1. The “Original” Dystopia
Dystopia: a fantasy (Sci-Fi) story that depicts a future world or society gone nightmarishly wrong
We read dystopias as warnings…
…and as tragedies  reminders of where we don’t live and don’t want to live
Also a satire, but not too funny
1984: Published 1948
Post-Nazism, circa Stalinist Russia and Maoist China

2. Socialism and Totalitarianism
Orwell was an ardent socialist
1984 demonstrates some problems of socialism, but that’s not the point
Totalitarianism: Domination by a single, like-minded governing elite of all organized political, economic, social, and cultural activities in a country by means of a single-party monopoly of power, police repression of all forms of dissent or private organizations, rigorous censorship of the mass media, centralized state planning and administration of the economy, and pervasive propaganda to inculcate the principles of the obligatory official ideology. —Paul M. Johnson, Auburn University

3. It Didn’t Happen Here, But…
1984’s lasting cultural impact
“Thought Police,” “Big Brother,” doublethink, Newspeak, and above all, Orwellian all in common use among politicians and commentators
“Orwellian” =
totalitarian, esp. featuring deceptive terminology or obsessive surveillance
often, the palatable alternative to “Nazi”

4. A few features… Oceania Government Logistics Enforcement Newspeak
INGSOC (Eng. Soc.)
The Brotherhood
The Party
Big Brother
Proles
Enforcement
Thoughtcrime
Doublethink
Thought Police
Memory holes

5. Other functions of the Party
Slogan:
War is peace.
Freedom is slavery.
Ignorance is strength.
“Big Brother is watching.”
“You had to live—did live, from habit that became instinct—in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every movement scritnised.” (Orwell 20)

6. The Four Ministries Ministry of Truth (Minitrue)
“concerned itself with news, entertainment, education, and the fine arts”
Ministry of Peace (Minipax)
“concerned itself with war”
Ministry of Love (Miniluv)
“maintained law and order”
Ministry of Plenty (Miniplenty)
“was responsible for economic affairs”