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.

Before You Read

Roundup icon

Super Short Summary

In George Orwell’s 1984, Winston Smith, an Outer Party member in the totalitarian state of Oceania, secretly despises the Party and its figurehead, Big Brother. He engages in a clandestine love affair with Julia and explores anti-Party sentiments, but they are betrayed and arrested. Winston endures brutal torture, ultimately succumbing to Party ideology and losing his individuality. The novel explores themes of surveillance, oppression, and the mutability of truth.

Reviews & Readership

Roundup icon

Review Roundup

George Orwell's 1984 is lauded for its incisive portrayal of totalitarianism and its chillingly relevant social commentary. Critics praise its dystopian vision and complex characters. However, some find its bleakness overwhelming and its prose dense. Overall, it remains a seminal work in political literature.

Who should read this

Who Should Read 1984?

A reader who would enjoy 1984 by George Orwell is intellectually curious, appreciates dystopian fiction, and is interested in themes of totalitarianism, surveillance, and individualism. Readers of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World and Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 would find this book compelling.

Recommended

Reading Age

18+years

Book Details

Genre

Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction

British Literature

Education

Themes

Relationships: Siblings

Topics

Education

Politics / Government