Analyzing Mind Manipulation in George Orwell’s “Nineteen Eighty-Four” https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11105924

Analyzing Mind Manipulation in George Orwell’s “Nineteen Eighty-Four”

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The Criterion: An International Journal in English Vol. 15, Issue-II, April 2024 ISSN: 0976-8165
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Urban Space and Traveller as Modern Flâneur: A Case Study of City Films
Manojit Chanda
PhD Research Scholar,
Department of English Literature,
EFLU, Hyderabad.
Article History: Submitted-01/04/2024, Revised-16/04/2024, Accepted-18/04/2024, Published-30/04/2024.
Abstract:
Before the concept of topography emerged, people used to think of space as a natural and
unchanging phenomenon in which people lived and moved around. However, space is created by
individuals in accordance with their needs and constraints, serving as a dynamic “matrix” for
human behaviours such as engendering, citizenship, mnemonics, and nomadics. Henri Lefebvre,
in his best-known work, The Production of Space, argues that “every society—and hence every
mode of production—produces a space, its own space” (31). At the end of the twentieth century,
a ‘spatial turn’ took place in the field of humanities as a protest against the age-long negligence of
space in studying history. As a result of this revolution, researchers worldwide started linking
space and place in their works from diverse disciplines such as literature, film studies, cultural
studies, urban studies, geography, and history. The present study intends to explore urban spaces
as portrayed in city films from the perspective of a flâneur. Flâneur is a vagabond who walks
through the city streets as an observer of modern urban society. It was French poet and art critic
Charles Baudelaire who established the concept of flâneur in the nineteenth century as a literary
figure in his essay “The Painter of Modern Life.” Unlike the tourist, the flâneur does not look for
the famous sites of the city; instead, they search for something offbeat and strive to capture the
“real” life of the city. This article attempts to locate the presence of flâneur and flânerie in
contemporary society through the characters of the selected films. The paper also provides us with
the scope to analyse the cinematic representations of cities in their particular regional, urban,
diasporic, transnational, and postcolonial contexts.
Keywords: Urban space, Cityscape, Flâneur, Flânerie.
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Introduction

The growth of cinema is intimately associated with the growth of cities around the world.
With the advent of art and technology, there has been a transition in the craft of filmmaking. The
urban street, the skyline, the bar—all these things were significant attractions in the early cinema.
In the films of the 21st century, the moving train was emblematic of the shift in the perception of
time and space in modernity. Charles Baudelaire came up with the concept of flaneur, i.e., a nomad
known as a “flaneur” who is an observer of contemporary urban society as he strolls around the
streets of the metropolis. In contrast to a tourist, a flâneur searches for unusual sights and attempts
to document the “real” life of the place. Because of their propensity for objective but artistically
aware observation, street photographers are known as flâneurs, a term that has emerged in the
literature on photography. There is evidence of numerous films and events made as a result of the
practice of city walking; the flâneur still exists in today’s society. The “street” in a contemporary
city, which includes both the skywalk and the subterranean, is obviously different from what it
was in a19th-century city. The ephemeral nature of our globalised culture is arguably most evident
in today’s airports and train stations when flâneurs immerse themselves in the crowd. The city can
occasionally appear to be the same everywhere due to how interconnected everything is, but
flâneurs and flâneuses are instinctively drawn to what makes each place unique. He or she unearths
less popular locations that city dwellers ordinarily ignore, take for granted, or never visit. Flâneurs
develop a deeper awareness of their own space and time by investigating commonplace settings
and modern society.
Review of Literature

There are many literary writings and research works done on the topic of ‘Urban Literary
Studies’. Barbara Mannel in her book entitled Cities and Cinema portrays different genres of City
films and its association with big cities like Paris, Berlin, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, etc. The book
talks about the significant changes happened in the process of city film making and its on-screen
representation by linking urbanism and cinema. It also shows how the role of city has moved from
an iconic figure in national cinema to an important site for regular cinematic practices in
transnational cinema. In his research article “The Communist Flâneur, or Joyce’s Boredom”,
Patrick McGee describes the role of flâneur and its representation in movies. He also tries to find
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out the image of flâneur in Joyce’s Finnegans Wake. Enda Duffy and Maurizia Boscagli in their
book, Joyce, Benjamin and Magical Urbanism, vividly portrays the works of James Joyce and
Walter Benjamin’s side by side and makes a comparative analysis between them. Both Benjamin
and Joyce’s works provide the experiences of urban modernity. In their work “Urban Space and
Representation in Literary Study”, Long Shi and Qingwei discussed the relationship between city
and literary texts. This work talks about how the cities are represented in literary texts. From the
above reviews, it is clear that no author or researcher wrote any book or thesis paper, particularly
about exploring urban space in city films from the perspective of a traveller or flâneur. There are
still many questions posed in urban literary studies which need to be answered through an analysis
of city films. Some researchers talked about urban space and its representation in literary texts in
general. However, no one had touched it from a traveller’s or flâneur’s point of view.
Theoretical Paradigm

