As I said in the first post, I am always looking for suggestions for stuff to read. At the moment I have checked out "Moby Dick" and "Pride & Prejudice". Some of the others I'm looking forward to reading include "A Tale of Two Cities", "The Iliad", "The Odyssey", "The Three Musketeers", and The Chronicles of Narnia series. I'm also considering works by well-known authors. If you have a suggestion, please leave one in the comments. I won't guarantee that I'll pick that one, but I appreciate the input. Also, if you have any further insight into the books I'm reading, feel free to leave comments under those entries.
Thank you and God Bless
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
1984
The reason for choosing this George Orwell classic goes back to my last post. A few months ago Jeopardy had a category for 1984. They had two actually. One for the year, the second for the book. It's been on my list of reads for a while. After I passed my last exam, I went to the library and checked it out.
Synopsis
1984 takes place in a futuristic (er... alternative) future 1984. The world is ruled by three supernations, Oceania, Eastasia, and Eurasia. Set in what was once London (now called Airstrip One in Oceania), 1984 features Winston Smith as a worker of the outer party. Monitored closely by telescreens, Winston is careful with every move he makes. Big Brother must be worshipped. The rebellions must be hated. Strict obedience is required.
Thoughts
I won't ruin the story of the book, but I thought 1984 was an enjoyable read. It's somewhat political as it delves into purposes for war and class warfare. It's a fairly simple story and very easy to read. Orwell's dystopia is truly frightening, and depressing. Some of Winston's paranoia I'm sure has been felt by teenagers at some point in time. In this book, though, the paranoia comes with good reason. Part of the book displays the nature of punishment that happens to those who dare to defy Big Brother. Orwell also show how people feel when they color outside the lines created by those in power.
I enjoyed the book. It's not something that struck me as fantastic, but it was interesting enough to keep me going. It's also nice to finally get some of the references out there in the modern culture. The content never gets too graphic, though there is definitely some mature subject matter. Would recommend to anyone interested in political theory, or like me, just wants some classic literature to read.
Synopsis
1984 takes place in a futuristic (er... alternative) future 1984. The world is ruled by three supernations, Oceania, Eastasia, and Eurasia. Set in what was once London (now called Airstrip One in Oceania), 1984 features Winston Smith as a worker of the outer party. Monitored closely by telescreens, Winston is careful with every move he makes. Big Brother must be worshipped. The rebellions must be hated. Strict obedience is required.
Thoughts
I won't ruin the story of the book, but I thought 1984 was an enjoyable read. It's somewhat political as it delves into purposes for war and class warfare. It's a fairly simple story and very easy to read. Orwell's dystopia is truly frightening, and depressing. Some of Winston's paranoia I'm sure has been felt by teenagers at some point in time. In this book, though, the paranoia comes with good reason. Part of the book displays the nature of punishment that happens to those who dare to defy Big Brother. Orwell also show how people feel when they color outside the lines created by those in power.
I enjoyed the book. It's not something that struck me as fantastic, but it was interesting enough to keep me going. It's also nice to finally get some of the references out there in the modern culture. The content never gets too graphic, though there is definitely some mature subject matter. Would recommend to anyone interested in political theory, or like me, just wants some classic literature to read.
What exactly am I doing?
For a few years now, I've been wanting to do something. I've been wanting to read classic literature. Don't ask me why, I'm not sure. It could be that I'm finally at an age where I can appreciate such writings. It could be that I want to know what they're talking about when "Literature" categories come up on Jeopardy. Either way, I have set out a challenge for myself, and I invite you to join me.
My plan is to read 100 great classic novels. I have looked on google for several classic reading lists. None has pleased me so far, so I'm sort of making my own. My goal is to find 100 novels (generally fiction) that are historic, popular, and well regarded in the world of literature.
I finished my first book last week. I'll have more on it in my next post. This blog is for discussion, suggestions, and just overall musings of classic literature. Thank you for checking it out, and I hope you enjoy my blog.
My plan is to read 100 great classic novels. I have looked on google for several classic reading lists. None has pleased me so far, so I'm sort of making my own. My goal is to find 100 novels (generally fiction) that are historic, popular, and well regarded in the world of literature.
I finished my first book last week. I'll have more on it in my next post. This blog is for discussion, suggestions, and just overall musings of classic literature. Thank you for checking it out, and I hope you enjoy my blog.
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