B RAVE N EW W ORLD By Aldous Huxley Introduction Lecture

What is utopia? What characteristics does this genre have? What does a utopia look like to you?

G ENRE : D YSTOPIA Utopia: an ideal society possessing a perfect social and political system (Sir Thomas More) Dystopia: a society where the condition of life is extremely bad, as from deprivation, oppression, or terror Often futuristic Often under the guise of being a utopia Often totalitarian 1

P OPULAR D YSTOPIAS Earliest Literary Dystopia: Plato’s Republic Government had a deep suspicion of literature Viewed educated men as potentially subversive Genre became extremely popular in the 20 th century… …WHY? 2

P OPULAR D YSTOPIAS 20 th century popularity Attempts to put utopian ideals into place resulted in real-life dystopias: IDEOLOGIES Soviet Communism German Nazism Western Consumerism Modernism Technological mass production 3

IDEOLOGY ( BELIEF SYSTEM ) “the imaginary relation to the real conditions of existence.” - Althusser “The body of ideas reflecting the social needs and aspirations of an individual, a group, a class, or a culture. A system of beliefs or theories, usually political, held by an individual or a group.” –OED Ideologies are all around us, and usually we don’t recognize them. 3.5

W ESTERN C ONSUMERISM A social and economic order that is based on the systematic creation and fostering of a desire to purchase goods and services in ever greater amounts. People purchasing goods and consuming materials in excess of their basic needs Characterized by propaganda and advertising everywhere What is the difference between the two? “Who owns you?” 3

M ODERNISM A group of movements in the 20 th century that sought to break with the past To eliminate traditions To live without dependence on the family, the Church, and the community Only novel and innovative ideas were considered worthy Technological advancement was worshiped without questioning the possible ill consequences 3

M ASS P RODUCTION Product of the Industrial Revolution Production of large amounts of standardized products, including and especially on assembly lines Contributed to consumerism Henry Ford’s Model T was the first Mass produced car. 3

B RAVE N EW WORLD Portrays a society that has been socially engineered for a mindless happiness. No need for a totalitarian state because everyone is so “amused” and entertained by sex and drugs. Technology drives the culture and takes away one’s humanity A critique of consumerism, technology worship, mass media hypnotism 3

B RAVE N EW WORLD Human beings are treated like different model cars trundling off the Ford assembly line. Babies are bred in bottles for designated roles in society comparable The family is seen as unnecessary and revolting. 3

A LDOUS H UXLEY Born to intellectual, wealthy family Christian worldview Pacifist Experimentation with drugs, especially hallucinogens Loss of eyesight, frequent illness

M ETROPOLIS, THE M OVIE German silent film, 1927 Credited as the first dystopian movie. Depicting a mechanized, rigid society with a mindless, self-indulgent upper class benefiting from the brutal exploitation of the working-class masses. (Ironically, the screenwriter of this hymn to equality and love, Thea von Harbou, went on to work with the Nazis.) 3

1984 (G EORGE O RWELL ) QUESTION #3 Orwell portrays the potential effects of Soviet Communism Totalitarian state, where everyone is watched by Big Brother TV cameras capture everyone’s movements No one has any freedoms Children spy on their parents and turn them in for any kind of political dissent 3

1984 (G EORGE ORWELL ) Parents lose moral authority over their children Children raised by the state (“It takes a village”) Doublethink: to hold simultaneously two opinions which cancelled out, knowing them to be contradictory and believing in both of them. War Is Peace, Ignorance Is Strength, Freedom Is Slavery Newspeak: the attempt to make certain thoughts inexpressible through the reform of language. Example: Ethnic Cleansing 3