Uno de los grandes exponentes clásicos de la literatura distópica. Concebido por Aldous Huxley y publicado por primera vez en 1932, un mundo feliz nos propone un sistema donde prima una deshumanización que no dista demasiado de la que actualmente estamos gestando. Si bien el autor propone un sistema que parte y se sostiene por fuertes elementos de ciencia ficción, el núcleo narrativo no deja de ser una dictadura perfecta en la que el individuo se halla tan hábilmente sometido que no es consciente de su estado esclavo y vive en una burbuja insustancial creyéndose feliz.

Un mundo fordiano. Huxley hace una clara crítica la mecanización del trabajo y, como extensión de ésta, del individuo. Una crítica a la evolución de la industria tecnológica a costa del sacrificio de la individualidad y la libertad. Sin hacer hincapié en gobiernos totalitarios como pueden hacerlo otras de las grandes distopias clásicas eleva una igualmente mordaz censura a la idiotización del ser humano con propósitos de lograr sumisión y control en alas de una aclamada y perversa estabilidad que no es sino la imposición de un sistema político que favorece a unos y explota impunemente a otros.

El libro, aunque breve, es estremecedoramente efectivo en abrir un discurso moral y filosófico acerca de los peligros del consumismo, el conformismo y las sustancias que nos alejan de la realidad, de la importancia de la libertad, el arte, incluso el derecho a la desdicha. Una discusión sobre si la estabilidad vale los sacrificios que requiere. Una discusión sobre la deshumanización, sobre los vínculos afectivos en todos sus niveles y la noción de plenitud con visiones sesgadas o viciadas de lo que significa y conlleva.

Una obra imprescindible.

remember that last semester of english class, senior year, where every class seemed painfully long and excrutiatingly pointless? when everybody sat around secretly thinking of cute and witty things to put in other people's yearbooks? when the teachers realized we were already braindead from filling out three dozen student loan applications and college housing forms? that's when honors english started getting a little lazy.

not that i minded. everybody got a book list. then everybody got split up into groups. you were responsible for reading all the books on your own, but one in particular was chosen for your group to present at the end of the semester. you know--- as a refresher for the rest of the class. because of course EVERYONE was gonna read EVERY book.

i can't remember what i did instead of reading "brave new world", but it was probably fun and involved copious amounts of sweet tea and a gigantic paper mache cow. fortunately it didn't matter because the only group to take their presentation seriously was the "brave new world" group, and the way they presented stuck with me long enough to compel me to read the book later.

maybe it was the weird music they had playing during their presentation, maybe it was the fact that super hot chris mayns had to sit in my group (the alphas) but i was seriously attracted to the world this group created in our classroom. we drew cards randomly to determine our class, then sat accordingly and wore cute little colored wristbands. everybody got pez (soma!) and *gasp* a birth control belt. throughout the presentation people were moved next to someone and lost a packet on their belt (listen, this is scandalous for a bible belt high school, ok? by the way, i did NOT get to sit next to chris, which is probably good because i would have been mortified and choked on a pez)

anyway, the presentation was fun, but i didn't get around to reading my (now ex) boyfriends copy until a year ago. and i started getting a small, evil thought exactly the same as i had in class so many years ago... maybe some people would actually like this system. maybe some people would actually BENEFIT from this system. people don't have to think? they aren't expected to do much, go to college, become something bigger than what they actually are? they're rewarded with good feeling drugs? they are proud to have accomplished what they have? and they... DON'T HAVE TO THINK FOR THEMSELVES!?

I know i'm going to get slammed for saying this later, especially because i never do actual reviews or completely delve into what i'm thinking (so shoot me) but haven't you ever been roaming the world wide inter-web and found a little troller you thought "well, this person is a poor use of a human brain?" yes, you have. admit it.

just think, a little test tube tweaking and that person wouldn't mind manning the cash register at piggly wiggly for the rest of his life, saving the rest of humanity from noxious online rants about the hotness of avril lavinge and the brilliance of starcraft (apparently its a video game thats KOOLER THAN U!!!!1#)

you're tempted, i can tell...