Charles Baudrillard, a devotee of aestheticism in the nineteenth century, was given the
concept of flâneur, which basically means to stroll aimlessly through the streets of a city and
observe modern city life. The concept of flâneur has been theorized by Walter Benjamin as a
modern adventurer who first appeared in nineteenth-century Paris and then in the early twentieth
century. If we consider the lifestyles of writers like Henry Miller, Marcel Proust, and James Joyce,
we can see that these people were flâneurs. They were wandering around the city and gathering
inspiration for their writing. There is something about walking around and being lost in a city or
urban setting. The experience of wandering around a city sharpens the gaze of a writer.

Both Joyce and Benjamin spent some years of their lives in Paris. Their love for the city
and urban milieu can be seen in their works. The magic urbanism of Joyce and Benjamin is quite
interesting. Joyce belonged to a middle-class Catholic family. His father was associated with a lot
of different jobs. But he could never sustain his family smoothly. He was a drunkard and gradually
became impoverished, as he had so many children to feed. Since childhood, Joyce has been greatly
influenced by Catholicism. But Joyce found a rejection of religion too early in his life. Though
Benjamin belonged to the Jewish bourgeois of Berlin, he too faced disdain from the dominant
class. Joyce did not want to get hegemonized by Irish nationalism and his familial devotion toward
Catholicism. But his rebellion was not only against the society, culture, and politics of his country
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but also against his cancer-ravaged, dying mother. Soon after his mother’s death, Joyce and his
wife went into a self-imposed exile. The courage that they showed by rejecting their nation and
national identities made them transfer all of their energies into observing urbanity from a multi-
layered subaltern perspective. But unfortunately, they both failed to become ‘flaneurs’. In his work,
“The Return of the Flâneur,” Benjamin talked about the return of flaneur in 1920s Berlin. He stated
that Flaneur is a product of modernity. Benjamin’s relationship with the city was quite ambivalent,
and he applied the same condition to the figure of Flaneur. He used the word “phantasmagoria” in
describing the relationship of the crowd with that of the ‘flâneur’.
Midnight in Paris

Woody Allen’s 2011 masterpiece Midnight in Paris portrays a Paris that has been
represented in different lights through the eyes of flâneurs and vagabonds all over the world. Allen
continues a long line of directors who have incorporated Paris as a quasi-principal character in
their works, a recurring love interest with whom the audience engages in an implied and
tumultuous love affair that lasts the entire duration of the film and possibly beyond. In Allen’s film,
Paris only lives in the phenomenology of the observer’s experience, which is usually polluted and
rendered fickle by an escapist impulse to run from the present in order to seek solace in a glorified,
ideal past. In actuality, there is no real Paris that can be shared by everybody. Self-described
flâneur Allen creates characters who are only dimly aware of their cultural limits and romanticizes
foreign settings when traveling through a foreign country. Here we see the protagonist’s journey
from space to time. Gil travels to Paris, his favourite destination, for a vacation. He is a
screenwriter who, since he is unsatisfied with the present, is mostly focused on nostalgia. He is
engaged to Inez, but she entirely piques his emotions, especially about the literature that Gil is
interested in. He is unsure whether to finish his debut book, which has nostalgia as its main theme,
or to pursue a successful screenplay career. A friend of Inez’s named pedantic Paul describes the
man’s condition as “golden age thinking,” or the conviction that the past is superior to the present.

This film was primarily shot in Paris, portraying both the city’s historic and contemporary
aspects. The gorgeous Parisian landscapes are captured in the opening segment, setting the perfect
visual tone for the entire film. Paris appears to be rather alluring in this scenario, which depicts it
in warmer tones and in all its grandeur. A montage of lavish Parisian buildings on the sides of the
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streets and lush vegetation at the confluence of the streets makes up the opening scene. On the
central boulevards, cherry blossoms are in full bloom, adding to the city’s characteristic backdrop
of avenues and bustling traffic. A glimpse of Woody Allen’s personal Paris is offered in Midnight
in Paris, a film that uses music—the well-known, dulcet tones of the classic French chanson—
instead of words to describe famous buildings and quaint cafés, damp streets and sparkling lights,
and expansive views. In fact, the opening scenes of the film, which feature Paris as the beautiful
and Paris as the silent object, nearly hypnotize our focus because they don’t even employ words to
explain the significance of the visual.

