Date: Wed, 31 Jul 2002 08:37:54 -0500
Subject: Re: (urth) Orwellian geography
From: Adam Stephanides 

on 7/29/02 8:44 AM, Michael Andre-Driussi at mantis@siriusfiction.com wrote:

> While there are threads of textual truth to this viewpoint, still it is
> clear to me that: North America is scarred by the atomic war to a degree
> greater than Europe was scarred by WWII; the name "Oceania" is not a poetic
> one (for a sea power superstate) is a geographical one (like the names of
> the other two superstates) that in this case describes the area of
> Australia, New Zeland, and islands around there -- Australasia -- and this
> is the location of the command/control structure.
> 
> The former USA is a battered, poisoned province, less well off than
> Airstrip One.
> 
> And Big Brother is an Aussie.

I don't think so; "the book" says that "With the absorption of Europe by
Russia and _the British Empire by the United States_ [my emphasis], two of
the three existing powers, Eurasia and Oceania, were already effectively in
being." (Part Two, Chapter IX; p. 153 of the Signet Classic paperback).  But
I'd be interested to hear your reasons.

--Adam


--