I just cannot like 1984.

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Reply 40

PendulumBoB

Original post by soup

Have you read 1985? I inquired about it at my local bookshop a while ago but they didn't have it :frown:

Alas no, It's on Amazon.co.uk though.

PS. I didn't realise it was written by Anthony Burgess :eek:

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 41

Nadjaya

I've always thought '1984' was over-rated. 'Animal Farm' is immeasurably better, for me - the whole approach is so much more engaging and creative I think.

Reply 42

redwalls

I read it when I was 14 I think because everyone said it was really good but I think that it wasn't amazing and didn't really understand it or the message of the actual book. But when I read it later, i understood it much better and when it was explained to me more :smile:

Reply 43

BlueSheep32

I really enjoyed it, I thought it was chilling - look how close we've come to a society like that. The shrinking of the dictionary & invention of Newspeak could be likened to Political Correctness. And the amount of surveillance - we've got CCTV cameras everywhere now, although they've not quite invaded our homes yet in the way that the telescreen does in the book.

Having said that, I agree with others here - you don't have to like every single book you read, no matter how many other people liked it or tell you it's brilliant. I didn't like The Catcher in the Rye anywhere near as much as I thought I would after being told it was essential reading for every teenager; in fact for about 75% of it I wanted to slap Holden Caulfield. Apparently you're meant to want to do that but I don't care, I found him immensely irritating to the point that it meant I didn't enjoy reading it that much. You can't share the same opinion on everything as everyone else, otherwise the world would be really boring.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 44

FilthyYouth

It seems that some people automatically assume that they should enjoy a "classic" because they have been told it is essential reading...They are not classics because they were the equivalent of our Harry Potter, with characters and story lines which really attempt to appeal to the reader in a conventional way, but they were novels which broke free of expectation, resisted ideals which may or may not still exist in our contemporary world and reflected their own societies in new and daring ways.

So perhaps instead of wondering why you can't like a book, attempt to understand the time it was written and the reasons behind writing it, as well as why it may still be enjoyed today.

I hated Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne. Whilst reading it I just couldn't get into it at all. It wasn't until after talking to others about the book, and hearing why it was such an important piece of writing that I began to understand why it may be enjoyed. However I still didn't love it myself. So if you can't come away from a classic with any enjoyment, I think it is important to understand why it's a classic. That way you aren't left thinking your just a little strange for not 'getting' a book.

Reply 45

JK471993

Is is plausible to think that some of the more mundane areas of the book help to solidify the tone that was intentional?

I think the book is superb. It is gritty but also a refined piece of literature. I confess that I tend to avoid non-fiction but Nineteen Eighty-Four is a book that really makes me think.

Reply 46

evantej

Original post by JK471993

You are right to suggest that the tone is intentional, but Nineteen Eighty-Four is not at all refined. As a work of literature, it is far worse than Animal Farm. As a work of ideology, it is worse than The Road to Wigan Pier; arguably the first half of Wigan Pier is better descriptive prose too.

Reply 47

penko

The last chapter was the only chapter I thought enjoyable. The rest of the book seemed to drag on. Anima Farm is much much better IMO

Reply 48

Avtandil

Original post by evantej

As a work of literature, it is far worse than Animal Farm.

Out of curiosity, why do you believe this?

Reply 49

Nightstar-27

Its the idea behind it not the writing itself that people like. There are many books that aren't very well written but people just like the idea.

Reply 50

Fusion

Animal Farm is an easier read, it's short and brief, but 1984 is a lot more thought provoking.

Reply 51

Lazuliblue

I like it....although it is a tad creepy, and not exactly an "uplifting" read.

Reply 52

muse_of_fire

Original post by BlueSheep32

You've basically said everything I wanted to say - 1984 is chilling because of how accurate it is. I even agree with your comments on The Catcher in the Rye: I read only about twenty pages before giving up. I don't wish to read a book that makes me consider homicide, even if it is a classic!

Reply 53

evantej

Original post by Avtandil

Out of curiosity, why do you believe this?

George Orwell's Nineteenth Eighty-Four is too long, repetitive and contains elements that distract from the main emphasis of the novel; the love sub-plot between Winston and Julia adds nothing to the work, while the 'love' sub-plot(s) in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World (i.e. sexual behavior between characters, and John the Savage's paternity), as another dystopian counter example, is integral to the plot. Some writers are not good at 'love and sex'. I think Orwell was one of them.

On the other hand, Animal Farm is wonderful. Everything about the novella is wonderful, and it is easily the best piece of literature Orwell produced.

Reply 54

lawbot

Original post by RollerBall

I started reading this book about two weeks ago after I'd heard all the englishfags rant and rave about it for the past many years. I got recommended it again by a flatmate and he gave me his copy to read.

I just cannot understand the hype behind this novel. It's so dull and tiresome to read. It seemed to take the first 120 pages to set the scene and only got mildly interesting at around 150. I powered through it as I refuse to pass judgement on a half-read book but found myself falling asleep. I actually did fall asleep twice while reading it on the train home but that may have been from sleep deprivation.

Inevitably, I ended up skimming over the section on "the book" as the endless blocks of uninteresting/unimaginative descriptive text made me want to kill myself.

The torture section was mildly entertaining but drawn out and predictable. The actual ending seemed rushed and unfulfilling. Out of the 310 odd pages I think I found about 50 of them interesting.

It was a chore to read, completely predictable and a wholly unsatisfying experience. I don't want to come across as an uncultured pillock, but seriously, why so much love?