books Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

[SCS 7,537]

Has anyone read this book before? I just finished reading it for Advanced English 10 class two days ago. It was one of the most interesting books I have ever read. It was satirical, insightful, deeply ironic, disturbing, and thought-provoking. 

 

I don't like the ending, or the overall dark/pessimistic nature of the book. But, I'm glad I read it, because it discusses some very important ideas. I'm also glad to hear that Aldous Huxley wrote it when he was a young man, and when he was older he searched for spiritual transcendence in a much more positive manner. 

 

If you have read the book, what did you think of it? Did you like it? What did you think of its messages?

[Ganaram Inukshuk 3,682]

You rang?

 

BNW's one of three books that I've been forced to read during high school that I've actually enjoyed in the end. The idea of thinking about the future, or rather, the many different pathways it could take, is the one thing that has always fascinated me from time to time. BNW's like the polar opposite of 1984; You're conditioned to be happy, but dude, conditioned? Even exile's seen as good.

 

Insane amounts of restrictions and surveillance in Oceania that encourage you to break them compared to the "go ahead, just do/try it" carefree attitude of the World State.

 

I'm more interested in how the world could get into such a state...

[Standard User 2,127]

Started reading it in about the fifth grade, but then I got made fun of so I put it down...really wish I hadn't. This was an amazing book. It was one of our choices for a 10th grade English assignment so of course I picked it up. 

 

It ties with 1984 and "Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman as my favorite dystopic story.

[silvadel 1,393]

I forget which fic it was, but there was one where the elements of harmony were constantly trumpeting subliminals to all ponies all the time (which they were conditioned not to notice) -- be kind, etc. 

[deadprofile 1,123]

I read that in college (in a pluralism class)  and at first I was thouroughly confused with the story following multiple characters.  However, once completing the book, and doing all the homework for it, I started to think about how not so fiction this depressing story really is....

I forgot to mention, this book made me depressed, due to the realism within the story.

 

Haven't read 1984 yet...but now that I'm out of school, I may never read it (I hate distopian stories, since we live in one and all)....

 

I also had to read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and The Left Hand of Darkness....but those focus more on the techonological advancements and its affect on society (more so the first than the latter) and not so much on distopian-ness in general...the latter book is a pretty good sci-fi space one, though...very strange...very very strange....

Edited February 27, 2013 by Treble Bolt

[Foreigner And Lover 207]

I absolutely loved reading Brave New World back in eighth grade. People say it's the opposite of 1984 (which I loathe) but at the end of the day, it actually tries to make you think about the moral situation the world was in instead of just having George Orwell say: "I am going to make this world the biggest shithole possible and you will love it."

As for the message itself, I really agreed with Huxley that the world needs to have independence and emotional depth. I also thought the ending was pointlessly dark, but John the Savage was just as much a device as a character in the novel, so the choice makes sense.

Edited July 13, 2013 by Foreigner and Lover