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Like I said on another thread, I'm just about to finish George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. I just love it. I find it brilliant. There are not many words to describe such novel. I was just wondering if more people around here are familiar with it?

An' what is it about? i'm preparin' to FCE test an' one of the books I need to read is this one... so could you enlighten me? more details )

It explains a future society where everything is controlled: not only the society but also the individual itself. Every movement, every thought, is controlled by the government or what in the novel is called "The Big Brother".

Tnx, Dixie...

It might be interesting to read... it reminds me of the ideas which were tried to develop by the USSR goverment... do u think it's connected things?

Sure, they are connected. You can read here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nineteen_Eighty-Four what inspired the author.

2 wllsp

ok, i see ) an' what about u? have u read it? what's your impression of the book?

Nu wrote:
It might be interesting to read... it reminds me of the ideas which were tried to develop by the USSR goverment... do u think it's connected things?

When I read another book by George Orwell called Animal Farm, I was astonished by how much it resembled life in the former Soviet Union

Cypress wrote: When I read another book by George Orwell called Animal Farm, I was astonished by how much it resembled life in the former Soviet Union

Animal Farm is a satire about the Soviet Union during that time...

Dixie wrote:

Cypress wrote: When I read another book by George Orwell called Animal Farm, I was astonished by how much it resembled life in the former Soviet Union

Animal Farm is a satire about the Soviet Union during that time...

no wonder

Nu wrote: have u read it? what's your impression of the book?

Yes, I read it translated in Russian in late 80's. To be honest I was not impressed very much by the book. I think it's due to the fact that at that time there were a lot of really intresting stories about true history of the USSR, about Stalin and his regime, about repressions in the USSR which were published by magazines like "Ogonek". Recall, the book was written in 40's and I think it shocked millions of people since that time. But having read hundreds of stories printed after perestroika I can't say that I found something impressive in it.

Dixie wrote:

Cypress wrote: When I read another book by George Orwell called Animal Farm, I was astonished by how much it resembled life in the former Soviet Union

Animal Farm is a satire about the Soviet Union during that time...

yeah, I've read that in High School. It was funny but really wise :)

Dixie wrote:It explains a future society where everything is controlled: not only the society but also the individual itself. Every movement, every thought, is controlled by the government or what in the novel is called "The Big Brother".

Don't you think the society Orwell describes is not so 'future' as it may seem?
In my opinion, life nowadays is a paradox: we are experiencing freedom, but just the means which make us feel free (computers, the Internet, mobile phones, credit cards, etc.) make us 'controlled' individuals

serenella wrote: Don't you think the society Orwell describes is not so 'future' as it may seem?
In my opinion, life nowadays is a paradox: we are experiencing freedom, but just the means which make us feel free (computers, the Internet, mobile phones, credit cards, etc.) make us 'controlled' individuals

Exactly! We are not as free as we think. Everything's controlled.

2 Dixie and Serenella

i think we are able to free ourselves from this control, aren't we ? )

Yes Nu, I think we can, but first we have to be aware of our condition.
Perhaps culture can help us, what do you think?

serenella wrote:Yes Nu, I think we can, but first we have to be aware of our condition.
Perhaps culture can help us, what do you think?

So u mean culture can open our eyes on dependance on technology ? or give some freedom to us ?

Exactly, Nu!
Do you agree?

More or less +)
Yeah, it help us realize some things, give knowledge in different spheres of life but at the same time culture seems to make us behave in addition to its rules +)

Yes, I read it, and I hope what it describes doesn't come real! Though maybe is real in some countries, in some places governed by pettish dictators.

I am currently reading this book and it is really very interesting.