The opening montage of stunning photographs of Paris has been compared to the opening
of Woody Allen’s Manhattan, but without the director’s voice adding his exaggerated and funny
love for the city to those earlier pictures. Allen uses Cole Porter’s music in this scene, presumably
as a gesture to acknowledge his own muteness towards Paris and his failure to engage with the
locals. In fact, notable historical and literary luminaries from the 1920s, notably Americans, are
all around Gil in his night-time world. As the film opens with a sequence of scenes from Paris, it
becomes clear that the colors have been altered to orange and green tones in an effort to represent
the romantic idea that is associated with Paris. In films, most locations have a particular color
associated with them, such as the neutral tones of America, the red colors of Mexico and India, the
blue colors of Germany and Scandinavia, etc. Fascinatingly, the remainder of France is colored in
shades of blue and white. The song “Si Tu Vois Ma Mère” is playing in the background, which is
related to romantic ideas. The soprano saxophone is the primary musical instrument in this song.

The orange glow of the Seine and the on-going lights in the background take viewers to a
lovely scene. The city’s nickname, “La Ville-Lumière (The City of Lights),” derives from how
monotonous the fine railings lining the streets became in the dimly lit city at night. Additionally,
the radiant Eiffel Tower is in the background, with the car’s cheers on onlookers. The opening
montage of stunning photographs of Paris has been compared to the opening of Woody Allen’s
Manhattan, but without the director’s voice adding his exaggerated and funny love for the city to
those earlier pictures. Allen uses Cole Porter’s music in this scene, presumably as a gesture to
acknowledge his own muteness towards Paris and his failure to engage with the locals. In fact,
notable historical and literary luminaries from the 1920s, notably Americans, are all around Gil in
his night-time world. The Seine River, which connects the two sides of the city, is portrayed as the
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city’s center during the first few minutes, and cruise ships can be seen sailing past below as they
pass beneath the Pont d’Iéna bridge. In the distance, several recognizable buildings flank the Eiffel
Tower as it soars into the sky. The flats are covered in wide, protecting gable roofs, and the streets
are cobblestoned and marvellously interwoven. In Midnight in Paris, there are a few places that
offer vistas of the real Paris, making them standout locations. An important component of the love
play program is the architecture. It has a distinguishable personality. The Notre-Dame de Paris
Cathedral, the finest example of French Gothic architecture, the Louvre Pyramid, and the
flamboyant Parisian flair on exhibit on the streets are just a few examples of the spectacular
architecture seen in the film.

While strolling through the streets of Paris at midnight, our protagonist, Gil, encounters the
strangest occurrence: an antique Peugeot car rolls down the street, and Gil enters the past in a very
genuine way. He is transported back to the 1920s, when he grows to love the city even more and
starts to realize his true potential. He travels back in time to Paris in the 1920s through a stunning
chain of occurrences. It’s as if he had to make his made-up nostalgia store a reality. Gil travels this
route every night, passing renowned authors from the 1920s. The subsequent events—having a
drink with Hemingway and whatever Salvador Dali is drinking—appear to be the author’s weird
dream. Gil travels this route every night, passing renowned authors from the 1920s. The
subsequent events—having a drink with Hemingway and whatever Salvador Dali is drinking—
appear to be the author’s weird dream.

Someone else’s distant past is another person’s nostalgia. When he realizes this, Gil and
Adriana have already travelled through time to the 1890s. Gil does not find the Belle Ideal
interesting, much as Inez does not find the 1920s alluring, despite Adriana’s assertion that they
were the “golden age.” It appears that golden age thinking is temporal agonistic and has endured
because humanity has advanced to a point of critical thinking and has found the present to be
unsatisfactory. Gil gets to know about his wife’s relationship with Paul, which forces him to move
on with his own life. Inez is a materialistic person who never cared for Gil’s longings and love for
the past or his sensitivities towards the lost generation of writers and artists. Gil gets rid of his
illusion, understands that it is not possible to live in the past, and decides that he’ll live in Paris and
chase his dreams here. He takes a ride by the Seine River at midnight (which again makes him a
“flâneur” figure) and meets the young French woman, Gabrielle, whom he had met earlier but
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couldn’t really get along with until this point. While walking by the river, both Gil and Gabrielle
discover their love for the city of Paris, and they continue walking the streets in the rain.
Before Sunset

