Brave New World

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Summary: New World's Psychological Back-round Review
Review: Aldous Huxley is an intelligent person. He has a back-round in psychology. This becomes very apparent in a Brave New World. The use of psychological evidence and theories makes the story interesting and at another level. It pulls this novel away from the rest of your typical Sci-Fi writings. Psychology is seen in the opening scene, with Bernard's life, and with customs.
In the opening scene in the novel, there is a tour that takes place. It is not only a tour for the students in the novel, but for the reader as well. This is a formal operations style of learning for the reader. He or she is learning as they read. During the tour, the reader is introduced to the learning process of the offspring. The people of the Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre use Ivan Pavlov's Classical Conditioning. The use of an unconditioned stimulus (flowers) lead to the kids to be happy. Than a conditioned stimulus (very loud and frightening bell) lead the children to a controlled reaction of being frightened of flowers. After time and time again, the children pick up the unconditioned reaction of being frightened of flowers and screaming. This shows that the offspring can be conditioned to serve just about any purpose.
Bernard's life has many psychological principals involved. His life shows the cruelty of society as well. He is an outcast due to his physical stature. There is no acceptance for someone like this in this world. He turns to a cult. He still feels very much like an outcast. Bernard is struggling in an early stage of crisis. He is much to old for it. Bernard is struggling in Erik Erikson's Identity V.S. Role Confusion. He needed to make an identity for himself, but was unable to.
The customs of Brave New World much different as those of today. They use a social approach of psychology to live there lives. Also, a behavioristic approach is taken.
The social approach of cultural differences is different, but also the same. We have God, they have Ford. We both worship, but two very different things. The cultural differences have changed into the world found in the novel. Behaviorism gets involved with the surroundings. The environment that the children are brought up in, will make them who they are for the rest of their lives. It is a situation that could realistically occur.
The opening scene of classical conditioning shapes the reader for the rest of the novel. It gives a sense of direction and knowledge for the life forms in the novel. Bernard's life of being an outsider makes him fit his role in the novel. The customs of the novel follow a psychological order to make the novel. Huxley has a very familiar back-round in psychology.

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Summary: So you're interested in purchasing Brave New World...?
Review: Aldous Huxley's prediction of future societies in his science-fiction classic Brave New World is formidable, yet enlightening. This novel portrays a futuristic society in which people are literally grown in bottles and, once they leave them, only continue to live dull, regulated lives, depending on drugs, such as soma, to alienate themselves from any problem that could ever face them. It is amazing to see how our society is slowly conforming to one man's perception of the future, especially since he wrote these predictions over seventy years ago. People will soon be able to be "bottled," or cloned, and many in today's society have already taken drugs to "escape" from this world.
The only downside of this singular depiction is my complete revulsion for this future society. I believe how Huxley has portrayed this society is beautiful and allows readers to fully involve themselves in it, but the society itself is sickening. The people within the society don't actually feel, allowing them only shallow, egocentric personalities. By taking the drug soma, the characters rarely have an actual problem to dampen their conveyor belt- like lives, contributing to an unconventional trait of this novel. This novel deliberately relies on stagnant characters, instead of character development, like other novels, to achieve its effect.
Unconventional or not, this book keeps a reader interested with its vivid imagery of what has become our reality. For this, it has become one of the most influential books for many people, especially for a high school student such as myself, attempting to further her reading. I feel all people should make an attempt to read this book just to experience a unique, new view of the world and to expand the scope of one's future reading choices.

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Summary: Lenina, Marx, Soma and Bokanovsky Epsilons
Review: In 1932, the mind of perhaps the most original and well-rounded thinker/scholar of the 20th century gave us a glimpse of our world as it could be six centuries After Ford (A.F.), or about five centuries from now. In forecasting this "Brave New World," Mr. Huxley however made one judgment error, that of time. Whereas genetically engineered "Bokanovsky Groups," conditioning centers, artificial food, feelies, Soma, electromagnetic golf and Riemann surface tennis, World Controllers, savage reservations, and the fanatical maintenance of physical youth into old age are the rage in the world of 632 A.F., today we already have Dolly and the know-how to clone other mammals; the all-pervasive and hyper-influential media; artificial food and vanity-induced body part upgrades; virtual reality; Prozac and Viagra; a plethora of far-too-realistic computer games filling our living rooms, arcades and exponentially growing centers of "joy" such as Las Vegas; ridiculously greedy and corrupt CEOs of unprecedently powerful global corporations; incredibly poor city ghettos and rural areas; and of course the recent craze for the face-freezing and wrinkle eliminating fountain-of-youth serum Botox. Do we really need another five centuries to finish the last 10 % of our journey from Huxley's world of 1932 to the future of his novel?

