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George Orwell: The Man and the Mind Behind 1984
- Narrated by: Michael Shelden
- Length: 2 hrs and 13 mins
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Publisher's summary
While many literary works have transcended their own time to become beloved classics, few novels have remained quite as politically relevant as George Orwell’s dystopian masterpiece 1984. How has a book written in the 1940s—and set in a future that is now our past—become a cultural touchstone for every new generation of readers that encounters it? Why does Orwell’s vision of a totalitarian future seem to constantly reflect the conditions of the present?
In George Orwell: The Man and the Mind Behind 1984, Professor Michael Shelden will show you how the novel presents a plausible reality of thought control and totalitarian power that feels contemporary even as it reflects its own time. In five illuminating lectures, you will see how Orwell drew on his own experiences and observations of the post-war world to craft a universal story of human oppression. Along the way, you will see how Orwell:
- Created the terrifying figure of Big Brother not only by observing the tactics of Joseph Stalin, but also by remembering his days at an English boarding school;
- Translated his personal experience with censorship and propaganda into the oppressive forces of Newspeak and the Thought Police;
- Used his own relationships to explore how ordinary people respond to mass intimidation;
- Found inspiration for his nightmare world in his long battle with poor health; and more.
As you will see, 1984 was a financial and critical success from the very beginning and has been a favorite of readers ever since. From the Red Scare of the 1950s to the rise of the surveillance state in the 21st century, Orwell’s surprisingly personal masterpiece continues to resonate with our own lived experience, offering a timeless warning of the dangers of authoritarian power, misused technology, and unquestioned conformity.
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The World of J.R.R. Tolkien
- By: Dimitra Fimi, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Dimitra Fimi
- Length: 4 hrs and 42 mins
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In The World of J.R.R. Tolkien, you will join Dr. Dimitra Fimi to delve into Tolkien’s complex and multilayered mythology, examining all these ingredients and more. In these 10 lectures, you will explore and appreciate Middle-earth as medieval, mythological, and modern, a literary creation that was shaped by forces old and new. And you may be surprised to discover just how much of Tolkien’s legendarium was constructed posthumously, with his son Christopher compiling and publishing many of Tolkien’s later works after his death.
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Calls Tolkien a racist and sexist
- By Kevin on 09-29-22
By: Dimitra Fimi, and others
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The Lost Generation
- American Writers in Paris in the 1920s
- By: Professor Michael Shelden
- Narrated by: Professor Michael Shelden
- Length: 7 hrs and 27 mins
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The Lost Generation from Professor Michael Shelden evokes one of the most creative periods in American literature. Paris of the 1920s served as a base for such authors as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Ezra Pound, and Gertrude Stein. In these lectures, Professor Shelden details and provides fresh insight into the unending allure of the Lost Generation - and of the literary output that exerts a continuing influence nearly a century later.
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Very nice introduction
- By Qu on 04-03-17
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Neurodiversity and the Myth of Normal
- By: Kyler Shumway, Daniel Wendler, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Kyler Shumway, Daniel Wendler
- Length: 2 hrs and 39 mins
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In six lectures, Dr. Shumway and Dr. Wendler will help you understand the nature of neurodiversity, a growing school of thought that seeks to embrace the range of differences in individual brain function and behaviors rather than “correct” them, with a focus on empathy, acceptance, and accommodation.
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Soft
- By ZC on 03-23-24
By: Kyler Shumway, and others
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The Culture of Knighthood in Medieval Romance
- By: Larissa (Kat) Tracy, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Larissa Tracy
- Length: 2 hrs and 19 mins
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In The Culture of Knighthood and Medieval Romance, join scholar of medieval literature Larissa Tracy for a fascinating dive into the deeper context of narratives about knights and their world. Her Audible Original takes you through the evolution of knighthood and courtly literature, dispelling prevalent myths about chivalry and romance with an eye to revealing just how textured and complex these ideas actually were.
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A course on Sir Lancelot lacks a lot.
- By Patrick Mullane on 12-20-23
By: Larissa (Kat) Tracy, and others
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The Hidden History of the Boston Tea Party
- By: Adam Jortner, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Adam Jortner
- Length: 2 hrs and 56 mins
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The history of the Boston Tea Party is a hidden one. Why? Since it was a clandestine operation, all sorts of rumors and legends grew up around the event—many collected decades after the American Revolution had ended. At its core, however, the night of December 16, 1773, when colonials dumped tea from British ships into Boston Harbor, was more than a fight over tea and taxes. It was a struggle over the very nature of democracy and self-governance.
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How nuanced this event actually was
- By Cody T. on 12-17-23
By: Adam Jortner, and others
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Reconsidering JFK
- By: Michael Shelden, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Michael Shelden
- Length: 5 hrs and 55 mins
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The John F. Kennedy presidency has an indelible hold on our imaginations. Even more than half a century later, we remain captivated by the charismatic young leader who promised us the moon, who remained steadfast in the face of nuclear catastrophe, who told us to “ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country”—and whose life was cut short by shocking assassination.
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Learned New Things
- By Stephen W on 09-07-22
By: Michael Shelden, and others
What listeners say about George Orwell: The Man and the Mind Behind 1984
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Gilbert M. Stack
- 04-19-24
Creating Big Brother
The author of this Great Courses text makes the argument that this book is the single most influential one of the twentieth century. He may be right. Big Brother is a broadly socialized concept that people have been talking about my entire life. The idea of the state spying on every part of their citizenry’s lives is not too hard to fathom. After all, we know that our telephone calls are recorded, we all have devices in our homes that listen all the time, our internet searches are kept forever, there are cameras over most stop lights, and more cameras yet on peoples’ houses and property. The idea of privacy is not anything like what it was fifty years ago and it’s getting weaker every year. And none of that even mentions the popular reality show, Big Brother.
The book gives background on Orwell that helps put the book in the context of his life and his regrettably shortened writing career. I haven’t actually read Big Brother in at least thirty years, but I frankly don’t think you have to have read the novel to enjoy this audiobook on its creation and impact.
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- Amazon Customer
- 06-15-24
To think what other inspiration & knowledge he could have given us …
I thoroughly enjoyed this short biography of a man who did all that he could do during his short life to warn humanity of our grim future if we didn’t start paying more attention. His masterful use of his own history, personal experiences, and world view have contributed beautifully to his published works that we should all be rereading and teaching to our children. I highly recommend this well-written little glimpse into the life of Eric Arthur Blair, aka George Orwell.
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- Theresa A.
- 08-11-24
Politically Motivated and Therefore Shallow
Oh, i was really liking this, but I don't trust any analysis from people that say "cancel culture" and spread that myth. That's a political myth, when you're discussing Orwell, you don't trot out current NewSpeak and act like it's just natural science and identified taxonomy of our natural environment. This is absurdly ironic. Stop melting smart people's brains. "Cancel Culture" was a term introduced to the public from the right wing, who notoriously has tried to and has been successful at censoring Hollywood and media from day one. When the public started to have a collective voice with social media and started expressing dislike for entrenched rapists in public culture, that is when the conservative media coined "CANCEL CULTURE".
Really disgusting behavior from this Michael Sheldon guy to trot this out like it needs no explanation or context, as if he's a narrator for Big Brother. Conservatives never stop being ironic, they never stop assaulting us with their stupidity. They heap labor on the rest of us continually.
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