Uneasy, readers turn to classic dystopias

[MsAmerica]

This mentions five classics, and I was pleased to see I've read all five. How about you?

I like the signs, “Make Margaret Atwood Fiction Again!” and “The Handmaid’s Tale is NOT an Instruction Manual!”


Uneasy About the Future, Readers Turn to Dystopian Classics
By Alexander Alter

www.nytimes.com/2017/01/27/business/media/dystopian-classics-1984-animal-farm-the-handmaids-tale.html?_r=0

[Murine]

That's a really interesting article, thankyou! I've read three of the books mentioned myself, The Handmaid's Tale and both Orwell ones. I actually got my book club to read 1984 last year having been given a theme of "a classic novel" on my turn to nominate a read: I was not very popular for doing so!

[Jux]

I haven't read the Lewis one, It Can't Happen Here, but I'll look out for it as I suspect it easily can.

I like hte signs too.

[cdtaylornats]

Visit America has a new advertising slogan

"We aren't Mordor, even if we have Sauron Trump in charge"

[Jux]

[MsAmerica]

Oh, Murine, how sad that choosing 1984 should make you unpopular. In an ideal world, they should have been grateful for you to have steered them to such a basic classic!

[Jux]

Why on earth would 1984 have that effect? Did they think Smith was the bad guy? (I swear Blair and his Government cronies thought that.)

[Murine]

Everybody said it made them feel depressed! I hadn't read it since I was 14 and, unsurprisingly, got so much more from the reread. I was disappointed by the reaction of the others, I'd put a lot of thought into my choice!

[Jux]

Yes, I would expect lots of talk about prescience, parallels and genius from a book group reading of 1982. How disappointing!