Mr. Huxley takes the reader for an unforgettable tour of the Brave New World, gradually showing us that even in an environment where genetically, biochemically and psychologically induced happiness is the sole societal goal, misery still persists and destroys. In his typically brilliant fashion, the author contrasts the psyches of four outcasts from the "utopia," each of whom is alienated from the "perfect" society to a vastly varying degree and for a very different reason. The interactions amongst these four outcasts and between them and their Soma-Bokanovskied la-la land society forms the core of perhaps the most important and relevant novel written in the 20th century. No, it is not the best written novel of the last century (although perhaps the wittiest), but it is the one that all of us should read and re-read - I just finished my third reading -- until its central message really sinks in: we must each do everything we can to avoid the "welfare-tyranny of Utopia" that most certainly awaits us otherwise, if it isn't already here.

Oh Ford!

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Summary: By Ford, Don't Bogart the Soma!
Review: This was one of those books that I know that I should have read, half convinced myself that I had read, told everybody that I had read, but in fact hadn't. I finally got around to it. Although Huxley's novel might not merit the label of "great literature," it is a book that has exerted an amazing influence on the intellectual world of the twentieth century and in light of recent events, remains as relevant as ever. Huxley's world of science gone amuck - where traditional ideas of morality have been forgotten, where new birth is gestated in bottles on conveyor belts, where individuality has been annihilated, and where well being and hope are dispensed in a pill - has conveniently served the purposes of those who like to argue their own political, economic and moral stances. Thus, those fervent proponents of capitalism and the western traditions see Huxley's utopia as a perfect model for those "ungodly" communist and socialist states where the individual is sacrificed for the common good; those same socialist and communist proponents see this same utopia as a model for the greedy capitalist states where consumption and exploitation have become a religion; and those moralists among us, of course, see the Brave New World as an example of what happens when traditional values of family, sex, and marriage are cast to the winds.

Huxley approaches his subject from the viewpoint of a scientist and the style of the novel is that of scientific exposition. Little concern is given to character development or to the use of descriptive prose to create atmosphere or emotion. The plot plods along just like one of the conveyor belts in the Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre, and just when the reader gets a little weary, the author astutely throws in a bit of titilation to re-gain the reader's flagging attention.

Even this reader sees Huxley's utopia in a special way. After the events of 9/11 it appears that the American public, conditioned by the present administration, has made security paramount in their lives. Huxley's World State's motto is COMMUNITY, IDENTITY, STABILITY, all of which seems innocuous enough. These traits can be viewed as being admirable. But this motto is much more than just another motto; it was created as an aftermath to a cataclysmic war in which anthrax bombs were exploding with a sound "hardly louder than the popping of a paper bag." The Resident Controller for Western Europe, musing on the war, states that "liberalism, of course, was dead of anthrax." I just hope that this pre-occupation with security will not create a new motto for a new American society, one that sacrifices individual liberties for the notion that we must be secure above all else, a condition emphemeral at best. Huxley's world, as he was to remark some years after the book's initial apperance, is probably closer than anybody could have imagined.

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Summary: Great depiction of the future but the way its told....
Review: It has a great and seemingly accurate vision of the future. The books message seems to apply to our times a lot more each and every day. But the story telling is slow and boring. It isn't paced at a very good speed and the whole deal about "savage reservations" was so unrealistic it was annoying. I liked the book but i definately don't think it was GREAT. It should be in the library of people who like to read but for people who just read for fun: BORROW THIS BOOK FROM YOUR LIBRARY.

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Summary: Brave New Book: Beyond Literature, Into Life
Review: Much has been conjectured about the prospect of Utopia. Moreover, the lack of it is equally puzzling. Since the 1930s, not much progress has been made in way of a Second Eden. The slightest petty annoyance would have to be solved through the instantaneous release of popping a pill, for even mild societal upset would never do in Paradise and only sprout anarchical roots. Soma is the direct remedy to this conundrum, as Huxley readily admits, the benign and needle-free heroine guaranteeing a variety of "Life Lite" for dieters abstaining from reality. Huxley's experiences recorded in both "Heaven and Hell" and "The Doors of Perception" later detail the groundwork. Happiness, ever elusive, may only be achieved by its allusion; nominally, to convince people they are happy indeed. Hypnopaedia has potential for effectiveness certainly, provided that the opposers, sub-groups, etc. are gradually wiped out. "Benito" is doubtlessly a reference to Mussolini, a foreshadow of the coming day, heralding Communism, Socialism, and the other world powers attempting to achieve the mantra "everybody belongs to everybody else". Lenina Crowne offers the slightly questioning character representative of the reader who silently questions social strategy, but isn't so concerned as to miss her next Recreation Party.

