1. Brave New World
By Aldous Huxley
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2. DEFINITIONS
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3. SATIRE
A literary style that blends criticism, wit, and humor with the intention of improving society.
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4. ANTI-UTOPIAN NOVEL
A novel that presents the idea of a “perfect world” as an impossibility. Examples are 1984, The Hunger Games, The Handmaiden’s Tale, Divergent, and Brave New World.
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5. NOVEL OF IDEAS
A novel in which the ideas the characters represent are more important than the characters themselves. Characters with opposing views are included, with the novel providing the setting for the conflict of these ideas.
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6. Aldous Huxley
Born in Surrey, England, 1894, into a distinguished scientific and literary family.
Planned to become a doctor, but an eye disease almost blinded him, thus preventing him from reaching this particular goal even though it was a temporary illness.
Attended Oxford University
Degree in English Literature
Published two volumes of poetry while still a student
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7. BNW is Huxley’s most famous novel. Moved to U.S. in 1937.
Published his first novel in 1921, a novel about pretentious intellectuals.
This was followed by several more satiric novels, establishing Huxley’s reputation as a critic of Western civilization.
BNW is Huxley’s most famous novel.
Moved to U.S. in 1937.
Died in California in 1963 on the same day JFK was assassinated.
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8. INTRODUCTION to BNW Criticism of Western civilization in 1932
A lament for the loss of old values
A warning about the future
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9. The novel takes place in London in 2540 A.D.
The date indicated in the novel is 632 A.F. (After Ford)
The novel anticipates developments in reproductive technology and sleep learning that combine to change society.
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10. Characters in the novel “worship” Henry Ford
Ford developed the assembly line. For the first time in history products could be mass produced for consumption.
Ford also had strict standards of behavior for his employees. He spied on them in their personal lives and if they didn’t meet his standards they were fired.
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11. In the novel BNW
Babies are grown in bottles in an assembly line kind of way.
The government controls the behavior of its citizens.
This was intentional satirical writing by Huxley about American culture in general.
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12. An Ironic Title:
The term “Brave New World” comes from a quote in Shakespeare’s play “The Tempest” (Act 5, scene 1)
Oh wonder! How many goodly creatures are there here! How beauteous mankind is! Oh brave new world! That has such people in’t!
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13. The reason this is ironic:
Characters in the novel are forbidden to read Shakespeare and classic literature
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14. Other values in Brave New World society:
Children are not “born.” Eggs are fertilized in a laboratory and fetuses mature in bottles. The babies are then “decanted” and taken out of the bottle. There are no such things as marriage or love or family.
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15. 5 Castes in Society Alphas (highest caste- most privileges) Betas
Gammas
Deltas
Epsilons (lowest caste- fewest privileges)
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16. Members of this society are “conditioned” to like their caste through sleep conditioning- a recording playing while they sleep tells them what to like and how to think.
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17. Sex is only for recreation NOT procreation
Sex is only for recreation NOT procreation. Words like “mother” and “father” are considered dirty words that make everyone in the society uncomfortable.
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18. The government gives out a drug called “soma” that citizens ingest every day. It makes everyone happy and is a mild hallucinogen without any after effects.
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19. The Government uses the drug to control all the citizens and keep them compliant.
Think about this.
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20. Finally,
Spending time alone is considered an outrageous waste of time. Admitting to wanting to be an individual in the social group is shocking, horrifying, and embarrassing.
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21. Huxley warns, “This is possible: for heaven’s sake be careful about it
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22. BNW addresses these issues with an irony that is simultaneously hilarious and horrifying.
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23. Is this prophetic???
Can we ignore the similarities between Huxley’s imaginary world and our current real world?
Test tube babies
Cloned animals
Genetically engineered fruits and vegetables
Dependence upon technology
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24. https://video. search. yahoo. com/search/video
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