It feels like we are entering a Brave New World at the moment so we thought it only fitting to read Huxley’s version of it.
Brave New World – the blurb
Far in the future, the World Controllers have created the ideal society. Through clever use of genetic engineering, brainwashing and recreational sex and drugs all its members are happy consumers. Bernard Marx seems alone harbouring an ill-defined longing to break free. A visit to one of the few remaining Savage Reservations where the old, imperfect life still continues, may be the cure for his distress…
And finally
Not being familiar with the story I had to first avoid an introduction by Margaret Atwood, an introduction by David Bradshaw, a word from Huxley himself and then a forward. For a book that is only 229 pages, 50 pages of introduction is quite a wedge. I meant to go back and read them at the end but in all honesty I forgot. Why not put these things at the end? I always read an Afterword.
Ahead of its time
The book was published in 1932 and one thing that immediately jumps out is how futuristic Brave New World is. Yes some of Huxley’s inventions seem silly or stereotypical (which vision of the future doesn’t include a flying car?) but the idea of egg engineering, similar to I suppose IVF, were on the money. Scientists may roll their eyes at claims freezing embryos results in humans fearing cold climates but the thought – manipulating embryos, genetically engineering them without humans having sex, was light years ahead of its time. I mean, IVF didn’t become common until 1970s.
Another thing that jumped out was the slight Hitler esque feel to the book. Huxley offers a society divided up into categories. The Alpha’s dominate, whilst the unfeeling fully functioning army/machine of lower castes do the manual labor. Radicals who did not conform were removed from society to live on various ‘Savage Reservations’. At a time when Britain was entering war into war with a country who had these very same aspirations, it must have made a scary read.
Truth v happiness
The book exquisitely examines how much happiness is worth. As boss man Mond puts it, ‘you trade truth and beauty for comfort and happiness. Happiness is never grand. Each one of us goes through life in a bottle, for some it’s just a bigger bottle’. I’m not sure what I made of the erotic playing children or the emphasis on having sex with everyone (the latter inclusion did seem a little indulgent of Huxley). I also didn’t love the story, but I loved the ideas and I loved the vision. It’s surprisingly futuristic even today nearly 90 years later which is such an achievement. Having recently read Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea where the infinite descriptions about electricity and deep sea diving were futuristic then but boring now it made Brave New World all the more enjoyable. It’s a brilliant one to study either in school or for book club and if you have read it we would love to hear from you.