حين تتخدر الأفكار و تتبلد الأحاسيس ، و حين تصير الفِطرة مصطنعة  ، حين تثمل النفس عن واقعها ، بهدف صناعة العالم الأمثل.
في هذا العالم الجديد حيث يرتقي الإنسان بزوال الإنسانية.
في هذا العالم  الشجاع حيث يفني الجمال في سبيل الكمال.

إحدي أشهر الروايات الديستوبية التي تسرد واقعاً مريعاً ينتظر البشرية .
في مطلع القرن الماضي خرجت لنا ثلاثة روايات ديستوبية خالدة ، و كأنها  صيحات منذرة مما سيكون عليه حال المجتمعات التي أعمتها المادية الجاحفة ( 1984 ، فهرنهايت ، عالم جديد شجاع).

بعد حرب دامية دامت تسع سنوات أهلكت الحرث و النسل ، يدرك البشر أنهم يهفون للاستقرار بأى طريقة ممكنة و لو باعوا بذلك أرواحهم.

في العالم الجديد ، يولد الأطفال في أوانٍ زجاجية بمصانع عملاقة ،
و بذلك تندثر الأسرة و أعباؤها.



في العالم الشجاع يتم توزيع أقدار الأطفال قبل ولادتهم و تصنيفهم اجتماعياً  ، الأفراد (ألفا) ينالون حظاً وافراً من الغذاء و يحصلون علي أعلي المنازل ، الأفراد ( جاما) ينالون المرض و الأوباء و أحقر الأعمال ، و بذلك يختفي القلق من المكانة و الخذلان.



في العالم الجديد ، إذا أصابك هم أو كرب ، ما عليك إلا تناول دواء ال(سوما) و الذي سيرسم  لعقلك أجمل الأحلام ، و بذلك نقضي علي كَرب الأذهان.



في العالم الجديد الشجاع لا توجد حروب ، لا يشيخ البشر ، و لا يفقرون ، و لا يوجد من يعوزه شيئ.

نصّب البشر من أنفسهم أصناماً آلهة ، يسوقون البشر سعياً إلي راحة بالية ، متخلين بذلك عن ثقل سعادة السعي في الحياة .

لكن إذا ما وُلدت في هكذا مجتمع فكيف السبيل لإدراك ما فقدت؟
و لو أدركت جمال ما فقدت هل ستتمناه في مقابل سعادة مضمونة؟ ، هل ستتمني قلباً و تفقد متعة جسدك ؟ هل ستستبدل بالراحة تعباً ، أم هل سترجو بدل اليقين شكاً؟
و إن كان يقيناً واهياً.

و بهذه الأسئلة نبحر في الرواية نتعرف علي ملامح العالم الجديد الشجاع ، كيف انصدم من عاش حياته كلها بعيدا عن هذه الحضارة و هل سيتكيف أم سينبذ هذا العالم؟

أجمل ما بالرواية حواراتها الفلسفية التي تطلع علي خبايا النفس و تنم عن إدراك لسيرورة العالم من حولنا.

تعليقي الوحيد أن بطل الرواية (برنارد) لم يضف للرواية كثيرا ، فكان لا بد من زيادة محورية لدوره .

الرواية لها فيلم قديم و مسلسل حديث.

" هذا هو سر السعادة و الفضيلة أن تحب ما يجب عليك عمله ، و هذا ما نهدف إليه : أن نجعل الناس يحبون قدرهم المقهورين عليه. "

تمت ✨

- كتب ألدوس هاكسلي رواية عالم جديد شجاع في ثلاثينيات القرن الماضي، في خضّم الحرب الباردة بين المعسكرين الشرقي الغربي او بين الرأسمالية والشيوعية.

n  
سر السعادة والفضيلة: ان تحب ما يجب عليك عمله. وهذا هو ما نهدف اليه بكل ما نقوم به من تكييف: ان نجعل الناس يحبون قدرهم الإجتماعي المقهورين عليه.
n

