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K.D. Absolutely's Reviews > Brave New World and Brave New World Revisited
Brave New World and Brave New World Revisited
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Prophetic.
Well, Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) tried to predict what would happen probably during our time now up to the 26th century or 632 A.F. (Anno Ford with Year 0 being 1908 when Model T was introduced). He wrote this novel, Brave New World in 1931 and first published in 1932. Fifteen years after, in 1949 George Orwell did a similar thing when he published his social science fiction, 1984. Both Huxley and Orwell were like Nostradamus but without the dreams or visions. Huxley came from the famous Huxley family with outstanding scientific, medical, artistic and literary talent. Orwell, on the other hand, was said to possess a keen intelligence and wit, a profound awareness of social injustice, an intense, revolutionary opposition to totalitarianism, a passion for clarity in language and a belief in democratic socialism.
IMO, let's see what happened so far after almost 80 years. At least with some semblance:
Huxley's prophesy: Babies are mass-produced in laboratories. Take note that Watson and Crick only discovered the DNA helix structure in 1953. So, this was a good guess by Huxley.
Reality: Dolly, the cloned sheep (1996-2003).
Huxley's prophesy: Soma, readily available all-around upper that make you feel better
Reality: Ecstasy etc - although they are not readily available and expensive
Huxley's prophesy: Overpopulation
Reality: Correct! (But that should be easy)
Huxley's prophesy: Free sex
Reality: Marry your wife, get sex free! :)
Huxley's prophesy: No religion, no God, no concept of the family, no mama, no papa
Reality: 'think that this has not changed so much
Seriously, this is a well-written dystopian novel and is now top of my list of favorite sci-fi novels relegating 1984 to second place. Reason: this came before that Orwell's book and this is written in a funny way that I think even children can appreciate. John the Savage, for example, seems like Tarzan the first time he sees the World State (aka The Brave New World) and also his eloquence and mastery of Shakespeare's verses is just so funny. Why Shakespeare? Because Huxley and The Bard were both British? Well, I should have added that. In a way, Huxley also indirectly prophesized that children of the 21st century would still study Shakespeare in school.
Huxley and Shakespeare are both genius anyway. So let their books live forever.
Thanks to my reading buddies: Bea, Angus and Tintin for reading this book with me. Whoever thought of suggesting this book for us to read should have some potential to be a future genius too. Excellent choice for a book!
Well, Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) tried to predict what would happen probably during our time now up to the 26th century or 632 A.F. (Anno Ford with Year 0 being 1908 when Model T was introduced). He wrote this novel, Brave New World in 1931 and first published in 1932. Fifteen years after, in 1949 George Orwell did a similar thing when he published his social science fiction, 1984. Both Huxley and Orwell were like Nostradamus but without the dreams or visions. Huxley came from the famous Huxley family with outstanding scientific, medical, artistic and literary talent. Orwell, on the other hand, was said to possess a keen intelligence and wit, a profound awareness of social injustice, an intense, revolutionary opposition to totalitarianism, a passion for clarity in language and a belief in democratic socialism.
IMO, let's see what happened so far after almost 80 years. At least with some semblance:
Huxley's prophesy: Babies are mass-produced in laboratories. Take note that Watson and Crick only discovered the DNA helix structure in 1953. So, this was a good guess by Huxley.
Reality: Dolly, the cloned sheep (1996-2003).
Huxley's prophesy: Soma, readily available all-around upper that make you feel better
Reality: Ecstasy etc - although they are not readily available and expensive
Huxley's prophesy: Overpopulation
Reality: Correct! (But that should be easy)
Huxley's prophesy: Free sex
Reality: Marry your wife, get sex free! :)
Huxley's prophesy: No religion, no God, no concept of the family, no mama, no papa
Reality: 'think that this has not changed so much
Seriously, this is a well-written dystopian novel and is now top of my list of favorite sci-fi novels relegating 1984 to second place. Reason: this came before that Orwell's book and this is written in a funny way that I think even children can appreciate. John the Savage, for example, seems like Tarzan the first time he sees the World State (aka The Brave New World) and also his eloquence and mastery of Shakespeare's verses is just so funny. Why Shakespeare? Because Huxley and The Bard were both British? Well, I should have added that. In a way, Huxley also indirectly prophesized that children of the 21st century would still study Shakespeare in school.
Huxley and Shakespeare are both genius anyway. So let their books live forever.
Thanks to my reading buddies: Bea, Angus and Tintin for reading this book with me. Whoever thought of suggesting this book for us to read should have some potential to be a future genius too. Excellent choice for a book!
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Brave New World and Brave New World Revisited.
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Reading Progress
July 18, 2009
– Shelved
April 14, 2011
–
Started Reading
April 14, 2011
–
15.59%
"Similar to Atwood's "Handmaid" except that the people here are cloned instead of coming from mothers' uterus. The people are also color-coded: alpha (gray), delta (khaki), epsilon (black), etc."
page
53
April 20, 2011
–
Finished Reading
July 9, 2011
– Shelved as:
1001-core
July 9, 2011
– Shelved as:
501
July 9, 2011
– Shelved as:
sci-fi
Comments Showing 1-24 of 24 (24 new)
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Velvetink
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Apr 20, 2011 04:43AM
An important book everyone should read!