Moreover, why do readers accept Huxley's Utopia when it has not been fulfilled in its nearly seventy years of preemptory discussion? For the same reason it interests them; the grass is perpetually greener on the other side of the proverbial fence, though where that boundary shall be drawn remains yet unknown. It is fulfilled in a sense by the act of reading itself. Helen Keller is correct in surmising that literature is utopia, though it may be more accurately described as a form of self-indulgent urban escapism. Literature itself is able to assume the unattainable perfection of daily life that our reality lacks. It pretends no circumstance is too outrageous or too wonderful, seamlessly binding the tragic and the impossibly good. We accept these ethereal musings because they are fiction, the figment of another tangible human being's roving imagination, thus fulfilling our own. We yearn to believe that a perfect society on earth has the potential of existence, if only for those few vacuous moments on the written page. Literature isolates the wishful thinking of all men: that the abstract qualities of perfection are somehow physically attainable. Imagine for a moment the magnitude of a utopia. The world might be perfect, but would the human race be perfect in it?

The answer lies in the greatest works of fiction themselves, generally a resounding negation which only reaffirms the basic engenderment of reality. In the beginning, we're enamored with a new book, uncracked spine, smelling of fresh ink and Starbuck's coffee. We eagerly fall into someone else's world like Alice down the white rabbit's hovel, stealing away in our spare minutes to turn a few pages during the lulls of the day, and become progressively more or less enchanted as the story climaxes to a turn of events which we may or may not approve, a hermetic passion demanding sacrificial comfortable chairs and adequate lighting, the occasional pair of gold rimmed spectacles. Sooner or later, at the average approximation of four hundred pages, the book will end. The reader's opinion will have been formed, usually summarized to the effect of "solid plot, poetic storytelling, mediocre ending", in laymen's terms. And the vicious circle, half price and half satisfying, begins anew with Oprah's latest selection of the month. In the volumes of critically acclaimed paperbacks, record breaking bestsellers, and classic works "of epic and timeless proportion" printed on cheap paper, lies the infinite potential of a fruitful quest, another chance at positively locating, identifying, and yielding our particular yen. Throughout history, the unanimous craving for a happy ending is the only enduring theme not available at your local café/book nook, leaving the reader hungry for more than one volume's words of wisdom, but one hundred and one prospective opportunities of recognizing life's essence in black and white.

Moreover, the act of reading fine literature, short stories, or even the daily novelty of the newspaper, vaguely fulfills a nostalgia greater than ourselves. An inherent and indefinable necessity of mankind is the purpose of belonging. Idealistically, one reads the soul of the writer through his work, presuming he has any talent whatsoever. Be his ephemerally fated topic the romantic wooing of literature's immortalized Romeo and Juliet, the magic realism constituent of tumultuous but certain joy in the Buendia` family's solitude, or the fully recyclable, daily disposable, read-it-once-and-throw-it-away newspaper heading informing the world of some great event no one had considered yesterday. Life's daily joys and sorrows stew in a common melting pot, a recipe from a cookbook with cosmopolitan ingredients equally enjoyed by citizens of the world, a base point from which strangers may understand each other.

The reader's vocabulary is enriched, temporarily infused with the colorful expressions enumerated by a geographically diverse writer. His mind expands to another part of the world, guided along the cobbled streets of Medieval England, the worn footpaths of Macondo past Catarino's store on the Street of the Turks, the back alleys of Boston's Lower West Side or Germany's East End. In the quietude of one's own home, in the universal hubbub of the rush hour, a secondary entelechy is obtainable in an 11x8 inch square, not unlike a withdrawn office cubicle where the world makes sense because of a laptop and a corporate policy manual, but thanks to the benevolence of the author and Cliff's Notes. As proclaimed on an amazon.com bookmark, according to Christopher Morley, "When you sell a man a book, you don't sell him twelve ounces of paper and ink and glue - you sell him a whole new life".
Or at least, the prospect of a Brave New World.

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Summary: One of the most influential books of the 20th century
Review: This is an incredible novel of world-shattering truth. Although Huxley’s prophecy might seem a bit over-exaggerated on the external side, the internal moral is one that our society today should pay heed to. At the time that Huxley wrote this novel, he foresaw our society becoming increasingly materialistic to the point where, as he shows with the overuse of soma, people would block out their emotions and pain by turning to methods once considered immoral (such as sexual promiscuity or the use of drugs). This society would be one in which moral values would change to fit the people’s current needs, thereby making religion seem an unnecessary thing of the past.

His most important point, however, is the fact that through our need to continuously fulfill our materialistic desires, we will lose all sense of being. That which makes us human—-the ability to feel love, and to be free—-will be taken away because we will no longer be able (or even willing) to tell what is false from what is reality. Although the citizens of Huxley’s new world might think they are truly happy, they never really have a chance to know what happiness is. The image that they are given is one of being constantly high on soma, and being carefree and relaxed. After all, “One cubic centimeter [of soma] cures ten gloomy sentiments” (Huxley 54).

