Potajito reviewed Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
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4 stars
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Paperback, 268 pages
English language
Published Jan. 1, 1998 by HarperPerennial.
Aldous Huxley's profoundly important classic of world literature, Brave New World is a searching vision of an unequal, technologically-advanced future where humans are genetically bred, socially indoctrinated, and pharmaceutically anesthetized to passively uphold an authoritarian ruling order–all at the cost of our freedom, full humanity, and perhaps also our souls. “A genius [who] who spent his life decrying the onward march of the Machine” (The New Yorker), Huxley was a man of incomparable talents: equally an artist, a spiritual seeker, and one of history’s keenest observers of human nature and civilization. Brave New World, his masterpiece, has enthralled and terrified millions of readers, and retains its urgent relevance to this day as both a warning to be heeded as we head into tomorrow and as thought-provoking, satisfying work of literature. Written in the shadow of the rise of fascism during the 1930s, Brave New Worldd likewise speaks to a 21st-century …
Aldous Huxley's profoundly important classic of world literature, Brave New World is a searching vision of an unequal, technologically-advanced future where humans are genetically bred, socially indoctrinated, and pharmaceutically anesthetized to passively uphold an authoritarian ruling order–all at the cost of our freedom, full humanity, and perhaps also our souls. “A genius [who] who spent his life decrying the onward march of the Machine” (The New Yorker), Huxley was a man of incomparable talents: equally an artist, a spiritual seeker, and one of history’s keenest observers of human nature and civilization. Brave New World, his masterpiece, has enthralled and terrified millions of readers, and retains its urgent relevance to this day as both a warning to be heeded as we head into tomorrow and as thought-provoking, satisfying work of literature. Written in the shadow of the rise of fascism during the 1930s, Brave New Worldd likewise speaks to a 21st-century world dominated by mass-entertainment, technology, medicine and pharmaceuticals, the arts of persuasion, and the hidden influence of elites.
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Content warning It shows how ‘ends justify the means’ can lead to the most evil outcomes
To me, a more believable vision of how a global dystopia could work, compared with the likes of 1984. Relatable characters too, at least to me.
See review title.
...I mean, it's a blueprint for today as much as Orwell. By modern standards, it could be faster paced and more enjoyable.
I read this in high school in 10th grade while I was taking Biology. The social structure of the future society didn't touch me as much as the description of embryologic development. Now 50 years later, it seems like it was almost prescient in it's prediction of the stratification and polarization of society. I'm still debating internally if the MAGAidots are Betas or Gammas.
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I did not like this book. It is, from my understanding of it, one of the most self-important and ideologically confused books I've ever encountered. It's funny at times, maybe thought-provoking, but ultimately doomsaying. Certainly, aspects of this book mimic aspects of our world (especially the near-worship of capitalism and the men who make it work (Ford bless us)), but overall much of it just feels silly. Maybe I'm not smart enough; or maybe I'm just too young and liberal. Here's hoping 1984 is better.
Essential classic, everyone should read this
Distopia kontsumista interesgarria. Ez gaude horren urruti.
What we remember most is how disappointed we were that the story spun all the wonderful potential benefits of science into a dystopia where class and capitalism prevailed. The book disturbingly portrays how a society with admiral goals can go wrong with rigid and fanatical application. Society, it is to flourish, it needs to be open and alive.
I read Brave New World many years ago and decided to re-read it this year. I'd remembered the general storyline but most of the details so it felt fresh, and I'm glad I chose to go back to it because the perspective I have now in my life makes this book even more fascinating. There are layers of meaning in a book that is at once a commentary on our collective past and a disturbingly clear portend of our future. The peace-built-upon-rampant-consumerism setting is chilling in its likeness to where we already are (and where we seem to be headed) as a global society. It's well worth a re-read if you've not picked it up in a while.
Read this immediately afte reading the Orwell classic, 1984. I admit, I struggled reading this book. The method of story telling, with the switching of character perspective was difficult to follow. The idea of the book became far more clearer as the book progressed and became clear especially towards the end.
However the ideas presented in the book and their demonstration was thought provoking.
I was pretty disappointed at the book considering its status as a classic must-read. I think it's, fine, just fine. A rather fair warning to the future generations of the extremities of pleasure and the deprivation of freedom and all ill feelings. The world presented in this book is one of utmost neutrality - no religion, no art, no sickness, no passion. Social classes aren't seen as oppressive limits to man, but as the foundation of societal stability. It's a dystopia wherein concepts of individuality and freedom are unknown to the population to keep them dumb and happy.
While the book explores mankind without its humanity — a striking concept — it does so in a dry, uninspired way of writing. As a commentary and a warning, it does fine. But as a work of literature, it feels rather drab. The relationships of the characters were flat, and the sudden …
I was pretty disappointed at the book considering its status as a classic must-read. I think it's, fine, just fine. A rather fair warning to the future generations of the extremities of pleasure and the deprivation of freedom and all ill feelings. The world presented in this book is one of utmost neutrality - no religion, no art, no sickness, no passion. Social classes aren't seen as oppressive limits to man, but as the foundation of societal stability. It's a dystopia wherein concepts of individuality and freedom are unknown to the population to keep them dumb and happy.
While the book explores mankind without its humanity — a striking concept — it does so in a dry, uninspired way of writing. As a commentary and a warning, it does fine. But as a work of literature, it feels rather drab. The relationships of the characters were flat, and the sudden shift of focus from one supposed main character to another was executed poorly. Overall, the work felt incomplete.
Re-read it after about 20 years since the first time in high school. He got everything so right about the tendency to destroy what's human in us for the sake of stability and pain-avoidance. Must-read.
This book shows us that nothing can ever be perfect. Perfect health, no sadness whatsoever and technological advances might sound like a good foundation for a flawless society. But there's no worth to it, if the individual right of self-determination is lost in the process.