Name: George Orwell's 1984
ISBN: 9780878919963

Karen Brodeur

George Orwell

A guide to reading and understanding George Orwell's "1984," featuring an introduction to the author's life and work, and a character list, summary, analysis, study questions and answers, and suggested essay topics for each chapter. Includes sample analytical paper topics.

George Orwell's 1984

"Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past." Winston Smith is a low-ranking member of the ruling Party in the nation of Oceania. Everywhere Winston goes, even his own home, the Party watches him through telescreens; everywhere he looks he sees the face of the Party's seemingly omniscient leader, Big Brother. The Party controls everything in Oceania, even the people's history and language. Now, the Party is forcing the use of an invented language called Newspeak which will prevent political insurgency by eliminating all words related to it. Even thinking rebellious thoughts is illegal. Such thoughtcrime is, in fact, the worst of all crimes. But a seed of dissent grows in Winston - one that will bring him into direct conflict with the Party, and with devastating consequences. Rarely has one book ever been so rich in political and social criticism as 1984. Originally published in 1949, this new graphic novel edition of the dystopian classic, powerfully illustrated by Matyás Namai, reveals Winston's fight against the Party in all its horror and futility.

The Graphic Novel

Helen Borham

This rating is based on my enjoyment of the book. However it was an extremely powerful read. 1984 is a heavy and dark book. I found the relatability and relevance of the book was unnerving when you consider it was written in 1949. This is a daunting title so I appreciated the graphic novel format which made it more accessible 

Gabriel Noel 

ARC given by NetGalley for Honest Review

The graphic adaption of George Orwell's 1984 knocks it out of the park with hand in hand art and storytelling. I'm quite fond of classics getting graphic adaptions to make reading accessible to more audiences. 

The art balances a gritty darkness with intimate detail to help the reader get the most from the story. Namai uses splashes of red amongst the black and white to draw the reader to the heretical ideals of our main characters. Namai also creates the sense that we are seeing this novel as a movie. I would liken the contrasting wide and close shots, as well as the touches of absurdism imagery, to directors like David Lynch and Darren Aronofsky. 

It is quite long for a graphic novel, and while I enjoy being able to read the story all at once, it is possible it would do better as a two volume set.

Overall, a must have for libraries and schools.

George Orwell's 1984

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