Reading the opening of Orwell's '1984'

Key learning points

• Orwell's '1984' is a dystopian novel with a vision of an authoritarian future.
• Orwell creates an effective opening by beginning with unsettling details to show the reader something is wrong.
• By feeding the information to the reader slowly, Orwell builds up the feelings of discomfort in the reading.

Keywords

dystopian

relating to or denoting an imagined state or society where there is great suffering or injustice

scrutinised

to examine something very carefully in order to discover information

authoritarian

favouring or enforcing strict obedience to authority at the expense of personal freedom

ominous

portending evil or harm; foreboding; threatening

propaganda

information, especially of a biased or misleading nature

Common mistakes

• It's best to give the reader all of the backstory at the start of a novel so that they understand the context of the events.

  By feeding information to the audience slowly, it arguably builds discomfort in the reader and creates an unsettling environment.