Versificator
Encyclopedia
The versificator is a fictional device employed by Ingsoc
in the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four
by George Orwell
.
Its primary purpose is to act as a 'writing machine', a machine which produces both literature and music, its primary target audience being the proles
.
The purpose of the versificator is to provide a means of producing 'creative' output without having any of the party members having to actually engage in a creative thought. The versificator is capable of producing newspaper
s, containing content similar to that found in modern day tabloid, featuring stories concerning sports, crime and astrology
. The machine is also capable of producing films, low quality paperback
novels, and music, of a sort.
Orwell clearly meant the versificator as a commentary on the quality of low culture
and its ultimate effect. The metaphor of the factory
or the production line
commonly appears in discussions of mass-distributed culture.
Similar machines appear in the "Down There", a bleak dystopian short story
by Damon Knight
and in The Silver Eggheads by Fritz Leiber
. The latter novel describes a future in which machines generate "wordwooze" in order to amuse the populace.
Ingsoc
Ingsoc is the political ideology of the totalitarian government of Oceania in George Orwell's dystopian science fiction novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.-Fictionalised origin of Ingsoc:...
in the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell is a dystopian novel about Oceania, a society ruled by the oligarchical dictatorship of the Party...
by George Orwell
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...
.
Its primary purpose is to act as a 'writing machine', a machine which produces both literature and music, its primary target audience being the proles
Proletariat
The proletariat is a term used to identify a lower social class, usually the working class; a member of such a class is proletarian...
.
The purpose of the versificator is to provide a means of producing 'creative' output without having any of the party members having to actually engage in a creative thought. The versificator is capable of producing newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
s, containing content similar to that found in modern day tabloid, featuring stories concerning sports, crime and astrology
Astrology
Astrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...
. The machine is also capable of producing films, low quality paperback
Paperback
Paperback, softback or softcover describe and refer to a book by the nature of its binding. The covers of such books are usually made of paper or paperboard, and are usually held together with glue rather than stitches or staples...
novels, and music, of a sort.
Orwell clearly meant the versificator as a commentary on the quality of low culture
Low culture
Low culture is a term for some forms of popular culture. Its opposite is high culture. It has been said by culture theorists that both high culture and low culture are subcultures....
and its ultimate effect. The metaphor of the factory
Factory
A factory or manufacturing plant is an industrial building where laborers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another. Most modern factories have large warehouses or warehouse-like facilities that contain heavy equipment used for assembly line production...
or the production line
Production line
A production line is a set of sequential operations established in a factory whereby materials are put through a refining process to produce an end-product that is suitable for onward consumption; or components are assembled to make a finished article....
commonly appears in discussions of mass-distributed culture.
Similar machines appear in the "Down There", a bleak dystopian short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by Damon Knight
Damon Knight
Damon Francis Knight was an American science fiction author, editor, critic and fan. His forte was short stories and he is widely acknowledged as having been a master of the genre.-Biography:...
and in The Silver Eggheads by Fritz Leiber
Fritz Leiber
Fritz Reuter Leiber, Jr. was an American writer of fantasy, horror and science fiction. He was also a poet, actor in theatre and films, playwright, expert chess player and a champion fencer. Possibly his greatest chess accomplishment was winning clear first in the 1958 Santa Monica Open.. With...
. The latter novel describes a future in which machines generate "wordwooze" in order to amuse the populace.