George Orwell and 1984: The Fable Reading Guide
Hayley Dennings
Join the free RM Book Challenge club on Fable!
"1984" is a fascinating but terrifying fantasy of the political future, serving as a compelling examination of the present. It tells the story of a character in a forbidden love affair who discovers a secret revolutionary organization dedicated to destroying the all-controlling government.What is the RM Book Challenge?
Kim Nam-joon, better known by his stage name, RM, is the leader of the South Korean group, BTS. Alongside being a rapper, songwriter, and producer, RM is also an avid reader.The book club founder and moderator is named Fawzul, a life-long reader and writer. “RM’s taste in books has an incredible range from historical nonfiction to poetry to modernist fiction to magical realism,” she told us in an interview.“It’s not rare you find a book recommended by him that inspires deep thought inside of you and reaches out to your shoulder and shakes you. There was a quote by him that I was heavily inspired by: ‘Art is not hard — it’s next to us.’”
Author and BookTuber John Green took a deep dive into "1984" with his Crash Course series. Here's a key quote from his video:"Orwell's most famous novels are anti-communist; but they’re also anti-capitalist. Mostly, they seek to show the ways that many government structures are prone to totalitarianism, and they chart the slow, almost unnoticeable descent into that totalitarianism. But in 1984 specifically, Orwell explores the difficulty of retaining individual freedom within the confines of an oppressive society."
https://youtu.be/H9ipRaLa4JwWho is George Orwell, and What Does He Write?
George Orwell is the pen name of Eric Arthur Blair (1903-1950). Orwell was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. He’s known for his crisp prose, social commentary, opposition to totalitarianism, and support of democratic socialism. Decades later, his work remains influential in popular and political culture.In his work, Orwell addressed many political movements during his time, including imperialism, fascism, and communism. He once wrote: “I had the lonely child’s habit of making up stories and holding conversations with imaginary persons, and I think from the very start my literary ambitions were mixed up with the feeling of being isolated and undervalued.”Other Books by George Orwell
Orwell mainly wrote literary criticism, poetry, fiction, and journalism. He is best known for his allegorical novella, "Animal Farm" (published in 1945), and his dystopian novel, "1984" (published in 1949).There are many other books by this fantastic author on Fable. Here are a few of our favorites.type: embedded-entry-inline id: 7tEdAnDCWyMrwsj3spJNG7Book Reviews for 1984
“Orwell illustrates the potential power of the working class to generate its own resources out of an everyday struggle, but also to generalize that quotidian battle for the resolution of greater and nobler matters, such as the ownership of production and the right to labor’s full share.”- Christopher Hitchens
“The dystopia described in George Orwell’s nearly 70-year-old novel “1984” suddenly feels all too familiar. A world in which Big Brother (or maybe the National Security Agency) is always listening in, and high-tech devices can eavesdrop in people’s homes. (Hey, Alexa, what’s up?) A world of endless war, where fear and hate are drummed up against foreigners, and movies show boatloads of refugees dying at sea.” - The New York Times
"The true horror and genius of 1984 isn’t the mass technological surveillance. Rather it is as a cautionary tale (rather than a discrete prophecy) showing glimpses of a disfigured, tortured, grotesque society that exists in our near future and is a clear descendent of our own. One in which technology is exploited to the detriment rather than the benefit of humanity."- Grounded Curiosity
"Perhaps the most powerful, effective, and frightening notion of 1984 is that the complete control of an entire nation under a totalitarian state is perfectly possible. If the world fell under the control of one or even multiple dictators, the future could easily become a twisted, cruel world where every movement, word, and breath is scrutinized by an omnipotent, omnipresent power that no one can stop, or even oppose without the fear of death."- The Guardian
What Awards has George Orwell Won?
Orwell helped found the dystopian genre, a kind of literature that offers us a glimpse of the future and increases our empathy and understanding of the people around us.“Anything that threatens our existence, be it mild or rare, always captures our imaginations,” explained bibliotherapist Bijal Shah with dystopian book recommendations that might bring a measure of hope for readers during trying times.“There’ll be some comfort drawn from the fact that hopefully that’s not where we are heading. Or at least not just yet.”
George Orwell won the Prometheus Award for “1984” and for “Animal Farm” in 2011 for his contribution to dystopian literature. In 2021, the New York Times Book Review readers listed “1984” as the third title on a list of “The Best Books of the Past 125 years.”Powerful George Orwell Quotes from 1984
“Perhaps one did not want to be loved so much as to be understood.” ― George Orwell, 1984
“Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.” ― George Orwell, 1984
“War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.” ― George Orwell, 1984
“The best books... are those that tell you what you know already.” ― George Orwell, 1984
“But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.” ― George Orwell, 1984
“Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious.” ― George Orwell, 1984
“Power is in tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choosing.” ― George Orwell, 1984
“In the face of pain there are no heroes.” ― George Orwell, 1984
“It's a beautiful thing, the destruction of words.” ― George Orwell, 1984
“The choice for mankind lies between freedom and happiness and for the great bulk of mankind, happiness is better.” ― George Orwell, 1984
Keep reading on Fable
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Hayley Dennings