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1984

George Orwell

1984, George Orwell’s bleakly dystopian novel about the dangers of totalitarianism, warns against a world governed by propaganda, surveillance, and censorship. Today, Orwellian phrases like “Big Brother” and “doublespeak” have become common expressions. Read a character analysis of Winston Smith, plot summary, and important quotes.

Summary

Read a Plot Overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter Summary and Analysis.

Characters

See a complete list of the characters in 1984 and in-depth analyses of Winston Smith, Julia, O’Brien, Big Brother, Mr. Charrington, and Emmanuel Goldstein.

Main Ideas

Here's where you'll find analysis about the book as a whole, from the major themes and ideas to analysis of style, tone, point of view, and more.

Quotes

Find the quotes you need to support your essay, or refresh your memory of the book by reading these key quotes.

Further Study

Test your knowledge of 1984 with our quizzes and study questions, or go further with essays on context, background, and movie adaptations, plus links to the best resources around the web.

Writing Help

Get ready to write your paper on 1984 with our suggested essay topics, sample essays, and more.

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Study Guide

Print edition

Our study guide has summaries, insightful analyses, and everything else you need to understand 1984.

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