the Party who begins to secretly rebel against the oppressive government. As he becomes more involved in the rebellion, Winston must confront the harsh realities of the society in which he lives and the ultimate cost of freedom. The novel is a warning about the dangers of totalitarianism and the need for individual freedom and autonomy. The tyranny is epitomised by Big Brother, the Party leader who enjoys an intense cult of personality but who may not even exist. The Party “seeks power entirely for its own sake. It is not interested in the good of others; it is interested solely in power.” The protagonist of the novel, Winston Smith, is a member of the Outer Party, who works for the Ministry of Truth (or Minitrue in Newspeak), which is responsible for propaganda and historical revisionism. His job is to rewrite past newspaper articles, so that the historical record always supports the party line. The instructions that the workers receive specify the corrections as fixing misquotations and never as what they really are: forgeries and falsifications. A large part of the ministry also actively destroys all documents that have been edited and do not contain the revisions; in this way, no proof exists that the government is lying. Smith is a diligent and skillful worker but secretly hates the Party and dreams of rebellion against Big Brother. Orwell based the character of the heroine of the novel, Julia, on his second wife Sonia Orwell.

Book Details

Language

English

Original Language

English

Published In

1949

Authors

George Orwell image

Orwell's work remains influential in popular culture and in political culture, and the adjective "Orwellian"—describing totalitarian and authoritarian social practices—is part of the English language,...

Books by George Orwell

Listen/Download Audiobook

Read by:
00:00
Playback Speed 1.0
00:00
  • Select Speed

Related books

Louise de la Valliere Cover image

Louise de la Valliere by Alexandre Dumas

Louise de la Vallière is the third volume of Alexandre Dumas's epic novel *The Vicomte de Bragelonne*. It follows the intertwined lives of the muskete...

Rulers of Kings: A Novel Cover image

Rulers of Kings: A Novel by Gertrude Atherton

In "Rulers of Kings," Gertrude Atherton fictionalizes the life of Archduke Rudolf of Austria, Crown Prince of Austria-Hungary from 1889 to 1896. The b...

On A Shadow In A Glass Cover image

On A Shadow In A Glass by Jonathan Swift

This book, while the title suggests a work of fiction, is likely a collection of essays or satirical writings by Jonathan Swift. Given Swift's known b...

Juggernaut: A Veiled Record Cover image

Juggernaut: A Veiled Record by George Eggleston

The book, 'Juggernaut: A Veiled Record' by George Eggleston, is a compelling story of Edgar Braine, a man who epitomizes success in all aspects of his...

Policy and Passion Cover image

Policy and Passion by Rosa Campbell Praed

Set in the early days of Australia, "Policy and Passion" explores the complex interplay between personal desires and societal expectations. Thomas, a...

Pan Michael: An Historical Novel of Poland, the Ukraine, and Turkey Cover image

Pan Michael: An Historical Novel of Poland, the Ukraine, and Turkey by Henryk Sienkiewicz

Set against the backdrop of the turbulent 17th century, *Fire in the Steppe* chronicles the life of Michael Volodyovsky, a Polish nobleman entangled i...

Gullivers Rejser Cover image

Gullivers Rejser by Jonathan Swift

Gullivers Rejser er en klassisk satire, der følger Lemuel Gulliver, en engelsk kirurg, på hans fantastiske rejser til forskellige fantastiske lande. D...

Rudin Cover image

Rudin by Ivan Turgenev

Rudin is the first novel by Ivan Turgenev, a famous Russian writer best known for his short stories and the novel Fathers and Sons. Turgenev started t...

The Valley of Decision Cover image

The Valley of Decision by Edith Wharton

Odo Valsecca, a promising nobleman, inherits a dukedom at a young age and, over the course of his young life, must quickly learn the politics of royal...

Genji Monogatari Cover image

Genji Monogatari by Murasaki Shikibu

The Tale of Genji, penned by Murasaki Shikibu in the 11th century, offers a captivating glimpse into the intricate world of the Heian period Japanese...

Reviews for 1984 (Nineteen Eighty-Four)

ALL REVIEWS: Really Favorable (2)

Melchizedek

Posted: 1 year ago

Recommended

Stand up for you rights

Nations need to stand up for their rights before its too late. Before struggle for freedom becomes struggle for survival.

Umer T.

Posted: 3 years ago

Recommended

Crazy Ending

"You take the blue pill—the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill—you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes. Remember: all I'm offering is the truth."