I’ve been a science fiction fan for a long time, but also since I’m a slow reader I’ve not read the scores of books described by this genre as one might think. My favorite author is probably Philip K. Dick, although even here I’ve only read four of his novels.
Brave New World is one of those early precursors that some classify as science fiction and others as one of the classic dystopias that also include Orwell’s 1984 and Zamyatin’s We. Having read these other two, I thought I would finally read Brave New World, which I have been meaning to for quite some time. Unfortunately I don’t remember a lot about We, so I can’t really compare it to Brave New World, but 1984 does strike me as being quite different! In Brave New World, we encounter a future that is uncomfortable in many ways, but then again, not altogether horrible. Yes, it carries with it the ideals of happiness above all else, creates a rigid sociological stratification by prenatal and neonatal conditioning, encourages the use of happy pills, etc. On the other hand it seems that if someone is truly “outside the system” all one needs to do is make a ruckus and they will get sent to an island with other “individualists” where they can really explore this antiquated mode of existence. The one case where this fails seems to simply be the arbitrary decision of a bureaucrat, not a hard and fast rule.
Although it’s obvious Huxley is warning against totalitarian/socialistic mechanisms and materialism at the same time, one can also argue that he is not arguing for the “opposite” “savage” mindset of religion, valuing work, denial, and suffering over anything that feels good, etc. In many ways he seems to be arguing simply for moderation between the two and not using either as a dogma, since when taken to the extreme, both can have pretty horrible consequences…
Otherwise, I thought the book quite entertaining. Huxley throws in many cute, campy little phrases that are actually ones that have been drilled into the population in their sleep. Although some of the language and situations sound a bit old, many others are quite forward-looking, including the “feelies” where people go to watch, but also “feel” movies.
I actually listened to an unabridged version through my Audible.com account, but you can actually get the same version on cassette. Michael York narrates and does a great job of capturing all the accents, the emotions (be the real or induced), etc.
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