by Lottie McDonald

Influence of the Past on the Fiction of the Present

By Lottie McDonald

During the Spring term, visiting speaker Mr. Pietersen delivered a lecture to the sixth form and fifth year, discussing the historical context behind Orwell’s ‘1984’, a novel which has been a particular focus throughout the year for A Level English pupils. His talk focused especially on the influence of Stalinist Russia and in addition, Orwell’s own socialist political standing. Written in 1948, the novel tells the story of IngSoc, an imagined dystopian regime in which freedom of expression, the press and even thought is repressed. At the time of its writing, Russia’s recent political landscape in many ways mirrored the society created by Orwell. The links between the two are clear and as a result, are undisputed. By depicting the brutality of the fictional totalitarian state, Orwell condemns the similar real life callousness exhibited under the 20th century regime. The figure of Big Brother, the mysterious dictator in ‘1984’, represents the role that Stalin played as a figurehead of the government, regarded with a toxic mixture of reverence and fear. More specific parallels can also be drawn between the two, such as the poster featured frequently within the novel, with the now infamous slogan “Big Brother is watching”, mirroring the real life posters employed by Stalin, acting as propaganda. This inclusion reflects the intrusion on privacy which perhaps feels more apt within a dystopian society than a real life one. In addition, the structure of the two regimes has clear links: the security force of 20th century Russia, the People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs, more often referred to as the NKVD, who carried out the large scale purges, is represented within IngSoc through the constant threat of the Thought Police. Orwell criticises the primal brutality of a civilisation based upon such violence, using ‘1984’ to depict the consequences of such a corrupt and hostile regime. However, Orwell was not a pioneer in drawing on the tragedies of recent history to inspire present day fiction, for in almost all works of dystopia the imagined state often has more basis in reality than one might expect. Aldous Huxley’s ‘Brave New World’ of 1931, which heavily influenced Orwell, also demonstrates pressing issues and concerns of the time through the book’s main themes. The rigid control of reproduction through technology forewarns of the dangers that the growing technological influence could have, should it develop too far. A more modern example of this is Margaret Atwood’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ of 1985, which draws upon the ideals of first wave feminism and developing conservatism under Reagan’s presidency to explore the societal ramifications of repression of female rights. Through acknowledging and recognising the historical inspiration behind dystopian fiction, one can, in a sense, predict the potential basis of future works. The issues facing society in the 21st century are drastically different to those of the 1900s, and so it can be surmised that fiction will mirror these changes. The intrusion and dangers that social media and the internet pose has already been seen in novels, TV and films, and will undoubtedly continue to be an influence for imagined, imperfect worlds. Similarly, political figures of the present, namely Donald Trump or Kim Jong Un, are likely to inspire fictional counterparts in the coming years, which would parallel the roles they play in the affairs of today. While the reason for steeping dystopias in real world concern is not definitive, it can be presumed that by including the problems of the present, it only serves to further engage a reader able to relate to the issues that they had experienced, albeit in a differing manner.