- الرواية تنقسم الى ثلاثة أقسام اساسية، يقوم هاكسلي في القسم الأول بشرح مفاصل هذا العالم اليوتوبي، طريقة التفريخ والتكييف وتقسيم اولاد الأنابيب الى خمس طبقات (ألفا، بيتا، جاما، دلتا و الإبسيلو)، طريقة تعليمهم والمدى الأقصى لعقلهم نسبةً لأدوارهم في المجتمع. القسم الثاني والرحلة الى المحمية واكتشاف ليندا وابنها واعادتهم الى الحضارة، الصعوبات والتغييرات التي حصلت معهم ومع من يحيط بهم كمكتشفهم "برنارد ماركس" الذي تتغيّر حياته بعد هذا الإكتشاف. ام القسم الثالث فهو الحوار الفكري عالي الجودة بين جون "البدائي" – الشكسبيري ومصطفى اموند والأحداث التي تتابعت الى النهاية. مع انتهاء العمل يمكن الإستنتاج ان اليوتوبيا التي ابتدأ هاكسلي وصفها هي ديستوبيا في الختام!

n  
ان السعادة الحقة دائماً ما تبدو جديرة بالإزدراء مقارنةً بما يعزي الإنسان ويعوضه عن بؤسه. كما ان مشاعر الإستقرار ليست بإثارة وتألق مشاعر عدم الإستقرار بالطبع، وشعور الرضا والإكتفاء لا يحمل فتنة الدخول في معركة حامية مع سوء الطالع والنائباتـ وليس له تلك المشهدية الملحمية للصراع مع الفتن والإغواءات، او تراجيديا السقوط المدوي بسبب العاطفة المتقدة او الشك القاتل، إن السعادة لا تحمل عظمة البطولة
n

- تميّز طرح هاكسلي باللاعنف، لا يوجد قتل وخطف وجريمة ههنا، بل تحكّم بواسطة ما يمتع الإنسان: فالجنس متاح للجميع، الإنزواء ممنوع ومنبوذ وله عقار "السوما"، الموت امر طبيعي ولا يبعث على الحزن، الإنجاب عمل بدائي وبذلك غياب الأم والأب وتحول الأطفال الى اطفال الدولة وجزء منها ولكل دوره في استمرارها حسب طبقته. هذا الطرح يحمل القتامة داخله لأن الإنسان يكون قد تحول الى آلة تافهة بفقده لجوهره الأهم وهي الحرية، حرية الإختيار والتفكير.

- القصة تحمل الكثير من الأفكار المطروحة بطريقة ساخرة لكن أسلوبها شابه الكثير من الملل خصوصاً في قسمها الثاني. فهم "جون" وإقتباساته الكثيرة لشكسبير لم يكن لها مقدمة مقنعة، ردة فعل "جون"، الذي عانى الإنزواء في المحمية والوحدة، على مجتمع برنارد ورفضه ل ليلنيا كان افلاطونياً بعض الشيء ولم يقنعني.

- الرواية بشكل عام جيدة، قد تكون الوجه الآخر ل 1984 لأوريول.

This set the stage about what a dystopian story should be or not be.

“But I don't want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin.”

First published in 1932, this is timeless and is as relevant today as when it was first written. Sixteen years before Orwell's 1984 but eleven years after We by Yevgeny Zamyatin, this is a high water mark for the genre, many of its themes could be told today. Truth be said, this could be published today and would be just as good, it rises to the challenge and then towers above it.

“If one's different, one's bound to be lonely.”

Everyday life makes me think of this book all the time. Huxley does more than describe a bleak and cynical post-apocalyptic or dystopian world, he looks a dystopian resident in the eye and puts before him a mirror to flesh out what is real and unreal. Further, Huxley has turned that same mirror on the reader and we see in his far future fantasy a reality that could be today. Huxley reveals that the seeds of Mustafa Mond and his ilk have fertile ground in our culture and in our souls.

“No social stability without individual stability.”

Finally, Huxely provides a glimpse behind the curtain, we see the false wizard in his machinations. The world that has been crafted for the denizens of Huxley's nightmare landscape is explained fully and matter-of-factly by Mond. Huxley's sermon is delivered as stoically and deterministically as Jonathon Edwards "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God".

"You all remember, I suppose, that beautiful and inspired saying of Our Ford's: History is bunk."

A must read.

*** 2020 Re-read:

Reading this brilliant work after a few years only just reminded me of not only what an exceptional book it is, but of also how important it is in literature.

