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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It’s worth reading. That is more than can be said for many books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
the longest 3.5 hours of my life
perhaps it is just stylistic difference but this was such a slog to get through. the concepts themselves are beautiful, tragic, and fascinating. but the serious overwhelming of frilly language was so painful
concepts are five stars but presentation is a 1.5 to me
perhaps it is just stylistic difference but this was such a slog to get through. the concepts themselves are beautiful, tragic, and fascinating. but the serious overwhelming of frilly language was so painful
concepts are five stars but presentation is a 1.5 to me
dark
funny
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Brave New World has an entrancing beginning, despite the vast amount of information that gets dumped on the reader. Huxley is skillful in his delivery of this information. The ending features a satisfying Socratic dialogue, which brings me to my next observation. Brave New World seems to be inspired greatly by the argumentation of Socrates in [book:The Republic|30289] by Plato. Socrates argues that for there to be perfect justice and equality, children would have to be separated from their parents at birth and raised within a certain caste that performs its respective function to society. That way, there is no favoritism, only meritocracy.
**Contains semi-spoilers here on**
Huxley goes a step further and has these children be defined within a certain caste at the fetal stage through chemical treatments. This is no longer meritocracy, but forced predestination through human intervention. Just like in The Republic, the ruling class (Mustapha Mond in Brave New World, for example) is aware of the truth, but choose to propagate the status quo instead. For the rest of society, there is happiness contingent on an ignorance of the truth. We are left with the question of which is more important: truth or happiness? I found validity in both Mustapha Mond and John's arguments at the end. This is very much a philosophical argument. How do you define the greater good? Their right to suffer and experience life unadulterated to the greatest extent (John's argument)? Or protect them and subvert nature to the greatest degree in order for them to always be well-fed, well-clothed, and a manufactured form of "happy"?
--
A brief breakdown of my rating: amazing beginning and ending, more than a few boring parts in the middle that didn't seem to drive the plot forward. For its ideas, I would give it 4 stars. For the plot, it must be bumped down to 3 stars.
**Contains semi-spoilers here on**
Huxley goes a step further and has these children be defined within a certain caste at the fetal stage through chemical treatments. This is no longer meritocracy, but forced predestination through human intervention. Just like in The Republic, the ruling class (Mustapha Mond in Brave New World, for example) is aware of the truth, but choose to propagate the status quo instead. For the rest of society, there is happiness contingent on an ignorance of the truth. We are left with the question of which is more important: truth or happiness? I found validity in both Mustapha Mond and John's arguments at the end. This is very much a philosophical argument. How do you define the greater good? Their right to suffer and experience life unadulterated to the greatest extent (John's argument)? Or protect them and subvert nature to the greatest degree in order for them to always be well-fed, well-clothed, and a manufactured form of "happy"?
--
A brief breakdown of my rating: amazing beginning and ending, more than a few boring parts in the middle that didn't seem to drive the plot forward. For its ideas, I would give it 4 stars. For the plot, it must be bumped down to 3 stars.
adventurous
dark
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated