The Motifs of Utopia and Dystopia in Aldous Huxley's 'Brave New World'

Seminar paper from the year 2012 in the subject English - Literature, Works, grade: 1, University of Vienna, course: Science Fiction: The Classics, language: English, abstract: One of the many features of science fiction is the creation of alternative worlds and societies. The utopia-motif has been a very creative one in doing so, constantly inspiring authors to pursuit the goal of imagining a perfect world. The motif is also productive in a sense of redevelopment, since it serves to lay out the points of criticism that occur when looking at the 'real' world at times. These approaches have resulted in the formation of new motifs such as dystopia. Aldous Huxley's Brave New World is an ambiguous masterpiece that allows the reader to reveal various levels of meaning. Researchers mainly suggest it to be read as a satire, but it is also considered to be a key work of dystopian literature. This paper points out the elements that allow us to identify Brave New World as both a utopian and dystopian narrative. It concentrates on the points of view because in my opinion they determine the motif. The thesis is that depending on the viewpoint of the different characters the two worlds Huxley presents us can be either interpreted as a utopia or dystopia. The paper aims to introduce the major terms Utopia and Dystopia, but also outline the two different worlds Huxley describes in his novel. It explores whether or not the thesis is applicable and verifiable.

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