Brave New World

Introductory Notes on Brave New World by Aldous Huxley


Novel of ideas: Less emphasis on plot and character development

Satire (a literary work or writing style in which human vice or folly is attacked through irony, derision, or wit. What is Brave New World attacking?

Society functions as a character

Point of View: third person omniscient (all knowing); narrator is not one of the characters and thus has the ability to tell us what is going on within any of the character's minds.

Tone (attitude of the writer): Everything is great! Be aware of the irony here,
questioning the assumptions about the brave new world.

Major Values: Community, Identity, Stability (motto of World State). How are these values achieved?

Setting: London, AF 632 (2540 Current Era)

Utopia: an ideally perfect place, especially in its social, political, and moral aspects

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From Thomas More's Utopia (1516)
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Title from the Greek ou or "not" and topos or place, i.e. "no place; a pun on
the Greek eutopia or "happy place"
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Utopian fiction reveals need for contemporary social reform

Dystopia: an imaginary place or state in which the condition of life is extremely bad, with deprivation, oppression, or terror.

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Literaly, "bad place"
* In dystopias, an agency or authority (often the government) is frequently shown
to be in total control--the consent of the citizens is irrelevant. There may be
chaos and total social breakdown with no form of social control or security.

Homework: Read Chapter 3 and complete questions from handout. About 3/4 of the way through Chapter 3, you may get confused about who is talking. Huxley uses paragraph breaks to show conversations that are going on simultaneously between Mustapha Mond, the DHC, and the students; Bernard Marx and Henry Foster; Lenina Crowne and her friend Fanny. I suggest highlighting the different sections so you can better follow the dialogue.

Prepare for quiz on Chapters 1-3 and notes for Friday.