1. Brave New World Introductory notes to the novel and the author

2. About the author  Aldous Huxley (1894-1963), English novelist and critic, is best known for his dystopian novel Brave New World (1931). Besides novels, he published travel books, histories, poems, plays, and essays on philosophy, arts, sociology, religion and morals.  Aldous Huxley was born in Surrey, England on July 26, 1894, into a well-to-do upper-middle- class family.  When Huxley was fourteen his mother died.

3.  At the age of 16 Huxley suffered an attack of keratitis punctata and became totally blind for a period of about 18 months.  By using special glasses, one eye recovered sufficiently, and he was able to read.  He also learned Braille.  Despite a condition of near- blindness, Huxley continued his studies at Balliol College, Oxford (1913-15), receiving his B.A. in English in 1916.

4.  Unable to pursue his chosen career as a scientist - or fight in World War on the front - Huxley turned to writing. His first collection of poetry appeared in 1916 and two more volumes followed by 1920.  Huxley's first novel, Crome Yellow, a witty criticism of society, appeared in 1921.  Huxley's style, a combination of brilliant dialogue, cynicism, and social criticism, made him one of the most fashionable literary figures of the decade.

5.  During the 1920s Huxley formed a close friendship with D.H. Lawrence with whom he traveled in Italy and France.  For most of the 1920s Huxley lived in Italy, and in the 1930s he moved near Toulon, where he wrote Brave New World, a dark vision of a highly technological society of the future.

6.  In the1930s Huxley moved with the guru-figure Gerald Heard to the United States, believing that the Californian climate would help his eyesight.  After this turning point in his life, Huxley abandoned pure fictional writing and chose the essay as the vehicle for expressing his ideas.  Brave New World Revisited appeared in 1958. Huxley's other later works include The Devils Of Loudon, Island, and Literature And Science, a collection of essays.  In 1961 Huxley suffered a severe loss when his house and his papers were totally destroyed in a bush-fire.  Huxley died in Los Angeles on November 22, 1963.

7. About the novel  Brave New World belongs to the genre of utopian literature.  A utopia is an imaginary society organized to create ideal conditions for human beings, eliminating hatred, pain, neglect, and all of the other evils of the world.  While utopic societies described are meant to represent the perfect society, sometimes utopias are created to satirize existing societies.  The societies they describe are called dystopias, places where things are badly awry. Either term, utopia or dystopia, could correctly be used to describe Brave New World.

8. Themes A theme is a fundamental and often universal idea explored in a literary work. Here are some of the themes that occur in the novel:  The use of technology to control society  Consumerism  Totalitarianism and the dangers it presents  The notion that truth and happiness cannot coexist

9. Motifs A motif is a recurring structure, contrast, or literary device that can help to develop and inform the text's major themes. Some of the motifs that occur in the novel are:  “Pneumatic”  Ford  Alienation  Sex  Shakespeare

10. Symbols A symbol is an object, character, figure, or color used to represent abstract ideas or concepts. Some of the symbols that occur in the novel are:  Soma   Grey  Mulberry (Color)  Green  Khaki  Black