From 1948 to 1984: the Critical History of the Novel 1984 and its Significance in the Language Arts Curriculum of the Eighties

Chances are that secondary school students will be highly motivated to read and to read about the novel 1984 during the decade of the eighties. They will hear about the novel and its author on television, and they will read about them in the popular press. Much of the fanfare, fervor, and attention generated is likely to be superficial, misdirected, and misleading. I feel that the novel and its author deserve more serious and rational treatment than they are apt to receive through the popular media. In my opinion, the novel 1984 deals in a very powerful and relevant way with matters that are at the very heart of the language arts curriculum, with matters that affect profoundly and significantly the quality and direction of our lives in this day and time. Therefore, students are entitled to read this controversial, frequently misunderstood work under the direction and guidance of an informed and objective language arts teacher.