It kinda reads like Orwell wanted to write an essay on the subject but thought it would get a larger audience if he wrote it as a novel. I read it about twenty years ago and even back then it was terrifying just how many of the predictions had already come true.
The author of the novel, John Brunner, read Alvin Toffler’s books and wrote a science fiction novel based on them. It won the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1969 and it’s scary how many of the predictions came to pass
I never finished it. The protag was a weird horny misogynist. And though he had fundamental problems with the state of the world, he was too cowardly to do anything to counter it except to sneak around fucking some nympho chick, and, in fact, was derisive of those who actually do rebel against it. The dystopia of it was interesting, but the narrative was not remotely engrossing and often insufferable after the initial world building, at least up the point I dropped it. Maybe it got better towards the end, but I’ve read a synopsis of it since then and it doesn’t really seem like it. Not my cup of tea.
Grain of salt here because it’s been a hot minute since I read it. IIRC, He’s allowed to have sex with his wife and only his wife, and his wife and him hate each other. He wants to have lots of casual sex but that’s only allowed among the party members. He laments that the party members won’t sleep with him and that all the women he’d like to sleep with are untrustworthy and will snitch him out. His wife ends up leaving and he meets the nympho and they start meeting up for sex. That’s what I remember
Not very good as a novel, though. Same as Aldous Huxley, the characters barely exist, it’s just a platform for pontification. Give me George Eliot or William Faulkner any day of the week.
Everybody has enough time to read the constitution. Also 1984 isn’t too long. The bible though? I went to church for 20 years and most people couldn’t make it through the whole thing. It certainly doesn’t help that like the first half of it is boring as hell. (I say that as somebody who got so bored with it I also have never read it through.)
The Bible is like the Constitution. You don’t have to read it to know it’s meaning.
And I’ll add the “/s” because it’s 2025
The four horsemen of things people on the internet don’t read, but still comment about endlessly:
The fucking manual.
I actually read 1984 because of all the “literally 1984” memes. It’s dry but it does hold up surprisingly well.
It kinda reads like Orwell wanted to write an essay on the subject but thought it would get a larger audience if he wrote it as a novel. I read it about twenty years ago and even back then it was terrifying just how many of the predictions had already come true.
“Stand On Zanzibar” has entered the chat.
The author of the novel, John Brunner, read Alvin Toffler’s books and wrote a science fiction novel based on them. It won the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1969 and it’s scary how many of the predictions came to pass
Of course it was dry, you gotta dip it in mayo beforehand smh
I never finished it. The protag was a weird horny misogynist. And though he had fundamental problems with the state of the world, he was too cowardly to do anything to counter it except to sneak around fucking some nympho chick, and, in fact, was derisive of those who actually do rebel against it. The dystopia of it was interesting, but the narrative was not remotely engrossing and often insufferable after the initial world building, at least up the point I dropped it. Maybe it got better towards the end, but I’ve read a synopsis of it since then and it doesn’t really seem like it. Not my cup of tea.
Well he is forbidden to have sex if I remember correctly. Only the proels may enjoy such acts
Grain of salt here because it’s been a hot minute since I read it. IIRC, He’s allowed to have sex with his wife and only his wife, and his wife and him hate each other. He wants to have lots of casual sex but that’s only allowed among the party members. He laments that the party members won’t sleep with him and that all the women he’d like to sleep with are untrustworthy and will snitch him out. His wife ends up leaving and he meets the nympho and they start meeting up for sex. That’s what I remember
As a thought experiment I guess.
Not very good as a novel, though. Same as Aldous Huxley, the characters barely exist, it’s just a platform for pontification. Give me George Eliot or William Faulkner any day of the week.
Same, I actually really enjoyed it as a dystopic book. It might have been dry but the storytelling was great.
Everybody has enough time to read the constitution. Also 1984 isn’t too long. The bible though? I went to church for 20 years and most people couldn’t make it through the whole thing. It certainly doesn’t help that like the first half of it is boring as hell. (I say that as somebody who got so bored with it I also have never read it through.)
the first half is boring??
that’s where all of the super juicy stuff is!
Getting through Leviticus or Numbers is such a slog. There’s some juicy stuff in there, but the record-keeping parts get real old, real fast.
Too many folks begatting motherfuckers.
yeah, … that’s fair!
The Jefferson Bible is a great way to read the NT without needing to spend too much time with it or roll your eyes at the supernatural bits.
I would read articles if they wanted to be read lol
If you care so much, why didn’t you post the article in the comments?
There is no article in this thread - I was speaking generally because people usually reply only to whatever the headline is.
People make solemn oaths to defend the Constitution without being required to read it. It’s just insane.