Is Orwell's novel 1984 "science fiction"?

By Dennis D. McDonald

Someone on the Reddit science fiction group asked if Orwell’s novel 1984 is “science fiction.” This is how I answered the question:

I've read most of Orwell's writings including his books, essays, and newspaper columns, as well as a number of biographies. When I was younger I did think of 1984 as "science fiction" but came to understand it was much more than that. While he was college educated his knowledge of science and technology was limited. A lot of the themes you see in 1984 as well as Animal Farm are based on his views of totalitarianism, socialism, communication, and authoritarianism that came out of his personal experience. He was an imperial policeman in Burma when he graduated from college and saw firsthand how imperialism operates. He tramped around England for a time and saw how English underclasses were treated which impacted his views on socialism and income disparity. When he volunteered to fight in the Spanish Civil War he saw how fascism and communism both harbored elements of dictatorship and government censorship. He was willing to work for the BBC during WWII even though he knew he was was indirectly supporting British propaganda but he felt that Hitler was a more immediate danger. You can see how this background colored his writing especially Animal Farm and 1984.

Copyright (c) 2021 by Dennis D. McDonald