94 pages 3 hours read

George Orwell

1984

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1949

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Background

Authorial Context: George Orwell and Dystopian Literature

George Orwell is an English novelist and journalist who contributed to the development of dystopian literature as one of the defining genres of 20th century literature. Born Eric Arthur Blair in 1903, Orwell chose to write under a pseudonym to protect his family’s reputation. Born in British-controlled India, he was educated in England and served as a sergeant in the Greenwich Home Guard during World War II. His experiences, including his time in Burma as a colonial police officer and his involvement in the Spanish Civil War, deeply influenced his political views and literary themes: Orwell's work often critiques social injustice, totalitarianism, and the misuse of power.

Orwell's most famous dystopian works, Animal Farm: A Fairy Story (1945) and 1984 (1949), helped shape the genre of dystopian literature. Animal Farm, written while The United Kingdom allied with the Soviet Union, is an allegorical novella that satirizes the corruption of the Soviet Union’s revolutionary ideals, illustrating how power can corrupt even those who seek equality. The novella 1984 builds on this themes by exploring a nightmarish future where a totalitarian regime, led by Big Brother, employs surveillance and mind control to maintain its power, stripping citizens of their individuality and freedom.

Related Titles

By George Orwell

Study Guide

logo

A Hanging

George Orwell

A Hanging

George Orwell

Study Guide

logo

Burmese Days

George Orwell

Burmese Days

George Orwell

Study Guide

logo

Coming Up for Air

George Orwell

Coming Up for Air

George Orwell

Plot Summary

logo

Down and Out in Paris and London

George Orwell

Down and Out in Paris and London

George Orwell

Plot Summary

logo

Homage To Catalonia

George Orwell

Homage To Catalonia

George Orwell

Study Guide

logo

Keep the Aspidistra Flying

George Orwell

Keep the Aspidistra Flying

George Orwell

Plot Summary

logo

Politics and the English Language

George Orwell

Politics and the English Language

George Orwell

Study Guide

logo

Such, Such Were the Joys

George Orwell

Such, Such Were the Joys

George Orwell

Study Guide

logo

The Road to Wigan Pier

George Orwell

The Road to Wigan Pier

George Orwell

Study Guide

logo

Why I Write

George Orwell

Why I Write

George Orwell