“In 1999, the Modern Library ranked Brave New World as #5 on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century. In 2003, Robert McCrum, writing for The Observer, included Brave New World chronologically at #53 in "the top 100 greatest novels of all time", and the novel was listed at #87 on The Big Read survey by the BBC.”
-tWikipedia

Huxley was greatly affected and influenced by economic events in the England of the 1920s and of the need for stability, but at what cost? A trip to America and an exploration of Henry Ford’s autobiography My Life and Work further led him towards the centralized and industrialized world that he created in BNW.

Huxley, perhaps more so than Orwell, has crafted a domain wherein the individual has succumbed to the will of the state. But Huxley’s vision is more subtle and therefore more insidious – the citizens of Huxley’s dystopia are brainwashed and seem genuinely happy. The dehumanizing automation of births and families as well as the somnambulist / hypnotic effects of Soma further create a scenario where out traditional attitudes of right and wring have been displaced.

Most of all in this reading is the characterization of John and of his juxtaposition with him as a product of the savage reservation and of his alienation in the London of the brave new world. In John, Huxley has created a shadow of Miranda from The Tempest, and the civilization he finds is one that he ultimately rejects in favor of the most extreme form of individual choice.

Timeless and important.

For fans of 1984…..

Brave New World is a dystopian novel published in 1932. Reproduction occurs in a lab. The government conditions children to hate books and flowers while the government promotes certain products (like sports that require a lot of equipment). Everyone looks the same and has similar names.

The government conditions people through a program of predestiny, and instead of saying “Our Lord,” the people say, “Our Ford.”

The book itself is a bit rough at times, particularly in the beginning which is too focused on statistics and numbers.

However, there is a lot to think about in this book. Although I don’t know the exact social mores of the 1930’s, many of the ideas expressed in Brave New World are accurate today.

Consumerism is still a founding principle in the United States where consumer debt is at an all-time high between mortgages, credit cards, student loans, and auto loans. The idea is that one always needs more, more, more.

Now, let’s talk about predestiny. If you just work hard, you can be anything, right?

You could be the next Bill Gates, right?

Let’s look at the education of some of the wealthiest people in the world.

Bill Gates: He went to a private school, Lakeside prep. According to the Lakeside School website, the tuition for the 2023-2024 school year is $42,000. That isn’t for college. This is for high school.

Mark Zuckerberg: He attended a private school as well, Phillips Exeter Academy. According to its website, tuition for the 2023-2024 school year is $50,604.

Jeff Bezos: He attended Miami Palmetto High School and even worked at McDonald’s. However, he also participated in the Student Science Training Program at the University of Florida. According to the website, this is a “rigorous and fast paced program for academically talented and motivated students.” The program costs $5,200 plus a $50 application fee.

We talk about predestiny. It seems like we, as a society, need to invest more in education.

2025 Reading Schedule
JantA Town Like Alice
FebtBirdsong
MartCaptain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Berniere
AprtWar and Peace
MaytThe Woman in White
JuntAtonement
JultThe Shadow of the Wind
AugtJude the Obscure
SeptUlysses
OcttVanity Fair
NovtA Fine Balance
DectGerminal

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YouTube kanalımda Cesur Yeni Dünya kitabını önerip distopyayı anlattım:
https://youtu.be/DNo1wRTFR1g

Vedat Milor'un Twitter'da yaptığı "Menemen soğanlı mı olur yoksa soğansız mı?" anketinden sonra Goodreads'de bugüne kadar yaptığım ilk anketli incelemeye hoşgeldiniz. Bu incelemenin yorumlar kısmında şu sorunun cevabını vermenizi istiyorum: "1984 mü yoksa Cesur Yeni Dünya mı?"

Huxley'in kendisi 1984'ün daha acımasız bir distopya olduğunu söylerken, benim düşüncelerim Cesur Yeni Dünya kitabındaki mutluluğun kaçınılmaz bir şey olarak dayatılmasının daha tehlikeli bir şey olduğu yönünde.

Kendi kitap okuma grubumda haftaya bu iki kitabı siyaset, mimarlık, sosyoloji, psikoloji, pedagoji, cinsellik ve etimoloji gibi pek çok yönden karşılaştıracağımız için sizin yorumlarınızı da bu yüzden merak ediyorum. Çünkü 1984, acı ve cezalandırma yoluyla halkı kontrol etmeyi seçmişken, Cesur Yeni Dünya haz ve ödül yoluyla halkı kontrol etmeyi seçmiş bir distopya. Sizce hangi kitabın toplumu içerisinde yaşamak daha acımasız?

