Huxley's Brave New World--help me understand

[Harriet Vane]

I just finished Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, and I just do not understand why it's considered great literature. I have a degree in English and think this is one of those books that, like many modern works, is famous because it is dark, irreverent, and shocking.

 

It's not particularly well written. Description is distinctly lacking. The allegory is obvious and falls flat. The constant reference to sex is off-putting, particularly those passages that talk about conditioning sexual behavior in young children. The decisions to allow the two modern misfits to live on an island are inconsistent with the totalitarian society--I would have thought they would have some sort of "treatments" or be killed. The decision to let the Savage become a hermit is also inconsistent.

 

What is it that I am missing about this book?

 

Why did it make Sonlight's list?

[snowbeltmom]

I just finished Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, and I just do not understand why it's considered great literature.

 

:iagree:

I thought that I was missing something because of my less than stellar literature background.

 

:lurk5:

[NineChoirs]

It has been a few years since I have read this book, but it is one of my favorites. The story is admittedly less than stellar, especially the peculiar ending, but the story is not the main focus of the book. What makes Brave New World so compelling is it's vision of a Utopia. The idea presented by the book is that a Utopia would not be a paradise. The feel of darkness and despair comes from what is supposed to be a perfect world. I found this book to be a much easier read than 1984 which has a similar allegory though with a different viewpoint.

 

The sexual content was utilized to represent how the sexual revolution has become a type of "soma" for our society. It is being used to control the minds of the masses. This is what Huxley was seeing the beginning of while writing his book, and it was fairly prophetic in nature. We are a society which is inundated and controlled by sexual images and references in the name of "entertainment".

 

A lot of the problems with Brave New World come from the fact that it is pretty much a science fiction novel. Science fiction is often dark, irreverent and shocking. This is why many people avoid the genre.

Edited August 11, 2012 by NineChoirs
Had an extra "the" in there.

[Harriet Vane]

It has been a few years since I have read this book, but it is one of my favorites. The story is admittedly less than stellar, especially the peculiar ending, but the story is not the main focus of the book. What makes Brave New World so compelling is it's vision of a Utopia. The idea presented by the book is that a Utopia would not be a paradise. The feel of darkness and despair comes from what is supposed to be a perfect world. I found this book to be a much easier read than 1984 which has a similar allegory though with a different viewpoint.

 

The sexual content was utilized to represent how the sexual revolution has become a type of "soma" for our society. It is being used to control the minds of the masses. This is what Huxley was seeing the beginning of while writing his book, and it was fairly prophetic in nature. We are a society which is inundated and controlled by sexual images and references in the name of "entertainment".

 

A lot of the problems with Brave New World come from the fact that it is pretty much a science fiction novel. Science fiction is often dark, irreverent and shocking. This is why many people avoid the genre.

 

Thanks for the perspective. I really enjoy both science fiction and fantasy, and still find this book rather poorly written. If the author wants to wallop the reader over the head with a message, he might be better served writing non-fiction essays rather than a flat attempt at a story. JMHO--and I do appreciate your input as well.

[Laura Corin]

I think it was groundbreaking rather than good. Some literature is important, even if it's not great.

 

Isn't he fascinated by zippers? I read it recently and kept noticing how excited he was about them.

 

Laura

[Harriet Vane]

I think it was groundbreaking rather than good. Some literature is important, even if it's not great.

 

Isn't he fascinated by zippers? I read it recently and kept noticing how excited he was about them.

 

Laura

 

Yes, I noticed the zipper obsession too. Also scents--there is a lot of emphasis on scent but hardly any discussion of food or taste.

 

I tend to want to study those things that are well done. That's my beef with modern fiction--so much of it is considered important when in reality it is not well written. It seems in the last century that if it's dark, shocking, or anti-social in some way, then it becomes important. As a society, we have come to value the "message" over skill, and most particularly, we value unhappy or dysfunctional messages.

[HistoryBuff]

What makes it pertinent now is that so many of the way out ideas written about in the 30s (I think ) have come true. Babies in bottles, drugs (soma) and how people like the feelies (think those controllers on videogames or movies where you feel the action).

 

People having sex without thinking about anything more than fun...

 

I think there are also many comparisons of John Savage to Jesus. So you have the religious component.

 

I believe you can find many good interpretations online of this important book.

[TracyR]

I read this book in 12th grade in high school and its not the fact its great literature in the way it was written but the time period in which many of the things written in the story hadn't even existed yet.

 

If you look at the book and to know it has predicted many things that happen today that hadn't even existed at the time the author wrote it. Things like:

 

Baby's being born outside of the womb ( test tube babies)

People taking drugs to feel good ( look at all the drugs made by the pharmaceutical companies today to make people feel better against depression)

People divided into sects , Alpha, Beta, Gamma , Delta ( almost like today,, seperation of rich and poor)

The constant bombardment of things that give us instant contentment (hmm, sound familiar?)

The control of hard fought liberties and freedoms ( look at how our freedom today is , well, less free)

Promiscuity with no consequences

 

I believe John Savage represented those who reject society's values and creates a life for himself, free from control ( does this sound familiar homeschoolers???? ) though he himself was a flawed character as well.

 

I can go on and on. This book definitely makes the reader think about what can happen in a society that portrays itself to be perfect. That there are underlying evils to it and what the cost of that so called 'freedom' is.

The book itself was not considered a classic in the way it was written but for the very fact it causes the reader to think about the future, and its consequences.

This book was written in 1931 ,,, what a futuristic predication it has become.

I really believe that in order to be a well read person and well educated, one should read this book. It definitely will be something my daughters will read at some point in their education as well.

Edited August 11, 2012 by TracyR

[GailV]

I read this book in 12th grade in high school and its not the fact its great literature in the way it was written but the time period in which many of the things written in the story hadn't even existed yet.

 

If you look at the book and to know it has predicted many things that happen today that hadn't even existed at the time the author wrote it. Things like:

 

Baby's being born outside of the womb ( test tube babies)

People taking drugs to feel good ( look at all the drugs made by the pharmaceutical companies today to make people feel better against depression)

People divided into sects , Alpha, Beta, Gamma , Delta ( almost like today,, seperation of rich and poor)

The constant bombardment of things that give us instant contentment (hmm, sound familiar?)

The control of hard fought liberties and freedoms ( look at how our freedom today is , well, less free)

Promiscuity with no consequences

 

I believe John Savage represented those who reject society's values and creates a life for himself, free from control ( does this sound familiar homeschoolers???? ) though he himself was a flawed character as well.

 

I can go on and on. This book definitely makes the reader think about what can happen in a society that portrays itself to be perfect. That there are underlying evils to it and what the cost of that so called 'freedom' is.

The book itself was not considered a classic in the way it was written but for the very fact it causes the reader to think about the future, and its consequences.

This book was written in 1931 ,,, what a futuristic predication it has become.

I really believe that in order to be a well read person and well educated, one should read this book. It definitely will be something my daughters will read at some point in their education as well.

 

I can think of many books I'm not too impressed with for various reasons -- the Iliad heads the list, by the way -- but I agree with Tracy that sometimes we read, discuss, and think about them anyway.