1984 | 1984: Then and Now

In the following essay, Kathleen Fitzpatrick maintains that although Orwell’s dystopian vision has not been borne out by Soviet-style communism, the author’s fears about the ability of the state to
control people is still a danger in modern society.

George Orwell’s dystopian (a fictional place where people lead dehumanized and fearful lives) vision of the year 1984, as depicted in what many consider to be his greatest novel, has entered the collective consciousness of the English-speaking world more completely than perhaps any other political text, whether fiction or nonfiction. No matter how far our contemporary world may seem from 1984’s Oceania, any suggestion of government surveillance of its citizens—from the threatened “clipper chip,” which would have allowed government officials to monitor all...

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