Post on 23-Feb-2016
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Aldous Huxley
Life and Inspiration
Growing Up Huxley
Born on July 26, 1894Wealthy, privileged Son of famous biology scientist, Thomas Henry Huxley,
who contributed to the Theory of Evolution. Related to published authors and educators, very
educated familyAttended Oxford, published collection of poetryTravelled between London and Italy, visited India and
US United States played big role in many of his ideas for
writing.
1984 BNW Sex forbidden Work is mundane No freedom Government enforces behavior
Constant war Nobody allowed to read
Shakespeare Winston has questions, seeks
answers
Limit information and control what is released
No need for progress. Status quo is preferred.
Sex enforced Vacation is mundane Excessive freedom Government and laws replaced
by behavior training. No war or conflict Nobody wants to read
Shakespeare Population takes soma anytime
something confusing disrupts their happiness.
Flood public with information and there is no need to modify
Misuse of science and technology masking as progress.
Huxley on 1984 Within the next generation I
believe that the world's leaders will discover that infant conditioning and narco-hypnosis are more efficient, as instruments of government, than clubs and prisons, and that the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience. (Huxley letter to Orwell)
Upon visiting United States, Huxley observed a “generous extravagance” but he wasn’t so sure that he liked the way life moved in this bustling and busy country. “In places of public amusement, in dancing and motoring…there is so little conversation…It is all movement and noise, like the water gurgling out of bath, down the waste. Yes, down the waste.” Those thoughts about a world driven by self gratification inspired many of his works, but especially in his design of Brave New World.
Huxley’s Influences Mussolini’s policy towards banning
contraception for the improvement of man power in Italy.
He was also greatly interested in the recent advancements in behavior training especially BF Skinner and Pavlov.
His background with science combined with the fast movement of technology gave him interesting perspectives to consider about the direction of the human race.
It’s important to note BNW was NOT influenced by WWII, Hitler, Stalin, or Communism who would come after the book was published.
Brave New World was written in 1932 and considered one of the most popular dystopian novels.
Utopia is a term used to describe an ideal society. The phrase is coined by Sir Thomas More’s novel called Utopia (1516) that takes place on a fictional island.
The term ‘dystopia’ is a sarcastic play off of the term ‘Utopia’ and refers to a futuristic society that may ‘appear’ to show the components of an ideal society, but indeed is far from it. The term is negative and typically, in writing, technology, science, and human disregard for the important aspects of the human spirit are lost.
Dystopia vs Utopia
Huxley is a critic and he writes the essay as a satire. Satires are meant to ridicule or draw out the absurdity of a particular topic and does not mean ‘funny’.
Even in 1932, Huxley had little faith that humans would be able to manage moderation and think about the cost of so-called ‘progress’.
One may think that Huxley’s novel could be newly published considering the many current topics that are at the forefront of our society today.