Hi Darrel! I pretty much think these deep dives are the best type of content in your channel. I read 1984 more than a decade ago and enjoy refreshing my memory with your visually stricking videos. This one is superb! I don't know if I ever mentioned this here but Yeonmi Park, a north korean defector turned youtuber said she was deeply moved by 1984 as it reminded her so much of her country's current situation. 😢
Another absolutely fabulous analysis of a very important piece of literature. There are so many elements present in this book that continually frighten me in modern society. Thank you so much for this and keep up the good work.
Outstanding work! Sharing with many. This has been a major topic all 62 years I have read SF. Authors/readers learn from each other, what SF used to be about. Many, myself included, think A E van Vogt is a very significant and influential figure in SF literature. But, he was minimized by a few critics who could not comprehend some of his work or did not until decades later. van Vogt’s 1945 “The World of Null A” was published in the US and British editions of Astounding 4 years prior to George Orwell’s 1949 printing and release of “Nineteen Eighty - Four”. “Null A” likely influenced Orwell/Blair. van Vogt uses concepts from Korzybski’s General Semantics to promote retaining for mankind, word meanings, sane philosophies, and the importance of succeeding generation’s ability to read and understand the written and spoken words of human history. van Vogt demonstrates this generational passing of knowledge in “Null A” thru analogy, by having his main character Gilbert Gosseyn [Go-Sane], die several times to reawaken in duplicate bodies with his memory intact - “time binding”. Orwell is not so esoteric. His appendix in Nineteen Eighty - Four describing Newspeak as a way of destroying the past and rewriting History is very clear on this subject, and it is critically important literature. Doublethink = Hegelian Dialectic, which has been used extensively for 2 centuries, now. RAH seems to take a shot at this topic in 1959’s “Starship Troopers” with his History and Moral Philosophy high school classes replacing Newspeak/General Semantics. All 3 authors successfully approach this topic. I would also suggest Keith Laumer's "A Plague of Demons." The incredibly good 1950s BBC Peter Cushing version of Nineteen Eighty - Four is available on TH-cam, free. Thank you and your team for this critically important video.
Over a decade ago, I read a piece of news from a scientific magazine that some scientists have come up with a theoretical way to record dreams. It was portrayed as something cool and awesome, but consider the possibility that in some distant-ish future, government officials could literally be able to look at your thoughts.
I need to comment before I have watched the video! So glad you have covered this book. Probably the book that has had the most impact on me whilst reading it. Recently listened to the Audible audiobook which was excellent. The 1984 film of 1984 was also great. Burton as O’Brien was one of his best roles. Anyway off to watch the video. Thanks for posting!
Hi Darrell! Have you ever thought of Julia being in on it right from moment Winston became suspicious as O'Brien's decoy? Which, of course, makes the situation of Winston even more hopeless.
What’s amazing in the modern era is how both sides of the political spectrum are so keen to label the other “Orwellian.” It has become a major attack that resonates with our deepest fears about being controlled. Amazing novel.
There are 3 written slogans of the party, but there is another fourth, untold which is "Love is Hate", something that Wiston has to discover himself, O'Brian does not tell him what to say in room 101 to take that mask with rats, Winston had to discover hate toward Julia because only Big Brother can be loved. Something that was always strange to me was the work that Wiston does. He is changing titles, pictures, and texts in the newspaper, but who is buying that newspaper, and if there is a way someone to buy a copy, how will that copy be changed by the work that Winston does? I don't think that is very clear. And one thing that Orwell was wrong about is the proles, which he describes almost as subhuman, not worthy of the all-seeing eye of the party. In fact, just 15 percent of the population, the outer party is checked on a regular level. I don't think any totalitarian society has the luxury to leave so much of the population unchecked, in fact, no one should be out of the allseeing eye of the Big Brother.
The party hunts down all other copies of whatever book/newspaper that was altered and destroys it. Smith is doing his part in destroying the copy that the party gave him to change
Another take on 1984 is Julia by Sandra Newman (2023) It follows Julia instead of Winston and tells the story from her perspective and beyond. Sandra Newman, I think, does this extremely well. Obviously, given the title of the book, Julia's character is fleshed out much more. It does take the story from a female viewpoint but not to the detriment of the original text. It does go further than Orwell would ever have dared from the 'love' interest. This makes it a text that precludes it from being used in schools to compliment the original. I have read that Julia is a feminist take on 1984. I would disagree.I think that Sandra Newman makes the world of Big Brother even scarier given its ending.
Hi Darrel! I pretty much think these deep dives are the best type of content in your channel. I read 1984 more than a decade ago and enjoy refreshing my memory with your visually stricking videos. This one is superb! I don't know if I ever mentioned this here but Yeonmi Park, a north korean defector turned youtuber said she was deeply moved by 1984 as it reminded her so much of her country's current situation. 😢
Forever my favourite book.
As our American election looms I appreciate this focus on the novel’s influence and warnings.