Aile ve anne-baba gibi kavramların ortadan kalkmadığı 1984 mü, yoksa anne-baba-ebeveyn gibi kavramların ortadan kalktığı, şartlandırılma sistemiyle insanların birileri tarafından üretildiği Cesur Yeni Dünya mı?

İnsanlar mutsuz olmalarına rağmen onlara sürekli olumlu ve pozitif sayıların dayatıldığı 1984 mü, yoksa mutsuzluğun insanların aklına bile gelmemesi için Soma adlı bir hap aracılığıyla mutsuzluk, kötülük, hastalık gibi şeylerin düşüncesinin bile ortadan kalktığı Cesur Yeni Dünya mı?

Kitap okuma düşüncesinin bile yasak olduğu 1984 mü, yoksa insanların bebekliklerinden itibaren bir kitaplığa yürütülüp kitaplığa ulaşacakları sırada onlara elektrik verildiği ve böylece kitapların kötü bir şey olduğu yönünde şartlandırıldıkları Cesur Yeni Dünya mı?

Teleekranlarla dolu bir dünyada sürekli izlendiğinizi ve gözetlendiğinizi bildiğiniz 1984 mü, yoksa iktidarın sizi gözetlemeye ihtiyacı olmayan, çünkü zaten küçüklüğünüzden beri iktidara karşı gelmemeye şartlandırıldığınız için iktidarı devirmeye yönelik bir devrim düşüncesinin oluşamayacağı Cesur Yeni Dünya mı?

2x2'nin iktidarın istekleri yönünde bazen 5 bazen 3 bazen 4 ettiği 1984 mü, yoksa 2x2 sorusunun sürünün selameti nasıl sağlanıyorsa cevabının da o olduğu Cesur Yeni Dünya mı?

Savaşın barış, özgürlüğün kölelik ve cahilliğin güç olduğu 1984 mü, yoksa savaşın ya da barışın olmadığı, kölelik ve cahillik gibi kavramların düşünülmesine bile ihtiyaç olmayan, acıların ve hayal kırıklıklarının insanı kişisel olarak geliştirdiği bir dünyada bu kötü kelimelerin akla bile getirilemeyeceği Cesur Yeni Dünya mı?

Sadece Parti içerisindeki insanların arasında izin verilen cinsel eylemleri konu alan 1984 mü, yoksa cinselliğin her zaman ve herkes arasında özgürce yapılabileceği olağanüstü genişlikte bir cinsellik ihtimali sunan, mahremiyet denen kavramın hiçe sayıldığı bir Cesur Yeni Dünya mı?

İktidarların ağzıyla "Sen bir hainsin. Sen bir düşüncesuçlususun! Seni vururum, buharlaştırırım, seni tuz madenlerine yollarım" diyen çocukların olduğu bir 1984 mü, yoksa bebekliklerinden beri şartlandırıldıkları için bunu söyleyemeyecek kadar düşüncesi oluşamayan çocukların olduğu bir Cesur Yeni Dünya mı?

İktidarın devamlılığı uğruna insanlarının beynini yıkayan ve kendi saraylarında mutlu mesut hayatlarına devam edip halkının iyiliğini umursamayan liderlerin olduğu 1984 mü, yoksa kendi halkının bilinçsizce üremesini durdurmayı hedefleyip de şartlandırma ve telkin sistemiyle insanları standartlaştırmayı hedefleyen Cesur Yeni Dünya mı?

Nefret ettiğimiz şeyin bizi yıkmasından korktuğumuz 1984 mü, yoksa sevdiğimiz şeyin bizi yıkmasından korktuğumuz Cesur Yeni Dünya mı?

Hayatımda en çok kararsız olduğum konu hakkında sizin düşüncelerinizi merak ediyorum. Hangi distopya daha etkileyici ve vurucu... 1984 mü Cesur Yeni Dünya mı?

‎I am I, and I wish I weren't.


