1984
by George Orwell
science fiction, classic
copyright 1949
read in November 2015
rated 7... or 5 out of 10:
well worth reading or... readable, but only if there's nothing else
Let's say... 5.
Is 1984 well worth reading ? Or not...
As a "classic", it's well worth reading. Big Brother, doublethink, newspeak, Thought Police... ideas which have stayed in our consciousness for over sixty years. What sort of book has introduced the world to so many powerful and enduring ideas ?
What sort of book ? A long-winded, preachy, miserable book.
Many long pages are spent explaining Orwell's views. Characters explain how the world of 1984 is controlled. The author explains the world and its history. Half a chapter is an "excerpt" from the rebels' handbook, giving a miserable view of the political history of the world.
The chief protagonist reads aloud from the book. His girlfriend falls asleep while he's reading. She reflects this reader's opinions...
One idea does, however, stick in my mind: people are always grouped as High, Middle and Low. The High are the always evil rulers. The Middle plot to and eventually overthrow the High; the Middle then *become* the High. The Low are convinced to support the Middle -- until after the revolution, when they are relegated back to being the Low. Another miserable view of the world, one which seems to be quite reasonable.
Oh, and the end of the book is also miserable. No happy ending. Just the certainty that the world is doomed to a miserable future.
So... We've managed to get through the actual year of 1984. How are we traveling ?
We read books stored in the cloud. Books which have been known to change -- at the whim of the publisher -- with no notification to the reader. Is this the worst of it ?
Are governments changing history ? Are ebooks -- and newspapers, and stored data -- being changed to suit requirements of today's administration ?
All I can say with certainty is, changing the past would be a lot simpler now than it is in George Orwell's 1984.
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"Let not the sands of time get in your lunch" ... per Ginger Meggs
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