Utopian/Dystopian Literature

Background information of

BRAVE NEW WORLDSheila Jones

Origins in Greek Literature According to Greek mythology, famine, plague, and pestilence came into

existence when the first woman, Pandora, opened a box given to her by the jealous gods. But this act also gave man the gift of hope. Man strives for an earthly paradise. This hope found literary expression within the genre known as the utopian novel.

Utopian literature dates back to 5th Century B.C.  It was looked on as a pleasant way to teach ethics and morals.

Greeks — 2 Greek words “no place” “a good place”

Greek origins, continued

• Aristophanes — The Birds. Utopian city in the air, meant to highlight the corruption of Athens.

Greeks… Aristotle — Discussed ideal community in his Nichomachean Ethics,

a book that discusses ethical standards as well as illuminates the philosophical concept of the Golden Mean. In the Golden Mean, a virtue is seen as the mean (the balance point) between two extremes. Thus the virtue is a balance between two vices, one being the excess of the virtue, the other being the absence of the virtue. For example.

Cowardice Courage Foolhardiness Vice (absence) Virtue Vice (excess)

Greeks…

Plato — The Republic. A utopian essay about a scientifically-organized, cooperative city. There are natural rulers and natural subjects.

Philosophers are the born rulers. Next, warriors to keep order Next, huge mass of workers Children are nurtured by the state No marriage. Wives were held in common.

English Elizabethans (Shakespeare’s age)Sir Thomas More. Utopia, 1516. Based on The Republic. Crime is the result of the perverted social order. Instead of punishing crime, the

state should correct those societal abuses that cause it: private ownership of property which breeds envy, greed, and crime. Property should be enjoyed by all, regardless of birth.

Setting is a utopian Island: 54 model cities. Population is kept constant. Agriculture is regulated. Produce of the state evenly distributed to the public. Every person’s basic needs met Love of money is discouraged. Work day is short. Recreation is state-sponsored and required. Everyone works 6 hours per day at necessary jobs. Laws were simple and few. Therefore, no lawyers. As a result of these, life is abundant for everyone.

RENAISSANCE: Science is liberator and

universal benefactor.

Sir Francis Bacon: New Atlantis, 1627. Harnessed NATURE to do man’s bidding. Science was key in BNW, although it tended to enslave Nature rather than free man.

RENAISSANCE…

Jonathan Swift: Gulliver’s Travels, 1726 Semi-utopian narrative Satire attacking pettiness and grossness of man. Land of tiny folks, giants, philosophers, utopian society ruled by

horse-like people.

RENAISSANCE

BRAVE NEW WORLD Title of book comes from Shakespeare’s The

Tempest. Escapism, glorification of nature, and natural nobility

are the central themes of this play. John the Savage, the protagonist, uses

Shakespeare to obtain his entire education in conformity with nature.

Simplify personal wants Live with Nature

LITERATURE OF ESCAPE

Jean-Jacques Rousseau: 18th century philosopher.

“Man is born free and everywhere he is in chains.” Social Contract, 1762.

Blamed all misery on over-civilization Championship of the “noble savage”

LITERATURE OF ESCAPE

Henry David Thoreau: Walden Retreating to Nature and the natural state Least government is the best government. This is similar to John’s retreat at the end of

BNW.

LITERATURE OF ESCAPE

Late 19th & Early 20th Century In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many felt scientific and

social progress heralded the approach of the new perfected world order. Social security, labor unions, mass literacy seemed promising. WWI brought disillusionment.

Socialist revolution in Russia changed into totalitarianism. League of Nations failed. Hitler and Mussolini came into power. The stock market collapsed. Depression, WWII. Science was perverted and turned toward finding new methods of

torture and brainwashing. The atom bomb was created. Increasing pessimism about the future.

Late 19th & Early 20th Century

Utopian Communities Following the 1600s new experimental

Utopias. Some had religious affiliations. Mennonites Shakers Mormons Zionists

Cooperative economies discouraged private property, promoted experimental family relationships. If they lasted, they modified.

20th Century

Anti-Utopian – dystopian– novel debuts Bleak predictions about the future. George Orwell. 1984 World Controlled by fear Lord of the Flies

20th Century

George Orwell

1984, written in 1948. Big Brother. Again life with a dictator. Power becomes autocracy and self-perpetuating. Very similar in themes, concept to BNW. The title of this book has made it seem obsolete; yet Orwell’s concept of “Big Brother” is very credible today.

Given the chance to return to the “natural” state, what does man become? The novel explores this question with children in the title roles.

Animal Farm, 1946. Explores life under a dictator. The novel is an allegory of the Russian Revolution, with farm animals in the key roles of such Russian notables as Trotsky, Stalin, etc.

20th Century

H.G. Wells The Time Machine. Earth divided

between master race and servants.

War of the Worlds. Reason would triumph over instinct. Orson Wells radio broadcast of this in the 1940s caused mayhem in America as citizens fled New York fearing an alien (outer space) invasion.

The Shape of Things to Come. 1933. Condemns capitalism

20th Century

James Hilton - Lost Horizon. Return to natural. Wonderful life. Shangri-La.

Recent dystopias: The Matrix; I,Robot; Ender’s Game, Hunger Games; Wall-ee.

Traits of Dystopian Literature

Propaganda is used to control citizens. Independent thought and freedoms are restricted. A figurehead or a concept is worshipped by the citizens. Citizens are perceived to be under constant surveillance Citizens fear the outside world. Citizens live in a dehumanized state. The natural world is banished and distrusted. Citizens conform to uniform expectations. Individuality and

dissent are considered bad. The society is an illusion of a perfect world.

The Dystopian Protagonist

Feels trapped and struggles to escape. Questions the existing social and political systems. Believes or feels something terribly wrong with his/her society. Helps the audience recognize the negative aspects of the

dystopian world through his/her perspective.

Types of Dystopian Controls

Corporate Control: Corporation controls society through products, advertising, or media. Examples: Minority Report or Running Man.

Bureaucratic Control: Mindless red tape, endless regulations, and incompetent government officials.

Technological Control: Society is controlled by computers, or other scientific means. Examples: The Terminator, The Matrix, I, Robot.

Philosophical or Religious Control: A dictator or theocrat imposes a doctrine that controls society. Example: The Taliban, at least from a Western perspective.

Utopia/Dystopia in BNW

To begin, consider the world Bernard and Lenina discover on the Reservation – Malpais – where they meet John, the Savage, and Linda, his mother.

What are the traits of this portion of the world?

Why does Huxley choose these traits? Consider his “what if…”.