إن كان راي برادبوري في روايته الأشهر
قد اخترع عالما تُحرق فيه الكتب

فهسكلي قبله بسنوات طويلة
توصل إلى فكرة أشد شناعة

ففي عالمه الناس لا تُمنع من القراءة ‏
فهم أصلا لا يرغبوا فيها
‏ ولا يعرفوا لها قيمة أو معنى ‏

:::::::::::::::

تخيل نفسك تعيش هنا في هذا العالم‏‎
عالم السعادة الزائفة .. سعادة العقاقير
عالم يبتسم فيه الجميع ‏
عالم ألمه مخدر وعقله مغيب‏

عالم بلا مشاعر أو علاقات إنسانية‏t
عالم يقوم على التقسيم الطبقي البحث ‏
عالم خال من العاطفة والجمال‏

تصور أننا صرنا أجنة مرصوصين في القوارير‏
ننتظر ترتيبنا إلى واحدة من الطبقات الخمس
والتي يحددوها لنا من قبل حتى أن ننشأ ‏



لا خيار لك في أن تكون واحد من الخمسة التاليين

‏*الفا ثم بيتا
والذين هما الأعلى مستوى اجتماعيا وفكريا ‏
فمن ألفا يأتي قادة العالم وأعضاء الحكومة

‏*ثم جاما
وهو من يقومون بالأعمال المكتبية والإدارية

‏*ثم دلتا
وهم من يقومون بالأعمال اليدوية التي لا تتطلب مجهودا ‏فكريا

‏*وأخيرا إبسيلون‎ ‎
الأغبى والأدنى مرتبة –عمال نظافة وما شابه
وهم يشكلون أغلبية الشعب

لا تحاول أن تختار
ليس لديك هذا الحق أصلا
!
:::::::::::::::

n
‏" ولكنني لا أريد الراحة..‏
أنا أريد الرب..أريد الشِعر..أريد خطرا حقيقيا..أريد الحرية
أريد الخير..أريد الخطيئة" !‏
n

n

إنه عالم ينشد سعادة آلية ‏
همست بها أزار إلكترونية في أذنيه منذ مولده
فبات لا يعلم عن شيء سواها
لا فن لا دين لا أدب لا حب لا أسرة
وأيضا لا حزن لا ألم لا معاناة لا فقر

هذه أشياء لا يفهم لها معنى

:::::::::::::::

وعلى الجانب الآخر
هناك مجتمع الهمج المنبوذ
الذي يتكاثر بطريقة ‏طبيعية
ويعرف عن معنى الله والأسرة والحب والخوف
والذي منه يطل أمل يائس
فلربما تتغير الأوضاع يوما
أو تحدث ثورة من نوع ما

على الأقل هذا ما يدور في ذهنك أثناء القراءة
ولكن أملك يخيب مع نظرة هكسلي اليائسة
وتنتهي الرواية بنهاية أكثر بؤسا من أحداث الرواية

:::::::::::::::

‏ فالمدينة الفاضلة الخالية من الروح
المغرقة في المادة لا تزال هنا
مبتسمة في سخرية وهي ترمق جثة جون المشنوقة
والشعب لا يزال يبتسم
فحبوب السعادة تكفي لإلهائهم عن الحقيقة
إنه شعب لا يحتاج قوة ليُحكم ‏
لقد تم تكييفهم منذ البداية على الاستسلام‏


ولكن الباب لم يغلق بعد
علك تريد الهروب من هذه الآلة الكبرى
علك تريد العودة إلى كل ما هو حار وحقيقي ومؤل
علّك .. وإن كان الثمن موتك
‏
‏------------------‏
على الهامش

‏#1‏
‏=يستمد المؤلف عنوانه من أبيات شكسبير في العاصفة
How many goodly creatures are there here
How beauteous mankind is!
O brave new world
That has such people in 't!

