Brave New World
by Aldous Huxley
Synopsis
In the World State of 632 A.F. (After Ford), human beings are decanted from bottles, conditioned into rigid social castes, and kept docile by sex, soma, and entertainment. Into this society stumbles 'John the Savage' — and the novel becomes a study in what 'happiness' is allowed to cost.
Editorial review
If '1984' is the dystopia of pain, 'Brave New World' is the dystopia of pleasure — and in many ways the more disturbing of the two, because most of its citizens are happy. Postman's argument that we got Huxley's future, not Orwell's, has only sharpened.
Key takeaways
- 1
Soft control through pleasure can be more effective than hard control through fear.
- 2
Stability and meaning often pull in opposite directions.
- 3
The right to be unhappy is itself a serious freedom.
- 4
Mass conditioning works best when its subjects help maintain it.
The right reader
Anyone reading or rereading '1984.' Together they form the canonical dystopian pair.
What it touches
How it reads
Cool, ironic, prescient.
Reading difficulty: Moderate
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