MobileRead Discussion: Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell (spoiliers)

[lilac_jive]

Originally Posted by BenG

My favorite 1984 cover:

That is good

[kennyc]

Hey I just checked this out from the local library as my first e-checkout.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by lilac_jive

That is good

WRT your sig. Are you reading them in order of the list? And where did the list come from? Curious? I've been working on the 100 best Novels of all time as per this:

http://www.randomhouse.com/modernlib...estnovels.html

[Pablo]

I first heard of 1984 and Orwell when I was 18, in my English class (I live in Argentina). A lesson reproduced the start of the first chapter of 1984. I found it fascinating, and some years later I read the novel in spanish. The translation was very poor (but how can you translate the "newspeak" parts and appendice?). I re-read 1984 in english (got it from PG Australia) recently.
I consider 1984 one of the best novels ever written. I don't understand why it is classified as "Science Fiction", though.

[kennyc]

Pablo there is often a blurring in SF, Fantasy, Magic, etc.

Because it is speculative and based on non-real scenarios, technology, etc. it is considered SF.

[Pablo]

Originally Posted by kennyc

Pablo there is often a blurring in SF, Fantasy, Magic, etc.

Because it is speculative and based on non-real scenarios, technology, etc. it is considered SF.

So is "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand also considered SF?

[kennyc]

Some might I suppose. It fits a bit like "alternate history"

Generally to be SF or Fantasy or Speculative fiction there must be some component, technology, or something that is not "real" in everyday life. I think in Atlas shrugged it was all "real" just with secret plans societies etc. (I've not actually read it). In 1984 the first unreal thing is the two-way viewscreens that big brother uses - something that was certainly speculative at the time it was written.

[Pablo]

Originally Posted by kennyc

Some might I suppose. It fits a bit like "alternate history"

Generally to be SF or Fantasy or Speculative fiction there must be some component, technology, or something that is not "real" in everyday life. I think in Atlas shrugged it was all "real" just with secret plans societies etc. (I've not actually read it). In 1984 the first unreal thing is the two-way viewscreens that big brother uses - something that was certainly speculative at the time it was written.

Well, in "Atlas Shrugged" there's an engine that works with static electricity from the atmosphere, an ultrasonic massive destruction weapon, a metal alloy that cointains iron and copper that is lighter and stronger than steel and a calendar in the sky, to name some.

[kennyc]

then yeah, science fiction in my definition.

[Diego Rimar]

Hello there,
This is my first post, sorry for inconveniences of bad redaction
I thinking this morning while take subway that it's very easy to be free, and very difficult to know to defend freedom, Western People hate the word sacrifice, that is a gap

[Sparrow]

Originally Posted by Diego Rimar

Hello there,
This is my first post, sorry for inconveniences of bad redaction
I thinking this morning while take subway that it's very easy to be free, and very difficult to know to defend freedom, Western People hate the word sacrifice, that is a gap

I'm not sure it is easy to be free.

When they are free, people will put shackles on themselves.

[GeoffC]

I have recently re-read 1984, and began to realise what the story was about.

One thing that was never seemingly explained was the "Thought Police" and where they fitted into the 'Party', as part of or even above.

When I look around at our local city it is easy to see many parallels, not least of all the surveillance that is carried out both overtly and covertly - though we have yet to find a camera behind our TV - though one never knows whats behind the screens of some of the latest liseuses .... (especially the Kindle !)

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

Originally Posted by GeoffC

When I look around at our local city it is easy to see many parallels, not least of all the surveillance that is carried out both overtly and covertly

London Transport had a poster up all over the place a few years back:


My local underground station has in the region of 30 cctv cameras (I've only counted of the two platforms, plus the ones in the booking hall and at the bottom of the escalators and extrapolated from there) - it's not in a major crime hotspot, it's not even a major station. It sits on one line, a couple of stops up from the end. My local-to-work station (and presumably others) have been putting out announcements about how the cctv cameras are watching us for our safety. Yet the BBC had a report a couple of weeks back that said only 1 in about 1000 crimes are solved by the use of cctv, and a senior police officer (I think) commented recently that there are too many cctv cameras for the amount of trained staff (he was suggesting that there should be more trained staff though, not less cctv cameras )

[bill_mchale]

Originally Posted by Pablo

I first heard of 1984 and Orwell when I was 18, in my English class (I live in Argentina). A lesson reproduced the start of the first chapter of 1984. I found it fascinating, and some years later I read the novel in spanish. The translation was very poor (but how can you translate the "newspeak" parts and appendice?). I re-read 1984 in english (got it from PG Australia) recently.
I consider 1984 one of the best novels ever written. I don't understand why it is classified as "Science Fiction", though.

Others have addressed this somewhat, but I think their answers don't cover why the novel should be considered Science Fiction.

Science Fiction, unlike some other genres tends to have many potential conventions but few if any mandatory ones. That being said, 1984 includes many of the genre conventions that are common in Science Fiction Literature.

1. From the date of publication, the novel takes place in the future.
2. Not yet invented technology is integral to the plot.
3. It portrays a society that the Author believes could develop from an existing society.

--
Bill

[bill_mchale]

Originally Posted by GeoffC

I have recently re-read 1984, and began to realise what the story was about.

One thing that was never seemingly explained was the "Thought Police" and where they fitted into the 'Party', as part of or even above.

I always figured that the Thought Police's role was to serve as the watch dogs of the inner party and as instruments through which the inner party exercised its power over the outer party. I think the novel is clear enough that the inner party is in the highest position in society.

--
Bill