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Book suggestions, along the lines of '1984'

M

malfist

New Member
I'm looking for a book to read, open to suggestions but what I want right now is a tragedy, like 1948, where the tragic hero struggles against a hopeless cause and ends up being a martyr. Online I would like it to be an internal conflict (maddness like in 'One Flew Over the Coo-Coo's Nest' or similar), but it doesn't have to be. Any ideas? Setting could be in anytime (if possible Fantesy/Sci-Fi but I know that isn't likely).

Any suggestions?
 
Hmm... Well, I haven't heard of 1948, but were you meaning 1984 by George Orwell? ;)

If you were I suggest other dystopian literature such as Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, and Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. The former is considered science fiction, and there are probably quite a few others from these two genres (science fiction and dystopian) that might interest you.
 
I've read The Handmaid's Tale and tried A Brave New World, but didn't like it, Handmaid was good. I'll check out Life of Pi

Malfist

P.S. Sorry, I get 1984 and 1948 mixed up.
 
malfist said:
I'll check out Life of Pi

Malfist
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It's an incredible story, one I will re-read later.

Here is the synopsis.

Pi Patel is an unusual boy. The son of a zookeeper, he has an encyclopedic knowledge of animal behavior, a fervent love of stories, and practices not only his native Hinduism, but also Christianity and Islam. When Pi is sixteen, his family emigrates from India to North America aboard a Japanese cargo ship, along with their zoo animals bound for new homes. The ship sinks. Pi finds himself alone in a lifeboat, his only companions a hyena, an orangutan, a wounded zebra, and Richard Parker, a 450-pound Bengal tiger. Soon the tiger has dispatched all but Pi, whose fear, knowledge, and cunning allow him to coexist with Richard Parker for 227 days lost at sea. When they finally reach the coast of Mexico, Richard Parker flees to the jungle, never to be seen again. The Japanese authorities who interrogate Pi refuse to believe his story and press him to tell them "the truth." After hours of coercion, Pi tells a second story, a story much less fantastical, much more conventional-but is it more true? Life of Pi is at once a realistic, rousing adventure and a meta-tale of survival that explores the redemptive power of storytelling and the transformative nature of fiction. It's a story, as one character puts it, to make you believe in God.

~ Enjoy!
 
How about Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood? Her dystopian themes are more developed that Handmaid's Tale and it has much more of her trademark dark humour than in HT. I am not sure how well it fits the martyr but the tragic hero/hopeless cause is relevant and well worth a read.
 
Lyra said:
How about Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood? Her dystopian themes are more developed that Handmaid's Tale and it has much more of her trademark dark humour than in HT. I am not sure how well it fits the martyr but the tragic hero/hopeless cause is relevant and well worth a read.
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You don't think Snowman is a martyr?
 
ions said:
You don't think Snowman is a martyr?
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Not really, no. Unless I am missing something obvious, maybe I am being too literal. I suppose it somewhat depends on how you view the ending.

I take it from your post that you do? In what way?
 
Lyra said:
Not really, no. Unless I am missing something obvious, maybe I am being too literal. I suppose it somewhat depends on how you view the ending.

I take it from your post that you do? In what way?
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He's spending the rest of his life for the sake of the Crakers.

martyr
n 1: one who suffers for the sake of principle [syn: {sufferer}]
 
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is dystopian. I don't know much about 1984 but I have heard a lot of people compare the two. 451 is my favorite book.
 
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