Nineteen Eighty-Four

So I may have been slack with the blogging, but I have been reading lots! I'd love to have a job, but I must admit it's wonderful to have the time to read properly again!

Nineteen Eighty-Four

Nineteen Eighty-Four is an utterly scary but fascinating novel by George Orwell. I couldn't put it down, and finished it within a couple of days!

This novel is set in a futuristic 1984 (it was written in 1948 - the inversion of this date giving rise to the book's title), where Big Brother is the omnipresent and all powerful leader of the Party, which controls Oceania. The Party's political ideology is known as "Ingsoc", in the Newspeak language. Oceania is constantly at war, either with Eurasia or Eastasia, the two other superpowers.

Some quick translations for those who haven't read the book before:
Big Brother = the leader of the Party
Oceania = the modern-day Americas, the Atlantic islands including the British Isles, Australasia and southern Africa
Ingsoc = English Socialism
Newspeak = a new version of English with vastly reduced grammar and subtlety, designed to control the minds of the populace (known as the "proles") in line with the principles of Ingsoc
Eurasia = Europe and Russia
Eastasia = China, Japan and southern Asia

The main character in Nineteen Eighty-Four is Winston Smith, and it is through Winston's eyes that we see the terrifying reality that is society under the rule of the Party. Winston is always being watched, either by the telescreens found everywhere (basically a two-way television/ communication/ surveillance device), by other Party members eager to show their dedication to the Party by denouncing "thought-criminals" or by the dreaded Thought Police.

Winston works at the Ministry of Truth, where his job is to "rectify" errors in various publications and records. In reality, he is erasing the past by changing the written historical evidence. For example, if Big Brother states in the Times that Oceania has launched a new military offensive against Eurasia, and then a few years later Oceania is then at war with Eastasia, all records must be updated to reflect that the enemy is Eastasia (and always has been Eastasia). It is through this process that the Party controls the minds of its members, and the proles. Their slogan states "Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past"

However, Winston is different from the others. He still has memories, although faint, of before the revolution. He can remember that Oceania has not in fact always been at war with Eurasia - that only a few years prior it was at war with Eastasia. This makes Winston's existence very dangerous, as it is impossible to conceal "unorthodox" thoughts or dissent from the Thought Police for long. 

The novel goes on to follow Winston on his spiralling path of inner rebellion against the Party - from his clandestine relationship with the nonconformist Julia, to his attempts to reach out to a secret revolutionary group known as the Brotherhood.

Orwell conveys Winston's terror of the Party, and his certainty of their omnipotence, to the author in such a way that at the end of the book you are left feeling as though this situation could easily occur in the not-too-distant future.
It is a criticism of collectivism in society, and a warning of all that can go wrong when those who take power refuse to relinquish their grasp on it when the natural cycle of power turns the other way.

I found Nineteen Eighty-Four to be an incredibly compelling and realistic book, that left a lasting impression on me! Definitely one to read if you haven't already done so.

Coming up next - Watership Down by Richard Adams

Le Petit Prince

Gosh how slack am I? I was full of vigor for the new year and then no posts for weeks. Oops.
I can say I've got a good excuse though, I've been job hunting in Lyon (still no success unfortunately). Fingers crossed!



But while I'm a lady of leisure, I do have plenty of time on my hands for reading!



Le Petit Prince is now finished (a bit of an effort I must say, given that it was in French and I had my dictionary next to me for much of it!).



It's a charming little book, I can see why it's such a French institution (my partner tells me it's almost a rite of passage for les enfants, especially around Lyon). A quick synopsis:

Le Petit Prince

Le Petit Prince tells the story of the Prince who lives on asteroid B-612, and is tasked with taking care of and ruling his little planet. During his time there, he falls in love with the beautiful rose, however she doesn't love him back.

He gallantly decides to take off on an adventure to the other asteroids that are in his universe, and the book goes on to detail his encounters with the various intriguing characters on each asteroid.
In my opinion the characters seem to be a social commentary from Exupéry on certain real-life "characters", e.g. the businessman whose greed and desire for control over his asteroid disgusts the Prince.



The Prince then visits Earth, where he goes through many trials and tribulations. The scale and emptiness of the planet in contrast to his tiny asteroid frightens and depresses him, as he begins to feel that he is not the great Prince that he once thought he was. He also discovers that his beautiful rose is not the only one in the universe, a disturbing thought as he had believed it to be unique.
I believe this is Exupéry's way of demonstrating that we are all just tiny particles on the Earth's surface, and shouldn't think ourselves more important than we really are.



In all, this is a lovely book for children on one level, with gorgeous illustrations by the author himself, and yet it is also a clever social commentary when read from the adult perspective.
Exupéry highlights the sometimes futile nature of human life, where we rush from place to place without stopping to smell the roses. He mentions that only children bother to look out the window on a train journey through the countryside.


Probably a nice little lesson to end with - it's not the destination, but the journey that counts.

Next book: 1984 by George Orwell.... stay tuned!

Happy New Year and here we go!

Happy New Year!
Let's hope 2011 is a happy, successful and enjoyable one!


So I've chosen book #1 on my challenge - Antoine de Saint Exupery's "Le Petit Prince".
The reason being it was a Christmas present from Seb's sister (a nice coincidence considering it's on the list), and living in Lyon it's pretty much one of those things I have to do! Along with seeing the guignols and eating at a bouchon...


Le Petit Prince might take me a little while, seeing as it's in French, but I'll keep at it!