Lesson One
In this lesson your aim is to look very carefully, in groups, at the following four extracts from Winston's diary, all from the first part of the novel. We need to see the effects and the context of giving Winston a first person voice of which he (and his assumed readers: see below) is the audience. Although the narrative describes his thoughts and feelings often with the peculiar intensity, which is such a prominent feature of the novel, it is only here that we experience direct contact with his own voice.
Therefore we need to understand:
- the part they play in the dystopian fabric of the text as a whole
- the way they contribute to the big ideas in the novel
- what more they tell us about Winston's character and feelings.
- what the style of the writing is
- and how it contributes to the mood, tone and atmosphere of the moment and the passage.
You will need to have read the first part of the novel (or better the whole text) before you start.
You will need to have your copy of the text to hand as you need to locate the diary entries within the context in which they appear in the narrative.
Group 1
April 4th, 1984. Last night to the flicks. All war films. One very good one of a ship full of refugees being bombed…
