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Aldous Huxley
BIOGRAPHY
Aldous Leonard Huxley was born on July 6, 1894, in Godalming in
Surrey, England.
Huxley began writing professionally in 1920 for various
magazines, and published his first novel, Crome Yellow, in 1920 at the age of twenty-six.
Late in life Huxley received many honors, including an award from
the American Academy of Letters in 1959 and election as a Companion of Literature of the British Royal Society of Literature in 1962.
Aldous Huxley died of cancer of the tongue on November 22,
writing the screenplays for such notable films as Pride and Prejudice (1941) and Jane Eyre (1944).
TITLE
Brave New World's ironic title derives from Miranda's speech in William Shakespeare's The Tempest, Act V, Scene I:
O wonder! How many goodly creatures are there here! How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world, That has such people in't.
SETTING
The action of the novel is set in
London, England and a place named Savage Reservation in 632 A.F (A.F. stands for After Ford, the number of years after he started the assembly line).
CHARACTERS RELATION
Bernard Marx ( an Alpha-Plus psychologist, who brings John the Savage and Linda back from the Savage Reservation) Helmholtz Watson ( Bernard s friend) John the Savage ( the son born of parents from the brave new world, but raised in the Savage Reservation)
Mustapha Mond (one of ten World Controllers) The D.H.C. (The Director of Hatcheries and Conditioning for Central London) ABANDONS Linda ( Johns mother)
Lenina Crown (a conventional young woman who is drawn unconsciously towards danger) ADVISE S
Henry Foster (He serves as a counterpoint to Bernard Marxwhere Bernard is anti-social, eccentric, and individual, Henry is the model conditioned citizen.)
Every one works for every one else. We cant do without any
one. Even Epsilons are useful. We couldnt do without Epsilons. Every one works for every one else. We cant do without any one. . . .
A gramme is always better than a damn . . . A gramme in time
saves nine . . . One cubic centimetre cures ten gloomy sentiments . . . Everybodys happy nowadays . . . Every one works for every one else . . . When the individual feels, the community reels . . . Never put off till to-morrow the fun you can have to-day . . . Progress is lovely
UTOPIA/ DYSTOPIA
Definitions : UTOPIA: -literally it means <<place that does not exist>> and describes an imaginary world. DYSTOPIA: -an imaginary place or state in which the condition of life is extremely bad, as from deprivation, oppression, or terror.
DISTOPYA
Brave New World predicts a future where
people dont have serious relationships, where they dont have opinions and are classified from birth into a caste; People sleep carelessly with many different partners; People are filed into five castes: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, or Epsilon.
FUTURISTIC SOCIETY
Huxley describes a futuristic society that has an alarming
effect of dehumanization (the individual is sacrificed for the state, science is used to control and subjugate, and all forms of art and history are outlawed). This occurs through the absence of spirituality and family, the obsession with physical pleasure, and the misuse of technology.
Bibliography:
by Infobase Publishing