Before Sunset is the sequel to a trilogy titled “Before Trilogy,” directed by Richard
Linklater. The films of this trilogy depict three different locations as they go deeper into the story
with two main characters: the Peloponnese, Vienna, and Paris. American Jesse and French Céline
enjoyed a brief twelve-hour affair in Vienna in the 1995 film Before Sunrise. Nine years later, in
Before Sunset, they rekindle their love affair. Céline is now residing in Paris, while Jesse is in town
promoting his most recent novel. Before Sunset is a travel guide to the city of Paris. A classic
Parisian café atmosphere is there, complete with stacked wicker chairs and cigarette smoke
encircling the coffee mugs. Authors like Hemingway and James Joyce once frequented the dismal,
dusty bookstore, which is shown in the film.

The film begins in the Shakespeare & Company Bookstore, one of Paris’ most well-known
and recognizable establishments. Numerous other films have featured it, including Midnight in
Paris (2011), another significant movie with a Parisian setting. At the bookstore, Jesse is
promoting his book “This Time,” which recounts his and Céline’s chance meeting in Vienna nine
years ago. He is taken aback when Céline finds him and resumes their conversation. It is exactly
the same place where they left off. The streets that Jesse and Céline stroll (which can be termed an
act of flânerie) while reminiscing about the past are shown in the following locations: Directly
across from the main street is the Shakespeare & Company Bookshop. Céline and Jesse find out
on this street if anyone made it back to Vienna. The couple starts strolling through the streets of
Paris when Céline suggests, “So you want to go to a café?” She says, “There is one a little further.”
They walk for some time and finally find the cafe called “LEPURE CAFÉ.”

There is also an instance of a boat ride, as they go straight onto the banks of the river from
the park. Their stroll through the streets of Paris on Rue Saint-Paul comes to an end with Céline
making an eloquent speech about cheap labor and how the world is falling into pieces. She is a
highly upbeat individual. The main characters go through a variety of emotions as they wander
through the suburbs of Paris and observe the urban landscape in the modern city of love. It should
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be emphasized that Before Sunset beautifully demonstrates how people’s lives and behaviours, as
well as the emotional journey of two people in love, may be influenced by their surroundings and
a specific urban area. The two people’s fresh and unrevealed feelings may have been greatly
enabled and even pushed by the location’s intricate physical layout and other factors. Since this is
the case, it’s important to comprehend how contemporary urban planning influences not just the
locations in which people live and work but also a significant portion of daily life that either
supports or obstructs how people perceive the world.

Paris inspired the two idlers to indulge in the city of love and to engage in this rendezvous
after their protracted nine-year absence, during which they each lived their lives in a different
nation. Both locals and visitors are encouraged by the urban setting to take walks and explore the
city’s attractions on a whim. Cities have an impact on how people live and develop because they
are more than just places where people live physically. Both as subjects and as objects, a person
and a city interact with one another. The sociohistorical background the city provides can have an
impact on both an individual’s personality and the collective character of society. Cities are the
foundation of human existence; hence, it is important to underline the reciprocity of their
connection. Before Sunset provides a compelling illustration of how one person can influence a
society and vice versa.

Works Cited:
“City and People’s Lives in the Film ‘Before Sunset” – 1097 Words: Essay Example.” Free Essays,
ivypanda.com/essays/city-and-peoples-lives-in-the-film-before-sunset/. Accessed 15 May
2023.
“Filming Locations for before Sunset (2004).” The Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations,
www.movie-locations.com/movies/b/Before-Sunset.php. Accessed 15 May 2023.
“Modern Flaneurs.” Taylor Davidson, taylordavidson.com/2009/flaneur/. Accessed 15 May 2023.
“The Communist Flâneur, or, Joyce’s Boredom.” Joyce, Benjamin and Magical Urbanism, 2011,
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Before Sunset. Directed by Richard Linklater, performances by Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, and
Vernon Dobtcheff. Castle Rock, 2004.
Boscagli, Maurizia, and Enda Duffy. Joyce, Benjamin and Magical Urbanism. Rodopi, 2011.
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Harris, Claire J. “I Did a ‘Before Sunset’ Tour of Paris While Despairing about the World.” Medium,
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about-the-world-c86393e1ee48.
Karnik, Namita. “An Architectural Review of Midnight in Paris.” RTF | Rethinking The Future, 10
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Lefebvre, Henri, and Donald Nicholson-Smith. The Production of Space. Blackwell, 2017.
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Migrator. “Midnight in Paris, My Favourite Destination Movie: A Moveable Feast of Romanticism
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