system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[1984]why does the Party need to bother creating edited versions classic works of literature that contain material that conflict with party doctrine in their original form? why not just expunge them from history entirely?


Why does the party care if people in 2084 know who Shakespeare is?
gpt
As Tyrion Lannister said in Game of Thrones: "When you cut a man's tongue out, you are not proving him a liar. You are only showing the world that you fear what he might say." 

If the Party attempted to outright purge classic works of literature that are a huge part of pre-Party culture (which is clearly still lingering on and difficult to get rid of, hence the Ministry of Truth's entire reason for existing) it would be a huge signal to the world that those works of literature are dangerous to the Party. Someone might find a way to hide a copy and hang onto it. Perhaps over time, that copy might contribute to the foundation of a resistance that will eventually overthrow the Party. 

By releasing edited versions of the literature, the Party slowly muddies the water over time to the point where the original loses its power to hurt them. People won't see it as proof that there exists a factual reality outside of the Party's doctrine, they'll just see a "wrong" or "misprinted" copy of the literature that they're already familiar with.

Romeo and Juliet didn't die for love, they died for the Party, silly. Where'd you find that old piece of rubbish?