1984

           ItwasnicknamedMuckHousebythepeoplewhoworkedinit,sheremarked. Thereshehadremainedforayear,helpingtoproducebookletsinsealedpacketswithtitleslike‘SpankingStories’or‘OneNightinaGirls’School’, tobeboughtfurtivelybyproletarianyouthswhowereundertheimpressionthattheywerebuyingsomethingillegal. 

           ‘Whatarethesebookslike?’saidWinstoncuriously. 

           ‘Oh,ghastlyrubbish. They’reboring,really. Theyonlyhavesixplots,buttheyswapthemroundabit. OfcourseIwasonlyonthekaleidoscopes. IwasneverintheRewriteSquad. I’mnotliterary,dear—notevenenoughforthat.’ 

           HelearnedwithastonishmentthatalltheworkersinPornosec,excepttheheadsofthedepartments,weregirls. Thetheorywasthatmen,whosesexinstinctswerelesscontrollablethanthoseofwomen,wereingreaterdangerofbeingcorruptedbythefilththeyhandled. 

           ‘Theydon’tevenlikehavingmarriedwomenthere,’sheadded. Girlsarealwayssupposedtobesopure. Here’sonewhoisn’t,anyway. 

           Shehadhadherfirstlove-affairwhenshewassixteen,withaPartymemberofsixtywholatercommittedsuicidetoavoidarrest. ‘Andagoodjobtoo,’saidJulia,‘otherwisethey’dhavehadmynameoutofhimwhenheconfessed.’ Sincethentherehadbeenvariousothers. Lifeasshesawitwasquitesimple.Youwantedagoodtime; ‘they’,meaningtheParty,wantedtostopyouhavingit;youbroketherulesasbestyoucould. Sheseemedtothinkitjustasnaturalthat‘they’shouldwanttorobyouofyourpleasuresasthatyoushouldwanttoavoidbeingcaught.