1984 by George Orwell | Historical Context & Background

Nineteen Eighty-four, novel by English author George Orwell published in 1949 as a warning against totalitarianism. The novel’s chilling dystopia made a deep impression on readers, and Orwell’s ideas entered mainstream culture in a way achieved by very few books. The book’s title and many of its concepts, such as Big Brother and the Thought Police, are instantly recognized and understood, often as bywords for modern social and political abuses. The book is set in 1984 in Oceania, one of three pe