Hi friends and happy Monday! I hope you’re all doing well. I’m back with another classic read! Today I’m posting my reading update thoughts on Brave New World by: Aldous Huxley.

Aldous Huxley’s profoundly important classic of world literature, Brave New World is a searching vision of an unequal, technologically-advanced future where humans are genetically bred, socially indoctrinated, and pharmaceutically anesthetized to passively uphold an authoritarian ruling order–all at the cost of our freedom, full humanity, and perhaps also our souls. “A genius [who] who spent his life decrying the onward march of the Machine” (The New Yorker), Huxley was a man of incomparable talents: equally an artist, a spiritual seeker, and one of history’s keenest observers of human nature and civilization. Brave New World, his masterpiece, has enthralled and terrified millions of readers, and retains its urgent relevance to this day as both a warning to be heeded as we head into tomorrow and as thought-provoking, satisfying work of literature. Written in the shadow of the rise of fascism during the 1930s, Brave New Worldd likewise speaks to a 21st-century world dominated by mass-entertainment, technology, medicine and pharmaceuticals, the arts of persuasion, and the hidden influence of elites.

Goodreads synopsis

This is my second time reading this book; I read it in high school and I enjoyed it, so now I’m curious what my adult-self thinks of it. So far I’m just shy of the halfway mark and it’s been a trip to read. Learning about this weird futuristic world where people are genetically made to be perfect and how everyone is made to be happy – it’s so bizarre, yet a powerful concept. But of course there always has to be one who doesn’t fit the norm and Bernard Marx is the one who’s unhappy with this life and is curious about how life used to be. He’s ok this quest to ask questions and break free. I don’t remember how this goes so I’m fully invested in this story to see where it goes.

I feel like I got more out of this when I read it in school because we were going through it so methodically. Now, reading it myself I feel like I’m missing so much and I’m not getting it. Don’t get me wrong the concepts are interesting and bizarre, but I’m not captivated by them. Bernard started off as an interesting character, but recently I’ve just felt alright towards him. I feel like in the chapter I just read he learned about jealousy for the first time. I did think the whole plot with Lenina and Savage was fascinating. Instead of sitting with her feelings she just took a pill to rid her of feelings – if only sometimes! The Shakespeare references have been really well incorporated too; I find they give an extra layer to the story and give the characters something to relate to.

I enjoyed my reread of this, even if some of the concepts were a bit over my head. I liked the discussions that were had at the end of the book, that have been the theme throughout the whole book, about living life in pure bliss without pain or hurt or bad feelings. I think Huxley did a great job of portraying this ‘brave new world’ and how flawed it still can be. When the Savage decides to take on all the feelings of the world and he proclaims he ate civilization was really interesting and I liked that, because he chose that for himself. I’d highly recommend this book because it really gives a sense of what we have, and really looks at life if it’s any better in a state of content happiness; very thought provoking. 

 Have you read Brave New World? Let me know in the comments!