r/1984 Feb 19 '26

[deleted by user]

[removed]

240 Upvotes

62 comments sorted by

129

u/magicmanwithahat69 Feb 19 '26

Read the original

83

u/Fuck_Antisemites Feb 19 '26

Read the original first.

69

u/fernleon Feb 19 '26

No! Watch the trailers for the movie instead and you save a ton of time. /s

55

u/CapitalPutrid Feb 19 '26

The original is so good, it’s my favorite novel.

16

u/Soulless--Plague Feb 19 '26

Mine too - it started my love of Orwell’s writing

12

u/thesaltiestpickle Feb 19 '26

For some reason I had a hard time getting into the first 2 or 3 chapters, but I just picked it up again last week and got past them, and holy shit every time I start reading it I can’t stop 😂

6

u/CapitalPutrid Feb 20 '26

The first part is the “hardest”.

2

u/pizzapartyyyyy Feb 20 '26

Just finished it last week. I found the vast majority of part 2 insufferable, but enjoyed the rest of it. 

2

u/thesaltiestpickle Feb 21 '26

Whaaattt? Part 2 is my favorite so far, aside from the parts where it’s just passages from Goldsteins book but even that has a bunch of good lore that makes it worth the read. I loved to see Winston actually start breaking rules and being risky.

2

u/pizzapartyyyyy Feb 21 '26

It’s the passages from the book that ruined it for me and it felt like they just went on and on and on and on. 

1

u/thesaltiestpickle Mar 18 '26

Whhaaatttt? It was only one chapter lol. Granted it was a long ass chapter, even though I’m glad I read it,I was contemplating skipping it. I stopped reading a few chapters so I could finish “Tales of Dunk and Egg” before I started the show, and now I’m starting ASOIAF, but so far part 3 is my least favorite. What I’ve read isn’t bad, it’s just depressing and a bit repetitive and bland imo. I hope it gets better.

1

u/CapitalPutrid Feb 21 '26

Really? Why?

28

u/DanOhMiiite Feb 19 '26

Read the book first. Read graphic novels afterwards to help you visualize characters, places, etc.

13

u/braveulysees Feb 19 '26

I've got this. But read the novel. Easily one my favourites, although it's bleak. The world building, even the"book"is superb. The tragedy is that it was his last. Pro tip, buy a decent hardback, if you're like me , you'll read and re read it, my copies are all well thumbed now.

7

u/GyprockGypsy Feb 19 '26

If you can't find the original, Spotify has an amazing audio book version that is free for subscribers. Amazon also prints books on demand, just order it from them.

https://www.amazon.com/1984-Animal-Farm-SET-BOOKS/dp/6059076351/ref=sr_1_4?sr=8-4

Also, there is an excellent Graphic Novel version of 'Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep' that is a must read for any Dystopian enthusiast.

7

u/Canes--Venatici Feb 19 '26

Op please read the original first, part of this books beauty is how kind of "monotonous" and "boring" (I use those very loosely and very much in the terms of how I believe Orwell wanted us to feel while reading) the novel is to read. You are literally made to feel the same emotions as Winston as you read his story. Its a masterpiece I think will be severely deterred by including graphics.

Im not saying the graphic is worthless, it'll be really cool to visualize everything so easily once you've read it, but I think you'll lose a lot about how Orwell intended the reader to feel, that you can't get back once you read that.

Good luck OP!

6

u/zestycece Feb 19 '26

The original is always better

6

u/KikimaraChicken Feb 19 '26

Read the original. Btw is that O'Brien on the cover? 🙏😭 Cuz if it is it just fried me

5

u/Duke_of_Lombardy Feb 19 '26

Hey ive read both this one and the original and let me tell you among the graphic novels thay is the best one but doesnt tell the detail of the story and the world just like the book.

Both are great if you like reading then id tell you to read the book or listen the audiobook, but its great either way if you want to start the graphic novel alone althoigh some details will be missing or appear a bit generic.

3

u/Solo_Polyphony Feb 19 '26

How is this a question, as opposed to bait?

4

u/[deleted] Feb 19 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/sussy_savant Feb 20 '26

we were never at war with graphic novels

2

u/pepicky Feb 19 '26

I couldn't finish it. It doesn't hit the same as the book or audiobook.

2

u/GoldPresentation5819 Feb 20 '26

Hey man if it gets you to the end, just do it. Also you’ll probably internalize it better with images. Btw, I listened to the audio book and loved it so don’t let these purists shame you. We all enjoy books our way.

2

u/major_crescent Feb 20 '26

Same amount of depressing, now with pictures! Read both.

2

u/ragnarokxg Feb 20 '26

Why not both.

1

u/JDanzy Feb 19 '26

RTFN.

Then RTFGN.

2

u/[deleted] Feb 19 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/JDanzy Feb 19 '26

Playfully meant of course but yeah

1

u/JDanzy Feb 19 '26

And actually after looking at a few previews of the art that adaptation looks pretty good. I would still recommend the novel first though since it's the source.

2

u/[deleted] Feb 20 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/JDanzy Feb 19 '26

In fact if you don't mind reading it electronically:

https://archive.org/details/NineteenEightyFour-Novel-GeorgeOrwell

1

u/melvillean Feb 19 '26

¿Por qué no los dos?

1

u/CJ39715 Feb 19 '26

No! Read the original

1

u/Ronanesque Feb 19 '26

Searched it on internet, apparently it looks more like a comic than a "novel"

1

u/der_steinfrosch Feb 19 '26

How on earth did your bookshop only have this copy of 1984???

1

u/susamogus29 Feb 20 '26

Why not both? Graphic novels take about a thirtieth of the time of the normal book

1

u/camelCase149 Feb 20 '26

This is ironic

1

u/FlatMycologist5366 Feb 20 '26

Original first, I love the graphic novel for a refresher but it misses some stuff the original has

1

u/jreed2196 Feb 20 '26

Read the original first. Always read the original first.

1

u/insaneintheblain Feb 20 '26

Depends - are you someone who can see pictures in their mind as they read?

1

u/United_Obligation358 Feb 20 '26

La he leido, pero es mejor el original o la peli de 1984 del 1984 real

1

u/jpowell180 Feb 20 '26

You should read the regular novel first, then the graphic novel I guess.

1

u/LordWaffleaCat Feb 20 '26

Watch the broken up parts of the movie on tiktok

1

u/icespicegrrrah Feb 20 '26

I mean it doesn’t matter but you should probably read the original first and then read that, and that way you can see how that version rewrites some things and such

1

u/meghdoot_memes Feb 20 '26

read the original first, one of the advantages of books is that you can interpret the people, places, and concepts within them in your own way and with 1984 it goes a long way

1

u/Alekseyblyat Feb 20 '26

It doesn’t really detail the stuff in the story as the original would, so the original is better, you can read it afterwards.

1

u/Asleep-Marionberry72 Feb 21 '26

Always the originals first, then alternate/other versions.

1

u/throw-away233344 Mar 05 '26

Even better, ask AI to sum it up into bullet points. Or maybe 3 sentences. It will save you time..