An introduction to 1984 by George Orwell

About the Author George Orwell = a pen name Real name = Eric Blair Born in 1903 in India Educated at a boarding school in England; despised the school’s rigid discipline; felt outraged and oppressed by rules

About the Author (continued) Orwell skipped college and joined the British Imperial Police (in Burma, India); hated this job because as an officer, people feared him Volunteered on the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War, which is where he gained much insight that inspired him to write very political novels Orwell was shot in the throat by a sniper during this war, but he survived; suffered a few weeks of paralysis in his throat (maybe why there are no recordings of him talking?)

About the Author (last one) Orwell despised his duties as an officer in the British Imperial Police; quit and fled to England to write Struggled as a writer; both Animal Farm and 1984 were difficult to get published in both England and the U.S. Died in 1950 during a “routine surgery” after suffering from tuberculosis

Setting of 1984 Set in Oceania (a fictionalized version of London, England) Set in 1984 (a futuristic setting since the novel was written and published in ) Set in the context of a totalitarian government The proles (the proletarians, or commoners) are under the control of a mysterious man called Big Brother, who is never seen in person.

Characters Winston Smith: main character; a minor member of the Party; 39 years old; a dreamer of sorts Julia: the dark-haired girl Winston is mesmerized with; also a Party member O’Brien: a mysterious member of the Party with whom Winston is also mesmerized, believing him to be special for several reasons

Characters (continued) Big Brother: the ruler of Oceania; never actually seen in the book; may not even exist Mr. Charrington: old man who runs a secondhand store in the prole district (proles are proletariats, or the commoners/lower class) Syme: an intelligent man who works with Winston; specializes in langauge

Characters (last one) Parsons: Winston’s fat, obnoxious neighbor; also a Party member Emmanuel Goldstein: according to Big Brother, he is a legendary leader of the Brotherhood; never seen in the novel; seems to be a Party leader who fell out of favor with the regime; an enemy of Big Brother