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BRAVE NEW WORLD
BY: ALDOUS HUXLEY
“HOW BEAUTEOUS MANKIND IS! O, BRAVE NEW
WORLD THAT HAS SUCH PEOPLE IN ’T”
(THE TEMPEST V.I.217-8)
ALDOUS HUXLEY
• Born July 26, 1894 in Surrey, England
• Mother came from a family of poets
• Father was the son of Thomas Huxley,
who is known for his work in biology
and with Darwinian techniques.
INFLUENCES
• Education
• Studied English literature and philosophy –
degree in 1915
• Wanted to become a doctor before blind
• Blindness
• Look for the references in the novel to
being “blind” both figuratively and
literally
HUXLEY CONT.
• Wrote satirical pieces about the British upper class
• Also write poems and essays
• 1921-1928- Wrote four novels
• 1932- Published Brave New World
HUXLEY CONT.
• 1937- Moved to California
• Escape the European potential of war
• Early 40s
• Started to experiment with hallucinogenic
drugs like LSD and mescaline.
• Also interested in hypnotism
• Died November 22, 1963 in Los Angeles
BRAVE NEW WORLD
• After1921-1928, Huxley became interested in
writing about ethical and philosophical subjects
• Intrigued by the conflict between the interests
of the individual and society
• Interested in how one finds himself/herself
within a social society
THUS, BRAVE NEW WORLD WAS BORN
Born with the context of a
futuristic world where free will
and individuality have been
sacrificed in order to achieve
COMPLETE social stability
HUXLEY’S WARNING
Brave New World
Huxley’s attempt to make man realize
that since knowledge is power, he who
controls and uses knowledge wields
the power. Science and technology
should be the servants of man – man
should not be adapted and enslaved to
them.
BRAVE NEW WORLD
• A satire on a utopian society based on assembly lines.
• The book is critical of the society presented in it
• Strongly satirical of the problems in our own society.
• Omniscient, godlike point of view.
BRAVE NEW WORLD—SETTING
• London, England
• A.F. 623
• A.F. stands for “After Ford,” the number of years after he
started the assembly line.
GENRE: UTOPIA OR DYSTOPIA?
Utopia - A place, state or condition that is ideally
perfect in respect of politics, laws, customs and
conditions.
Dystopia –A futuristic, imagined universe in which
oppressive societal control and the illusion of a
perfect society are maintained through corporate,
bureaucratic, technological, moral, or totalitarian
control.
Dystopias, through an exaggerated worst-case
scenario, make a criticism about a current trend,
societal norm, or political system.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A DYSTOPIAN
SOCIETY
• Propaganda is used to control the citizens of society.
• Information, independent thought, and freedom are
restricted.
•
A figurehead or concept is worshipped by the citizens of
the society.
•
Citizens are perceived to be under constant surveillance.
CHARACTERISTICS CONTINUED
•
•
•
•
•
Citizens have a fear of the outside world.
Citizens live in a dehumanized state.
The natural world is banished and distrusted.
Citizens conform to uniform expectations. Individuality
and dissent are bad.
The society is an illusion of a perfect utopian world.
DYSTOPIAN CONTROLS
Most dystopian works present a world in which oppressive
societal control and the illusion of a perfect society are
maintained through one or more of the following types of
controls:
•
Corporate control: One or more large corporations control
society through products, advertising, and/or the media.
•
Bureaucratic control: Society is controlled by a mindless
bureaucracy through a tangle of red tape, relentless
regulations, and incompetent government officials.
DYSTOPIAN CONTROLS CONT.
• Technological control: Society is controlled by
technology—through computers, robots, and/or
scientific means.
•
Philosophical/religious control: Society is controlled
by philosophical or religious ideology often enforced
through a dictatorship or theocratic government.
DYSTOPIAN PROTAGONIST:
• Often feels trapped and struggles to escape.
• Questions the existing social and political systems.
• Believes or feels that something is terribly wrong with
his or her society.
• Helps the audience recognize the negative aspects of
the dystopian world through his or her perspective.
LITERARY DEVICES
• Animal Imagery
• Symbolism
• Allusion
• Tone
• Foil (character who contrasts with the main
character)
• Point of View
• Theme