Thank you 🙏
Another absolutely fabulous analysis of a very important piece of literature. There are so many elements present in this book that continually frighten me in modern society. Thank you so much for this and keep up the good work.
Outstanding work! Sharing with many.
This has been a major topic all 62 years I have read SF. Authors/readers learn from each other, what SF used to be about.
Many, myself included, think A E van Vogt is a very significant and influential figure in SF literature. But, he was minimized by a few critics who could not comprehend some of his work or did not until decades later. van Vogt’s 1945 “The World of Null A” was published in the US and British editions of Astounding 4 years prior to George Orwell’s 1949 printing and release of “Nineteen Eighty - Four”. “Null A” likely influenced Orwell/Blair.
van Vogt uses concepts from Korzybski’s General Semantics to promote retaining for mankind, word meanings, sane philosophies, and the importance of succeeding generation’s ability to read and understand the written and spoken words of human history. van Vogt demonstrates this generational passing of knowledge in “Null A” thru analogy, by having his main character Gilbert Gosseyn [Go-Sane], die several times to reawaken in duplicate bodies with his memory intact - “time binding”.
Orwell is not so esoteric. His appendix in Nineteen Eighty - Four describing Newspeak as a way of destroying the past and rewriting History is very clear on this subject, and it is critically important literature. Doublethink = Hegelian Dialectic, which has been used extensively for 2 centuries, now. RAH seems to take a shot at this topic in 1959’s “Starship Troopers” with his History and Moral Philosophy high school classes replacing Newspeak/General Semantics. All 3 authors successfully approach this topic. I would also suggest Keith Laumer's "A Plague of Demons."
The incredibly good 1950s BBC Peter Cushing version of Nineteen Eighty - Four is available on TH-cam, free.
Thank you and your team for this critically important video.
Awesome deep dive! Could you do a deep dive on Roadside picnic?
Over a decade ago, I read a piece of news from a scientific magazine that some scientists have come up with a theoretical way to record dreams. It was portrayed as something cool and awesome, but consider the possibility that in some distant-ish future, government officials could literally be able to look at your thoughts.
I need to comment before I have watched the video!
So glad you have covered this book. Probably the book that has had the most impact on me whilst reading it.
Recently listened to the Audible audiobook which was excellent. The 1984 film of 1984 was also great. Burton as O’Brien was one of his best roles. Anyway off to watch the video. Thanks for posting!
This video definitely needs MANY MORE views.
Hi Darrell! Have you ever thought of Julia being in on it right from moment Winston became suspicious as O'Brien's decoy? Which, of course, makes the situation of Winston even more hopeless.
Along with Animal Farm, by far my favourite book.
What’s amazing in the modern era is how both sides of the political spectrum are so keen to label the other “Orwellian.” It has become a major attack that resonates with our deepest fears about being controlled. Amazing novel.
Agreed. But both sides have adopted many of the worst aspects of Lenin, Hitler and Mao.
Superb video!!!
I need to read this again.
Was born in 1984. 🙂
Thank you! 🙏
There are 3 written slogans of the party, but there is another fourth, untold which is "Love is Hate", something that Wiston has to discover himself, O'Brian does not tell him what to say in room 101 to take that mask with rats, Winston had to discover hate toward Julia because only Big Brother can be loved.
Something that was always strange to me was the work that Wiston does. He is changing titles, pictures, and texts in the newspaper, but who is buying that newspaper, and if there is a way someone to buy a copy, how will that copy be changed by the work that Winston does? I don't think that is very clear.
And one thing that Orwell was wrong about is the proles, which he describes almost as subhuman, not worthy of the all-seeing eye of the party. In fact, just 15 percent of the population, the outer party is checked on a regular level. I don't think any totalitarian society has the luxury to leave so much of the population unchecked, in fact, no one should be out of the allseeing eye of the Big Brother.
The party hunts down all other copies of whatever book/newspaper that was altered and destroys it. Smith is doing his part in destroying the copy that the party gave him to change
NICE
That's the city in southern France.
Big Brother is not a person, he is a system.
Hey Darrel, can you do a video on the best tech in sci fi? It would be so cool. 😮💨👏🩵
Another take on 1984 is Julia by Sandra Newman (2023) It follows Julia instead of Winston and tells the story from her perspective and beyond. Sandra Newman, I think, does this extremely well. Obviously, given the title of the book, Julia's character is fleshed out much more. It does take the story from a female viewpoint but not to the detriment of the original text. It does go further than Orwell would ever have dared from the 'love' interest. This makes it a text that precludes it from being used in schools to compliment the original. I have read that Julia is a feminist take on 1984. I would disagree.I think that Sandra Newman makes the world of Big Brother even scarier given its ending.
Interesting!
The USA has become oceana
It has become frightening. It certainly isn't the country I grew up in and I'm glad my parents aren't alive to see what their country has become.
Yup. The far far left read 1984 and took it a s guide book, rather than as a warning. Now the center-left is too neutered to fight them.
@@georgesantos4962 America doesn't have a far left unfortunately. Authoritarianism is a right-wing feature last I checked.
You're a joke