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anyone ever read these books?

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  • 27-07-2009 11:22pm
    #1
    demakinz
    Registered Users Posts: 1,047 ✭✭✭


    George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four

    Aldous Huxley-Brave New World

    are they any good?


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    #2
    Latchy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 21,191 ✭✭✭✭Latchy


    Read first one in my teens ,second in my twentys and yep , both classics and both good reads


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    #3
    Shryke
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,199 ✭✭✭Shryke


    Yes and yes. 1984 dragged a lot for me. It was boring. Massively influential etc. but just didn't impress me as a piece of fiction.

    Brave New World I liked much more. I'd rec it without issue.


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    #4
    MrStuffins
    Registered Users Posts: 19,193 ✭✭✭✭MrStuffins


    Fir some reason i knew you'd say 1984

    My fave of all time, i couldnt recommend it enough!


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    #5
    The_Minister
    Registered Users Posts: 10,255 ✭✭✭✭The_Minister


    Only 1984 - loved it.


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    #6
    Amazotheamazing
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,048 ✭✭✭Amazotheamazing


    Both are great books, prefer 1984 myself, amazing book.


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    #7
    turgon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,762 ✭✭✭turgon


    1984 is unbelievable. Especially if you are into politics and history. Orwell's portrayal of the Big Brother state is extremely effective. It is essential reading when talking about totalitarianism and surveillance and all that. Perhaps the most effective aspect of the novel is its realism. Orwell isn't living on planet Mars, he is describing a system that could very well exist. 5/5 for sure. Read Animal Farm first though. Another excellent novel by Orwell.


    Interesting you should mention Brave New World again, because Orwell was clearly influenced by this novel. Some of the structure of 1984 follows Brave New World, such as talking with members of the status-quo system, and a kind of progression to adherence. Brave New World's first 5 chapters are great, where he introduces the idea of breeding perfect humans, and conditioning them to do certain things. Like 1984 though, its not totally unrealistic. If you drop political correctness it is clear to see that there are "Alphas" and "Epsilons" in our society.


    So yeah. Required reading.


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    #8
    demakinz
    Registered Users Posts: 1,047 ✭✭✭demakinz


    im sure i can get the two in eason?

    Could you recomend any others along the same lines.

    im not/wasnt a big reading fan but i have been watching a lot of videos on global government big brother and all that jazz. They seem to mention these books alot.
    From what there saying orwell book 1984 may become more fact than fiction.And brave new world has alot of similarties with what hitler wanted to achieve. fairly cool concidering they were published in the 30's and late 40's


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    #9
    MrStuffins
    Registered Users Posts: 19,193 ✭✭✭✭MrStuffins


    demakinz wrote: »
    im sure i can get the two in eason?

    could you recomend any others along the same lines.

    I recently saw a new version of 1984 in Eason. Just a new cover like.

    If you go to HMV you'll get it cheap. I saw it on Grafton St (Dublin) HMV not long ago for €4


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    #10
    turgon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,762 ✭✭✭turgon


    They're whats called Dystopian Novels, theres a thread here on it.

    Personally, if you liked these I would go for maybe Lord of the Flies. Like 1984 its a study of power and its negative consequences.

    1984 is probably available in 90% of regular English bookshops on Earth, and most certainly in Easons. Brave New World not so, but it wouldnt be hard to get a copy. Both would probably be in you local Library.


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    #11
    Latchy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 21,191 ✭✭✭✭Latchy


    demakinz wrote: »

    could you recomend any others along the same lines.

    On the Road - A novel by American writer Jack Kerouac,


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    #12
    Bubblefett
    Registered Users Posts: 2,032 ✭✭✭Bubblefett


    1984 is fantastic


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    #13
    demakinz
    Registered Users Posts: 1,047 ✭✭✭demakinz


    demakinz wrote: »
    im sure i can get the two in eason?

    Could you recomend any others along the same lines.

    im not/wasnt a big reading fan but i have been watching a lot of videos on global government big brother and all that jazz. They seem to mention these books alot.
    From what there saying orwell book 1984 may become more fact than fiction.And brave new world has alot of similarties with what hitler wanted to achieve. fairly cool concidering they were published in the 30's and late 40's
    ...


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    #14
    turgon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,762 ✭✭✭turgon


    demakinz wrote: »
    From what there saying orwell book 1984 may become more fact than fiction.

    Taken as an overall system, Orwell's world is not as likely to come about now as it was 50 years ago, in my opinion. But that doesn't dim his relevance at all. In fact letters and opinion pieces dealing with the War on Terror will often mention "Orwellian" intrusions into our lives, via phone taps etc.

    If you haven't read much before, Animal Farm is very easy to get though. Its a fairy story about animals, but its all a metaphor for the kind of system described in 1984.
    demakinz wrote: »
    And brave new world has alot of similarties with what hitler wanted to achieve.

    In a way, I suppose. I never thought about that.


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    #15
    zesman
    Closed Accounts Posts: 92 ✭✭zesman


    Read the two years ago. To be totally honest I was a bit dissappointed by 1984. I found Brave New World more reflective of modern society


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