Scan barcode
A review by atomic_tourist
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
As one would expect, this novel written by a white British man in the middle of the 1900s is full of racism, sexism, and imperialist notions. Most glaring is the trope of the "noble savage," and what's almost impressive is that Huxley managed to make the Savage white and still play out a racist idea. How British!!
But I want to put all of the fucked-up shit in this book aside for a moment and admit that Brave New World does have its merits. I'm fascinated by its popularity and by the way it's stood the test of time. What does it tell us that, for so many readers in the 1930s and 1940s, Huxley's world was such a compelling dystopia? What's most interesting to me is the way Huxley chose to combine the decline of the family unit with the rise of promiscuity. Maybe I'm too optimistic, but I don't think enough readers would see promiscuity as a compelling element of dystopia in the year of our Lord (Ford?) 2023.
In general, many of Huxley's points appeal to me- I also worry that we're progressing towards a future in which happiness and comfort are being prioritized over truth and beauty. I'm also troubled by the societal pressure to overconsume. And (while I'm pretty sure it wasn't intentional, given that he's British) Huxley's caste system provides a harrowing lense through which to view the American public school system. (Though I can't tell by Huxley's writing whether he was in favor or in opposition of Social Darwinism as a whole... Like, is the grand evil that there are white Britons in the lower castes? Would Huxley still see it as dystopian if all white people were Alphas and Betas? I remain a skeptic since he was British!)
Still, despite my partial agreement with Huxley, it's absurd to me that he chose to couple such serious criticisms about society along with his (silly, in my opinion) fears about a decline in propriety. (Oh no, more people will take contraceptives!). I'm not radical enough to advocate for abolishing the family unit, but it's still clear to me that the concept of infidelity is nowhere near as nefarious as the concept of a fucking caste system!!!
Brave New World was interesting as a study of what the dominant intellectual class considered dystopian a few generations ago. As a modern feminist and leftist reader, it falls short of being a manifesto for me, but I do see it as an important piece of literature.
For better or for worse, I see us as having advanced closer to Huxley's Brave New World since the time of the novel's publication. And so, as my muses Sleater-Kinney have so eloquently said, "I'm sick of this brave new world."
(Thank you and good night!!)
But I want to put all of the fucked-up shit in this book aside for a moment and admit that Brave New World does have its merits. I'm fascinated by its popularity and by the way it's stood the test of time. What does it tell us that, for so many readers in the 1930s and 1940s, Huxley's world was such a compelling dystopia? What's most interesting to me is the way Huxley chose to combine the decline of the family unit with the rise of promiscuity. Maybe I'm too optimistic, but I don't think enough readers would see promiscuity as a compelling element of dystopia in the year of our Lord (Ford?) 2023.
In general, many of Huxley's points appeal to me- I also worry that we're progressing towards a future in which happiness and comfort are being prioritized over truth and beauty. I'm also troubled by the societal pressure to overconsume. And (while I'm pretty sure it wasn't intentional, given that he's British) Huxley's caste system provides a harrowing lense through which to view the American public school system. (Though I can't tell by Huxley's writing whether he was in favor or in opposition of Social Darwinism as a whole... Like, is the grand evil that there are white Britons in the lower castes? Would Huxley still see it as dystopian if all white people were Alphas and Betas? I remain a skeptic since he was British!)
Still, despite my partial agreement with Huxley, it's absurd to me that he chose to couple such serious criticisms about society along with his (silly, in my opinion) fears about a decline in propriety. (Oh no, more people will take contraceptives!). I'm not radical enough to advocate for abolishing the family unit, but it's still clear to me that the concept of infidelity is nowhere near as nefarious as the concept of a fucking caste system!!!
Brave New World was interesting as a study of what the dominant intellectual class considered dystopian a few generations ago. As a modern feminist and leftist reader, it falls short of being a manifesto for me, but I do see it as an important piece of literature.
For better or for worse, I see us as having advanced closer to Huxley's Brave New World since the time of the novel's publication. And so, as my muses Sleater-Kinney have so eloquently said, "I'm sick of this brave new world."
(Thank you and good night!!)