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"1984"

By George Orwell

Powerful book. Get it, read it.


*Spoiler*


What an ending, eh? Can't really comment much on it yet, only finished it this afternoon and I haven't had time to mull it over. Still, a great book.

No, all the ideas etc have been discussed to death, because the book is over 50 years old.

But they are no less interesting now. I personally find Winston and O'Brians communication in the Ministry of Love utterly compelling and horribly fixating. Brilliant.

Our history teacher used to have lazy eyes, and we made fun of her until she committed suicide.
Such revelry.

Yeah, I've got two lazy eyes...

monkey_man wrote:
> I started reading it, but I couldn't get into it - too
> "dated".

Ah, "dated". A widespread excuse for laziness. The book isn't hard to get into, in fact very few books are.


>All the ideas and philosophy has been discussed
> to death, so there's not a lot I would have gained from finishing the
> book.

If you read the book in its entirety, I would imagine you would change your tune.

El Blokey wrote:
> And saying the words "the end" doesn't really spoil
> anything, champ.

I was merely being courteous to anyone that wanted to read the book, and offering a warning of "possible" spoliers. Is this what I get for being kind?
:P

1984 is brilliance in book form.

I've actually got it, and I really was looking forward to reading it, but it was just dull and dreary. I might give it another try soon - haven't read anything for a few months now.

monkey_man wrote:
> I started reading it, but I couldn't get into it - too
> "dated". All the ideas and philosophy has been discussed
> to death, so there's not a lot I would have gained from finishing the
> book.

I'd disagree. It still remains fresh and just as important today as when it was first released. Sure, some of the language is a bit "hokey", but if you don't want to read something because of when it was written you are seriously missing out.

(As as side note, I've recently finished "The war of the worlds" yet again, which was written in 1898, and enjoyed it immensely as I always do)

Plus, the ideas and philosophy may have been discussed to death, but wouldn't you rather have first hand knowledge of them that second hand preprocessed information? I know whenever I re-read it (usually at least once a year, as I'ts one of my all time favortite books) I *always*, without fail, glean something new for it.

You'll be able to get it cheap, and it'll take a couple of days (if that) to get throught. Go on, give it a try.

SHEEPY wrote:
> monkey_man wrote:
> I started reading it, but I couldn't get into it - too
> "dated". All the ideas and philosophy has been discussed
> to death, so there's not a lot I would have gained from finishing
> the
> book.
>
> The feeling of accomplishment?

I can read. And I know what all the words mean.

Blank wrote:
> I think the Van Halen album is just as moving, if a little more
> flashy.

First thing that I thought of as well.