Are you implying that other entertainment media are somehow inferior to literature?
Other than the lack of choice in one's life, it's really hard these days to see the book's vision as a dystopia.
"What's out there? What's waiting for me?"
@doctrainAUM there is probably nothing that would justify Huxley more than what you just wrote
Not that it's inferior, but that cheap media in any form does exist. There are certainly books that would qualify more as distractions than literature, just as there are movies that would be on par with literature.
@doctrainAUM, are you seriously saying that the setting of Brave New World isn\'t a dystopia? People are physically and mentally deformed while in the womb just so that their society can continue to function, because the normal people sure aren\'t going to do any work. And anyone who questions the system gets promptly Reassigned to Antarctica where they can\'t actually cause trouble for the government.
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A Book to Change Perspectives
Brave New World was a book I read in my freshman year in high school, only to revisit it my senior year as part of a class. Reading it as a 14-year-old, I enjoyed it purely for it's scientific elements and storytelling. Revisiting the book at 18 gave it a completely new look. Since reading this book I've read the re-visitation as well as the quasi-sequel Island. What's perhaps most jarring about Brave New World is the fact that it's a world where people are controlled by that which they love; they are controlled by their culture. In the world today, it is still obvious that culture is controlled freely and by the people. However, with more and more media consolidated in companies and record labels, the question has to be asked, are we heading towards a Brave New World? This is what is known as The Huxleyan Warning, the idea that we are approaching the dystopia described in the novel itself.
In many ways Brave New World is the opposite of 1984. In 1984, society is controlled by fear and hate, and books are banned. In Brave New World, pleasure and leisure control society instead, and nobody has any reason to read books as they're too busy with more socially interesting activities. And in our modern world of television, instant access to entertainment via the internet, and the growth of international consumerism, there are quite a few distractions away from literature. For this reason I believe the goal of Huxley in writing Brave New World was to have it serve as a warning to not let our culture control our society. I believe it's a powerful warning, and one that should be observed at all times.
As a teenager, this book changed the way I looked at the world, and it helped me identify and understand the growing influence of consumerism and pop culture. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking to challenge their perspectives on society, culture, or religion. Even if you're not, it's a fine book to read if only for its story.