‏#2‏
في عام 1958
كتب هكسلي كتابه
Brave New World Revisited ‎
مبديا فيه في عدة مقالات أراؤه التي أودعها الرواية السابقة
إن أحب أحدكم المزيد من الإطلاع

‏#3‏‎
‏ المرة الأولى التي قرأتُ فيها الرواية كنت في نحو السادسة عشر
كان كتيب مختصر ضمن سلسلة مكتبة الأسرة للناشئين
تحت عنوان عالم رائع جديد

وهي مترجمة أيضا بعنوان العالم الطريف –دار المدى
كاملة دون اختصار ‏

ولكني لم أقرؤها ولا أعرف هل ترجمتها طيبة ام لا

همیشه کتاب های انتقادی دوست دارم چون مثل پتک بر سرم می کوبه و میگه مهسا به خودت بیا!همه چیز اونقدرام خوب به نظر نمیرسه!
دنیای قشنگ نو روایت زندگی امروزی خودمونه:اختلاف طبقاتی،روابط سطحی و زودگذر جنسی ،خواسته هایی که به کف هرم مزلو منتهی میشن مثل سوما،فیلم های تحریک آمیز،شرطی شدن توسط سیاست های کلان و بی توجهی به فرهنگ و هنرو...
هاکسلی از ما می خواد عینک شرطی شدگی کنار بزنیم و با نگاه تیزبین به اطرافمون توجه کنیم اون وقت میفهمیم که تو دو دنیای مغایر گیر افتادیم؛دنیایی دور از تمدن و به اصطلاح نویسنده ،وحشی و دنیایی که مطابق با علم و تکنولوژی پیش میره.نویسنده از ما نمیخواد تمدنو دور بندازیم و به دوران بدوی برگردیم بلکه هدفش ایجاد تعادل همراه با نگاه به تاریخه، که از توجهش به آثار شکسپیر مشخصه.
در دنیای متمدن هاکسلی عشق،احساس،خانواده جایی نداره و معلمین و استادان به جای تربیت دانش آموزان خلاق و منتقد اونها رو وادار میکنند تا نسبت به مسائل مهم بی تفاوت و شرطی بشن.
این دنیا جایی واسه رقابت و شهامت و آزادی نیست چون همه عاشق مقام و منزلتشون هستند و احساس خوشبختی می کنند اپسیلون ها و آلفا ها منو یاد پوزو و برده ش در نمایشنامه انتظار گودو انداختن که اون برده هم اسارت را عشق میدونست و نمیتونست از موقعیتش دست بکشه.
این کتاب با وجود شباهت هایی که با 1984 ارول داشت اما تفاوتهایی ام به چشمم اومد؛ مثلا اینکه ارول بیشتر به تاثیر سیاست های توتالیتر در دنیای امروز پرداخته که ناشی از برنامه های غلط حزب کمونیسم بوده؛ اما هدف اصلی هاکسلی نه فقط انتقاد از جامعه و سیاست،بلکه اثر علم و تکنولوژی روی فردیت انسانها و بهره برداری سیاست برای برقراری ثبات جامعه بود.

Catching up…

Who wasn’t expected to read this classic in high school or college? At the time I didn’t appreciate or probably understand the experience. But years later as I re-visit the novel to provide my review for Goodreads, it is a different feeling for me.

Especially now.

What is interesting is that this novel was published in 1932. And yet, it imagined a futuristic society. The idea being would a future totalitarian society produce happy people since the government would be in complete control of everything in their lives? Thus, they would not have to worry about anything at all.

Including the books they read. In fact, babies are bred and conditioned for their role in society by keeping them happy. Unhappiness would be quickly whisked away by a drug with no debilitating side-effects.

Doesn’t this sound like it would be perfect? Having your mind and body completely controlled? Being told exactly what you are supposed to do? What you can read or can’t read?

But does this not stunt passion, feelings, human-ness? Deprive a culture of art and ultimately meaning?

But wait…with this society there is no war, no disease, and of course, no unhappiness.

Again, doesn’t this sound great?

Well…the undertone speaks to something more sinister, and it really becomes a rather dull utopian existence controlled by the government.

Well, is it, or isn’t it?

Huxley is challenging readers.

He wants us to think for ourselves. Because certainly in this society, they aren’t expected to do so.

The book concentrates on the journey of 3 characters who are outside the norm. A character who is reading books that are banned – Mustapha Mond. A character who is uncertain if he fits in the society – Bernard Marx. A character who is concerned about the controlling government – John Savage.

And there will be discussions amongst the characters…future science, sociology, and future beliefs..along with a discussion about society, morals and God.

So, what really is Huxley’s message in 1932 for any reader in any generation that makes this classic so readable now?

