Summary Of How To Read Literature Like A Professor By George Orwell

In the cautionary dystopian tale, 1984, George Orwell warns against the dangers of a totalitarian regime and describes the eerily scary society surrounding the main character Winston Smith. Orwell allows for this book to be seen as any other novel with his use of elements such as geography, weather, sex, and quests pictured vividly in How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster.
Foster explains in How to Read Literature Like a Professor that the most significant element of setting is the location. Authors consistently choose regions that symbolize the overarching theme; Orwell chose to have the story unveil in London, a good fit for this story of isolation, as England is located on the British Isles, an island isolated from

It’s never just rain.” (Foster 70). As Foster explains, rain in novels is much more than just rain; it can symbolize a cleansing. The opening sequence of 1984, “It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen,” (Orwell 1) describes a generally odd occurrence. At midday in the heart of spring, having cold weather instills a colorless tone that sets up the novel to be a dark and dreary tale, shaping the reader’s view of the dystopian society as grimly depressing. This cold weather reflects in Winston’s introverted and desolate personality, leaving him to express his feelings through his

Foster explains the phenomenon of double entendres and how it affects literature. “Tall buildings? Male sexuality. Rolling landscapes? Female sexuality. Stairs? Sexual intercourse. Falling down stairs? Oh my.” (Foster 143-144). In order for families to read books aloud, sex should be described in a subtle manner, allowing for children to not picture obscene details. Orwell uses circumstantial details rather than vivid imagery when describing Winston’s encounter with a prostitute: “She had a young face, painted very thick. It was really the paint that appealed to me, the whiteness of it like a mask, and the bright red lips… There was nobody else in the streets, and no telescreens. She said two dollars.” (Orwell 63). Although sex and prostitution were not mentioned, it is heavily implied that such things were taking