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Another science fiction prophet, H.G. Wells. Baka magustuhan mo rin yung mga books niya.
Hey, KD I read this book about forty years ago when the 'future' was further away, and even then it seemed to me that much of what he predicted was true. In the swinging sixties drugs were widespread. LSD, marihuana and all sorts of other things, and prescription drugs for tranquilisers like valium were freely dispensed like Prozac is now. There was 'free love' too because it was before AIDS, and Paul Ehrlick was prophesising disastrous over population.And when was the first test tube baby? Must be about 30 years ago now? Huxley was uncanny the way he predicted these things.
Lisa wrote: "Hey, KD I read this book about forty years ago when the 'future' was further away, and even then it seemed to me that much of what he predicted was true. In the swinging sixties drugs were widespre..."He was uncanny, and it's amazing to me that he wrote at all, since technically he was legally blind for much of his later writing life.
It's Bea! She has a sophisticated taste. And really smart too.
Brian wrote: "I love my wife, but what definition of "free" are you using?"I think it was a typo. He probably meant it in the sense of get liberated from sex, "Get sex-free".
LOL. I like you interpretation, Ian.BRIAN: "get sex free" - you don't pay your wife every time you want to have sex with her (I was trying to be funny)
K.D. wrote: "you don't pay your wife every time you want to have sex with her (I was trying to be funny)"I always pay my wife when she wants to have sex with me.
Unfortunately, I don't pay her enough.
IAN: Who sets the price? (I wonder)BRIAN: Yup, no free lunch :)
"Huxley's prophesy: Soma, readily available all-around upper that make you feel better Reality: Ecstasy etc - although they are not readily available and expensive "
I think a much better analogy would be Prozac and other such mood controlling drugs. There is an immeasurably (immeasurable by me anyway :P) larger part of the populace taking these drugs to keep themselves 'up' rather than by using illegal drugs.
K.D. wrote: "IAN: Who sets the price? (I wonder)"She sets the price and the timetable.
I just have to worry about the instalments.
JAKOB: You're right. It's just that when I was typing my review, Ecstasy came into my mind :)IAN: Why? Does she not enjoy your loving? *another grin*
K.D. wrote: "IAN: Why? Does she not enjoy your loving? *another grin*"It's the ecstasy. Her ears hurt when I scream.
You scream because...?
K.D. wrote: "You scream because...?"She bites one of my ears, I scream and both of her ears hurt. A scream trumps a bite.
K.D. wrote: "You scream because...?"She bites one of my ears, I scream and both of her ears hurt. A scream trumps a bite.
K.D., thanks for the review. It made me finally start reading this book, which has been sitting on my bookshelf forever. It's scary how prophetic and true it is in many ways. I'm really enjoying it, though. It's a great book and very thought-provoking.
Thanks for the message, Lana. Nice to know that you enjoyed it too. :)
Definitely! It's going in my favorites. Thanks again for the review!
Brave New World is rightly a classic - but not necessarily prophetic. It could (so far is in many ways) be dead wrong about the future and still have merit:Huxley's prophesy: Soma, readily available all-around upper that make you feel better
Reality: Ecstasy etc - although they are not readily available and expensive
Huxley's prophesy: Overpopulation
Reality: Correct! (But that should be easy)
The Ectasy statement is incomplete. If not for prohibition it would be cheap and readily available. As yet it has not been adopted by any of the various states for state purposes.
It's fashionable to say the world (or various developing countries) is "overpopulated" - but what is the objective standard for this? Erlich was dead wrong (in his "Population Bomb") that hundreds of millions would starve during the 1970s. The developing world is increasing food production faster than population growth.
Jim wrote: "Brave New World is rightly a classic - but not necessarily prophetic. It could (so far is in many ways) be dead wrong about the future and still have merit:Huxley's prophesy: Soma, readily availa..."
Thanks, Jim.
Not really a kids book, sorry.
OK. It's years later. Now, 75% of all the anti-depressants manufactured in the world are consumed by USA residents, and they're offered by all doctors as a panacea to all problems. Is this the world of Huxley's vision now?
The insane focus on having the perfect child, isolated from nature, handed over to caretakers whilst the parents strive for economic 'security' and locked onto the screens that are ever-present, programming them to be different from the ignorant past, is now.
So, a few detailas are different, but haven't we arrived, or at least, nearing that destination, now that we can stay at home, and see what we've become?
Yes, I welcome comments.
These are the times that try all souls with bodies attached.
JZ wrote:75% of all the anti-depressants manufactured in the world are consumed by USA residents.
Yes, I welcome comments.
My gut tells me (bells ringing) that this is overstated:
Consider:
1) Roughly 1-billion live in the EU
2) 100-million in Japan
3) 60-million in Canadia and Oz
4) Several tens-of-millions (approaching 100-million) in S. Korea, Taiwan, and other Asian countries with modern economies and the anxieties that go along with those.
5) The U.S. has a mere 330-million.
We are outnumbered by a factor of nearly 4-to-1.
Anyway, I'd love to see some evidence for the 75% figure - I've been wrong before.
