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Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'
George Orwell's 1984: An Audible Original adaptation by George Orwell, Joe White
202 reviews
This book has very outward flaws, the biggest one being Goldstein’s Brotherhood bible just being shoved into the final chapter of Part 2. It felt lazy and would have been far more impactful if it had been edited down rather than constantly repeating the same phrase over and over with different words. It’s completely hamfisted and exhaustive on the reader, and brings the narrative to a complete halt. The characters were also very one-dimensional. Parson, who Winston perceives as a bumbling fool, is probably the most interesting of all the side characters to me. He gets outed by his own daughter, which the evidence for itself seems dubious enough as there is no definite proof that his treachery even happened, and yet he sits beside Winston in the gaol cell beaming with pride. But Orwell tries to paint him as unlikeable by describing him as fat, sweaty, and stupid — which I go more into further on.
The depictions of the characters in general are very of its time. Julia is written to represent moreso the “idea” of women rather than an actual woman. She is far younger and “sexier” than Winston and, despite her sexuality, she settles on him for no real reason given. In the final chapter he almost rejects the possibility of trying to meet with her again, not just because of their equal betrayal of each other, but rather because she is no longer the sweet thing he used to gawk at. He no longer desires her despite having gone through the same physically altering trauma she had gone through. This depiction of Winston’s love interest seems to be more indicative of Orwell’s own views, which loops back to the period in which the novel was written. Even the depiction of the proles was largely influenced by Orwell’s own disgust of the lower class, describing in detail how unattractive the prole women were to Winston with how “wide” they were from pumping out children. To describe the less fortunate as ugly, dirty, stupid, and reduced to just “breeding,” Orwell gives in to the stereotypes that are propped up by the higher class of the real world. There are also insensitive descriptions of non-white people, particularly bad with the seldom Asian characters that are only mentioned in the few paragraphs they are included in.
My only regrets with this book are that I wish I had read this sooner. At my age now, I have become jaded and cynical towards the world. I was apathetic that the characters feared they were being watched and analysed, and that the Party had got away with their tyranny. I was half-expecting Big Brother to have been a machine algorithm all along, with how perfectly planned the Party was in capturing traitors by planting rebellious material as if it were rat poison. In my mind, no political organisation comprised of humans will ever be able to carry out what the Party had while also being able to hold on to their power. Maybe if I had read this when I was younger it would have impacted me more, let alone before the age of surveillance and censorship we are currently in. Either way, I’m still thankful that I finally got around to reading this classic.
Graphic: Fatphobia, Misogyny, Gaslighting, War, Classism
Moderate: Racism, Slavery, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Deportation
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Rape, Torture, Violence, Gaslighting, Alcohol, War, Classism
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture
Graphic: Body horror, Classism
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction, Abandonment
Secondly, beyond Winston’s perspective of women, Orwell’s views towards women are evident in his characterization of female characters. Julia lacks depth, is primarily defined by her sexuality, and remains uninterested in (even struggling to grasp) the intellectual and political concepts Winston discusses with her. Early on in the novel she boldly confesses her feelings for Winston, and when asked why she pursued him, we are told that she is particularly astute, and was able to tell that he stood against Big Brother. Her boldness and astuteness seem to be completely as the story progresses, and she allows Winston to entirely speak for her towards the end of the novel. Moreover, every revolutionary figure referenced in the book is male, which both reinforces a narrow perspective on resistance and is dismissive of the key role women have played historically in revolution and times of political turmoil. Despite this 1984 is a book that should continue to be read, and I'm glad I have finally gotten around to doing so.
Bonus: I did not realize until after purchasing the audiobook that the narrator is the voice actor of Wyll in Baldur’s Gate 3! His narration about a minor character, Comrade Withers, had to be the highlight of the 12 hour listen.
Graphic: Torture
Moderate: Misogyny, Violence
Minor: Rape
Me intriga mucho la trama, por lo que espero reponer mi lectura pero con una edición en su idioma original.
Moderate: Misogyny, Violence, War
Minor: Suicide
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Police brutality, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, Deportation
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Murder, Gaslighting, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, Pregnancy
Graphic: Confinement, Torture, Gaslighting
Moderate: Infidelity, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Alcohol, Classism
Minor: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, War
Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, Sexual violence, Murder