1984 Introduction

If you've ever seen the so-bad-it's-good reality show Big Brother, you should close this page right now and get back to watching, because guess what? You're already familiar with George Orwell's dystopian classic, 1984. Phew, that was easy.

Think we're kidding?

Well, you're right, we kind of are.

But, it is worth noting that Big Brother—where contestants are constantly monitored while living in a house together—totally got its name from 1984 in what might be the most awesome interpretation of classic literature to modern day reality TV programming of all time (sorry, Shakespearean Idol).

So, what does any of this tell us about the book itself? Well for one, if it's still getting referenced in pop culture today, then it's gotta be crazy-influential—dare we say, iconic. And considering it was written waaay back in 1949, it's managed to stay pretty darn relevant to audiences here in the present. Its message? Something along the lines of, "Don't let the government have too much power or they will make your lives completely miserable and possibly torture you for extended periods of time."

The story takes place in the year 1984, which was still 35 years in the future when this book was published. It follows Winston, a painfully average dude who works for the Ministry of Truth, editing old newspaper articles to revise the past. In the future, life kinda sucks. The world is in a state of constant war and government surveillance is the norm—people even have telescreens in their homes that watch their every move (sound familiar?).

Oh yeah, and love is outlawed. You read that right: Love is against the law.

This proves troublesome for dear old Winston when he—you guessed it—falls in love with Julia, his coworker by day and foxy undercover rebel by night. Things seem peachy at first—the two spend time in the country and find a secret room in the city where they can escape surveillance together. Maybe the future isn't so bad after all.

Not so fast.

The two become more resistant to party rule as the story progresses, until they're both found out by the Secret Police and taken to the Ministry of Love (which should be more accurately titled the Ministry of Torture and Brainwashing). We don't want to give away too much, but things go full Hostel-status and a cage of hungry rats is involved. Winston walks away a broken man.

So while we may enjoy watching Big Brother, let's just be thankful Big Brother isn't watching us…yet.