1984 is one of the great classic novels. One of the greatest of all time in fact. This is what everyone will tell you. It's something I never truly realised until I sat down and read it for myself. It's a book who's influence far surpasses the confines of the literary world. It's affect can be seen on everything from television, to computers to food and even science fiction itself.

As I read the book, one thing became apparent. What little knowledge of the book I had accumulated over the years, through pop culture and the like, didn't match up with the narrative. Everything I knew about the story was in fact myth!

In a way I'm glad I didn't have any true foreknowledge of the book. Knowledge of concepts and themes like erasure of the past, the war (and it's propaganda), Room 101 and the loss of the self. It would've spoilt something that, unlike many post-war fictions still remains relevant today, 60 years after it was first published.

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 10th, 2007 at 5:00 pm and is filed under life. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.