Brave New World

(1931)

The novel's title is derived from Miranda's speech in William Shakespeare's The Tempest, Act V, Scene I: "O wonder! How many godly creatures are there here! How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world, That has such people in't."

"Hug me till you drug me, honey; Kiss me till I'm in a coma: Hug me, honey, snuggly bunny; Love's as good as soma."--Lenina Crowne--chapter 11

A dystopian novel set in London in AD 2540 (632 A.F.-"After Ford"-in the book), the story anticipates developments in reproductive technology, sleep-learning, psychological manipulation, and classical conditioning that combine profoundly to change society. Huxley answered this book with a reassessment in an essay, "Brave New World Revisited" (1958), and with Island (1962), his final novel.

In 1999, the Modern Library ranked Brave New World fifth 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 number 53 in "the top 100 greatest novels of all time". The novel was listed at number 87 on the BBC's survey The Big Read.

Huxley's Brave New World is a remarkable piece of writing which prophesies the futuristic world. The concept of nature through the character of John the Savage depicts volumes about the totalitarian state which the author portrays beautifully. The irony and satire with which he whips 1931 London society is worth reading.

Dr. Leon Kass, a prominent public intellectual said in a speech to the Manhattan Institute that the "train to Huxley's dehumanized Brave New World has already left the station".

Huxley's work is a brilliant masterpiece which is extraordinarily prophetic, challenging developments in science and technology. Genetic Engineering, mutations, and Bio-technological advancements will take man away from nature. Though these are advantageous, slowly and steadily the natural instincts in man are being 'civilized'.--Submitted by Allan Thai

The book Brave New world is a masterpiece of genius. There are uncivilized people living on reservations and a women named Linda and her son John get to leave the reservation. Linda is happy to be back in the civilized world. While John is having fun he is also very disgusted about soma, because he found out that when his mother was still in the Brave New World she had to take some. I can tell you why Linda and John are on the reservation--the director of the conditioning centre got Linda pregnant and he left her there, because he didn't want anybody to find out what he did to poor Linda. And when Linda gave birth to John she didn't care about him at first, but she learned that John is her son and she has to take care of him. As I was saying they go into the civilized world and John finds out that the brave new world isn't what he thought it was. After a while John finds out that his mother died while she was on a soma vacation. It says in the book that soma is a drug that keeps everybody happy, but John doesn't like the way it is used and what effects it has on people. And I forgot to mention that I saw the movie and it wasn't very interesting as I thought it would be. But I thought that the movie should have been ranked a three star ranking. As I was saying while Bernard and his friend are waiting for John, John is at the hospital throwing soma out the window, because he wants everybody to know what the world is like that their in at that point in time. The so called utopia is actually a world that everybody has no freedom, everybody in the Brave New World have to obey all of the laws and if there is anybody that is different they will get into really big trouble. I have read the book and it it's a lot longer than the movie so I suggest that anybody that reads this should read the book The Brave New World.--Submitted by Bryan A. Patterson