Brave New World Aldous Huxley (1894-1963)

reading schedule Tuesday: Chapters 1-8= 140 pp. Friday: whole book= 260 pp. 30pp /night

fun facts He died the same day as the JFK assassination Grandson of T.H. Huxley: a biologist and Darwinist who coined the term “agnostic(ism)” Grandfather of Matthew Arnold (writer and critic) Nephew of Victorian novelist Mrs. Humphrey Ward Brother of Julian Huxley, a great zoologist, 1st director of UNESCO, and biology chair at Rice University

The Sunday Times Article on my website Huxley taught at Eton College in Berkshire, England A notable student!

flower power Cult figure of the 1960s with his “The Doors of Perception”– escaline Textbook for the flower generation Adulation cause him to back off Wife gave him LSD on his death bed (Laura Archera wrote the Huxley Biography This Timeless Moment) The Doors named their band after his work

more fun facts The Beatles credit him as the influence for their Sgt. Pepper album He met all the famous literary figures of the day: D.H. Lawrence, Sassoon, Yeats, etc. Moved to Cali in 1937—wrote screenplays and became close friends with Charlie Chaplin, Orson Wells, and astronomer Edwin Hubble

inspiration Mike Wallace’s interview with Aldous Huxley

Dystopia The term has been around since the 19th century coined by English philosopher and economist John Stuart Mill in 1868; but as a genre of fiction, it really took off in the 20th century and became very prevalent in the years after World War II

Dystopian Society refers to fictional societies that are incredibly imperfect, lacking the harmonious and egalitarian qualities of life depicted in utopias contains many of the same elements as utopias—such as intense measures of social control—but these elements are taken to horrific extremes, with emphasis upon their negative effects makes a criticism about a current trend, societal norm, or political system

Characteristics of 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. The natural world is banished and distrusted. The society is an illusion of a perfect utopian world.

Characteristics of Citizens Citizens are perceived to be under constant surveillance. Citizens have a fear of the outside world. Citizens live in a dehumanized state. Citizens conform to uniform expectations. Individuality and dissent are bad.  

Dystopian Control 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.

Types of Dystopian Controls Corporate control: One or more large corporations control society through products, advertising, and/or the media. Examples include Minority Report and Running Man.  Bureaucratic control: Society is controlled by a mindless bureaucracy through a tangle of red tape, relentless regulations, and incompetent government officials. Examples in film include Brazil.  Technological control: Society is controlled by technology—through computers, robots, and/or scientific means. Examples include The Matrix, The Terminator, and I, Robot. Philosophical/religious control: Society is controlled by philosophical or religious ideology often enforced through a dictatorship or theocratic government.

Dystopian Literature a subset of the larger category of anti-Utopian literature, which generally satirizes Utopian thinking stands out from other anti-utopian writing in that it doesn’t just say what’s wrong with utopian models of society, but offers an alternate view of social potentialities concerned with problems of the political and cultural context that produces them There is often a prescriptive element—Dystopian fictions almost always offer some kind of warning (often implicit) of what will happen should present trends continue

The Dystopian Protagonist often feels trapped and is struggling to escape. questions the existing social and political systems.  believes or feels that something is terribly wrong with the society in which he or she lives. helps the audience recognizes the negative aspects of the dystopian world through his or her perspective.

Dystopian Themes mastery of nature—to the point that it becomes barren, or turns against humankind technological advances that enslave humans or regiment their lives; the mandatory division of people into castes or groups with specialized functions a collective loss of memory and history making mankind easier to manipulate psychologically and ultimately leading to dehumanization. 

George Orwell’s 1984 one of the most famous dystopian novels, was written in 1949, shortly after World War II and the rise of totalitarian states on the right and the left, such as Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union under Stalin depicts Big Brother and the Thought Police, elements of a profoundly oppressive state bent on maintaining absolute control over individuals (including even their thoughts)