Life In A Fix-The Insignificant Members Of The Society In George Orwell's Two Main Novels

In the light of Wolfgang Iser's theory of Fictionalizing Acts, this dissertation shows us the awkward life of the protagonists in George Orwell's novels based on the texts of Coming Up for Air and Nineteen Eighty-Four.It first briefly introduces George Orwell's life, his works and his influence to the descendants. Then it gives a summarized account of Coming Up for Air, and it analyzes George Bowling's sandwiched life in which he tries to escape and manages to keep mental balance. Chapter 2 briefly introduces Nineteen Eighty-Four, and it analyzes Winston Smith's awkward life in which he is monitored by the telescreen day and night. He can not breathe under such a politic-oriented society that he chooses to come up for air by having an extra loving affair with Julia. Chapter 3 mainly briefly introduces Wolfgang Iser and his theory of Fictionalizing Acts. According to Wolfgang Iser, a writer's works are the selections to the real life. These selections, together with imagination, will create new facticity through fictionalizing. This kind of facticity mirrors the real life. A theme of a work is the summation of a writer's selection. Orwell has his own selections, on which he fictionalizes and gets new facticity. Hence he makes political writing an art. Then it applies Wolfgang Iser's theory of Fictionalizing Acts to analyze and compare the different personalities and destinies of the two protagonists of the two novels. Bowling, caught in a brief intense moment between the destructive future and the nostalgic past, seeks to escape the painful modern realities by recapturing his idealized childhood memories. He is divided into two"selves", which makes his life bearable. Winston, however, seeks his escape only in his dreams. He dreams of idyllic landscape,"the Golden Country", in which he can feel free and relaxed.Finally, the dissertation elucidates the conclusion that the stories of two insignificant members of the society can also carry some important themes and thoughts, and to some extent, it is more persuasive and real than those grand structure and big events. This is the magic of truthfulness of art on the part of the public readership. The author of this paper intends to promote the understanding of Orwell and the novel proper.