Aldous Huxleys

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Aldous Huxleys

• BRAVE NEW WORLD

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Huxleys Life

• Born in 1894 in England
• Grew up in a family of well connected, educated
  people
• Grandfather T.H. Huxley introduced Darwins
  theories to wide audience
• Coined the term agnostic
• Childhood atmosphere dominance of science,
  religion, and education

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Influence

• Taught George Orwell (Eric Blair) at Eton
• Published Brave New World in 1932
• Influenced novels such as Animal Farm, 1984, and
  Fahrenheit 451
• BNW dark, satirical look at world between wars

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History Has Its Influences

• 1920s 30s?
• Questioning of morality and sex
• Russian Revolution
• Mass Production (Henry Ford 1913)
• Privacy/distance disintegrates
• The Depression
• Rise in socialist attitudes
• BNW social commentary on changes in
  national attitudes.

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The Dystopia of the Future

• Included in utopian fiction category
• Contains a scientifically dark view of the future

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What is so Brave and New?

• The world was unstable due to 9 Years War and
  economic collapse
• People had to choose world control to
  re-stabilize
• Every action of gov. is used to increase
  stability of Society
• People now created in assembly line
• Family unit no longer exists
• Each child is conditioned and genetically altered
  for a place in a certain caste in Society (Alpha,
  Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon)

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• Worship of Henry Ford has replaced worship of God
• Massive consumption of goods is encouraged
• So is recreational sex
• Everyone Belongs to Everyone Else
• Individuality/ Unhappiness discouraged through
  drugging and conditioning

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Characters

• Bernard Marx A psychologist. Identifies
  himself as a true individual and despises social
  conformity. Longs for intense feelings.
• John the Savage Born of civilized parents but
  raised on a savage reservation. Represents the
  challenge to the perceived utopia
• Lenina Crowne technician in love with John.
  Represents ideal beauty for John though she
  cannot seem to break free of societal
  constraints/ideas

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• Linda Johns mother. Commits ultimate social
  sin by giving birth.
• Mustapha Mond World Controller, intellectually
  and politically powerful. Has a unique view of
  societys values because of his knowledge of
  literature, art, and history.

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Key Vocabulary

• Freemartin Huxleys term for a sterile woman
• Bokanovskys Process basis for mass producing
  humans
• Malthusian Drill contraception practice
• Pneumatic- woman with shapely figure (hot)

• Orgy-porgy term for ritual sexual practice in
  BNW
• Solidarity Service a ritual that has replaced
  the church service