For some readers it is easy to conclude that this book feels prophetic.

Think about it a moment…

It is portrayed as a dystopian world run by an authoritarian government.

In many respects Huxley feels like a visionary.

For example, who wouldn’t be concerned about a certain candidate running for President in the United States currently who openly professes to be a dictator, who idolizes other autocrats of the world, and is interested in running an authoritarian government once he is elected.

It isn’t 1932 anymore. But we need to pay attention, now.

Brave New World is a young man's novel, written in the interwar years. Huxley was then living in a collapsing world: a world where the optimist 19th-century dreams of progress, of improved humanity, of a new and superior man, had been shattered in the trench warfare of World War I and were about to be burned amidst the horrors of the concentration camps.

Huxley seems to be sensing that grave danger is looming on the horizon, and he imagines a utopia where a single superstate is ruling the whole planet. The dream of a “superior humanity” has eventually come true, thanks to the extensive use of eugenics and mass cloning (babies in bottles). Not all people get the best genetic formula, however: some of these manufactured humans are reduced to imbecility, perform the lowest functions, and are nonetheless content with their lot. Children, of course, are all brainwashed and conditioned with hypnotic techniques (sleep teaching). There are no families anymore, and sexual promiscuity is pervasive. Adults get a further supply of silly entertainment (Feelies) and drugs (Soma) that renders them docile, keeps them young, and make them love their voluntary servitude. People have lost interest in art and science, and religion has been replaced by Henry Ford’s cult (i.e. assembly line applied to human beings) and occasional orgiastic ceremonies (orgy-porgies). In short, humanity has achieved happiness and reached the End of History.

To some extent, Huxley’s prophecies have become a reality, less than a century later: rational, hierarchical, hyper-efficient and optimised capitalism and cheery consumerism have conquered most of the world. The sexual revolution has indeed taken place — although full sexual libertarianism is still a pipe dream. Pharmacopoeia, narcotics, antidepressants, tranquillisers and rejuvenating treatments are broadly available; as well as irrelevant and mind-numbing 3D entertainment, peppered with commercial slogans. Genetic engineering and biotechnology are everywhere (although not used to select humans as yet).

Brave New World is a novel structured around a set of (rather crude) characters and plots; there is, however, no clear protagonist. Huxley has a witty tongue-in-cheek sense of humour throughout. Some passages even have a purely poetic or musical quality: particularly through the use of Shakespeare’s lines for the character of John Savage, or the cross-cutting technique employed in chapter 3. But by and large, the book feels like a philosophical essay or social satire, in the style of Voltaire’s Candide or Swift’s Gulliver's Travels. Obviously, Huxley had Plato’s Republic in mind, when designing his Alpha / Bêta / Gamma / Delta / Epsilon caste system (he was probably also referring to the school grades: A+ to F, already in use when he was a pupil at Eton College, or even to the caste system in India). Certainly, he remembered Nietzsche’s “Letzte Mensch” from Zarathustra’s prologue: a human type that has indeed invented happiness, comfort and social stability, but ultimately a petty and lethargic sort of humankind. A type of humanity that might well be appealing to us right now, who knows…

Brave New World is obviously a fascinating political statement that spoke to the European crisis of the 1930s. But its visionary impact and influence on speculative fiction cannot be overstated, from Orwell’s 1984 to Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, to Atwood's Oryx and Crake, and to Houellebecq’s La Possibilité d'une île.

See also my review of Brave New World Revisited.

Edit: Watched Universal’s 2020 TV series adaptation. It is by and large faithful to the novel’s plot and characters, but ends up taking more and more liberties as the episodes go by. It’s also focusing way more on the entertainment potential of the book (especially the erotica aspects of the orgy-porgies) than on the political debate around the problem of happiness vs freedom. All references to Shakespeare have been removed as well, although the romance is a central part of the show (not so much in the book). Ultimately, Huxley’s philosophical novel serves as the rib cage of the series, but its heart is more like Black Mirror, Westworld, The Matrix or even Fritz Lang’s Metropolis. Nonetheless, a pleasant “feely” with some nice eye candy!

To cut a long story short, the inescapable destiny of every society is to morph into a dystopia. Alternatively, a biting satire on capitalism and consumerism.