The inner-lying truth of this novel is somewhat hard to accept in a society like ours, because materialism is so prevalent, and “keeping up with the Joneses” has become almost a nationwide competition. What we need to keep in mind is exactly what Huxley tries to warn us of; a desire to always have and be the best can very easily turn against us, and will be our ruin if we do not maintain a sense of morality and humility.

This is a book that everyone should read. I guarantee that it will have a profound impact on the lives of its readers.

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Summary: Brave New World, a BRILLIANT book that can't be put down
Review: This has to be one of the most fascinating books I have ever read. It is listed up there with Orwell's 1984 and any other book that sheds light on a utopian society that is perfect on the outside, but empty to the core. I gave it five out of five stars for it was outstanding on many different levels including drama, romance and good old satire humor of a society striving/maintaining perfection. It is a must read for high school and college students. Don't pass this chance to read somthing good! I say drop Moby Dick and pick up somthing that will change your perspective on things instead of making you numb and sleepy.

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Summary: A chillingly relevant masterpiece
Review: I still remember when my friend recommended this book to me almost 5 years ago. He told me that at first he thought it was a mere science fiction adventure, however after reading it, he was surprised at the depth of the novel, expecially in its critique of society. This was back when i was first beginning to question my reality and i knew at once that i would need to read it. That was probably one of the best "decisions" i've made in my life. This novel has now become a staple of my library, and i never get tired of taking it out to read every few months of so. The story is about a civilization void of passion, yet a person almost engulfed by passion is forced to face this harsh world. In the end, no compromise can be made between the two opposing worlds, and passion is once again sterilized from this bleek world. The gorgeousness of this book comes from its insightful handling of the conflicts that occur when the two worlds meet. Sometimes I think that Huxley must have been able to travel into the future as some of his narractive are so vividly relevant to the hot issues of today. It is hard to believe that this book was written nearly 70 years ago when it is so easy to picture our society evolving/de-evolving into the society depicted in this novel. I can easily see people hundreds of years in the future picking up this book and nodding their heads in agreement with Huxley's epiphanies. Yes, the characters may be forgetable, the style mundane at times, yet the insight of this book is so colossal, it easily overcomes these minor flaws. This is a book that is timeless because it challenges the very fabrics of humanity, the eternal struggle of man vs. his passions.

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Summary: Fantasy or Future?
Review: This past summer I asked my closest friends to give me a list of the "best books they ever read", or at the least books that had the greatest impact on their lives. Thanks for this one guys! Today, in our time, talk of gentics and embryo meddling is common. I mean, we have all heard of cell splitting, cloning, and Dolly. This is nothing new. Aldous Huxley wrote his futuristic horror of gene meddling in 1932! The man must have been a genius!
Huxley's story is his idea of what our future holds as he looks around himself way back in 1932. In 1932 many new inventions and ideas were sprouting so fast, it must have been a marvel to witness. Possibly the means to writing this somewhat horrific tale? In this book time begins with "the Year of Our Ford". Everything before that time is not considerable to the book's characters. In the year of our Ford...humans are grown in bottles. There is no natural birth, no marriages, and no special schooling and intellect needed to find your place and rightful job. We are a collection of rotating bottles in a gene "hatchery" lab. At certain levels some genes are mutated to produce different kinds of babies. Babies are cared for in the lab and fed subliminal messages until they are old enough to live on their own. Sex is merely a necessary act for these people, not ever for procreation. Some babies are born gifted, others less intellectual. The mutation of the embryos and the resulting child are how humans become sorted into their own social caste. Each cast of people have designated jobs and also, matching clothes. For instance, If you were lucky enough to be born an Alpha, you would wear green and have a decent job. You accept this because of your conditioning at the "center". If you were born an unlucky Delta-Minus, you would be unintelligent and become a sort of "worker-bee" and wear black.
The Center, that creates and conditions these babies has a motto..."COMMUNITY, IDENTITY, and STABILITY". They seem to have it all figured out. Everyone is pre-destined for their place in the world. Huxley's fantasy future goes a little awry when a natural born adult (who grew up in a "zoo" because childbirth is so "dirty" and "ancient") escapes from his habitat and ventures into this "Brave New World". A fabulous twist to the almost psychotic stability of our future.(?)
What will this "feak" man do and think of the new world? The answer is the answer to many questions we all have as we read this classic tale of our worse nightmares come true. We are the natural man, reading this book. We are just on-lookers into the world he braves to enter. Huxley forces us to be the "Freak" and feel the pain of what might be to come. I gave this book only four stars because while it is a fabulous tale, it lacks as a page-turner. I agree that it must be very informative for people in 1932 to understand the concept of genetics, but for a modern reader the pages of details can become irritating. Nevertheless, I wished I had read this one in High School.