As one of the most prominent British intellectuals of the 20th century, Aldous Huxley was
both an avid observer and prophet of his times, witnessing the current of revolutions and upheavals
of a scale never seen before as horrendous tyranny and glorious empires fell, leaving space for yet
another war for global domination between two conflicting ideologies. With sincere love for
humanity, Huxley became increasingly desperate at the sight of his beloved free society become
threatened by the very forces that drove democracy. This sense of urgency reflects upon the literary
style of Huxley, which is both cynical and genuine.
Perhaps the most noticeable part of Huxley’s style is his cold, logical analysis of the topic of interest. Whenever a new argument is created to reinforce his opinions on a given subject, Huxley is quick to use research such as “1957- The Next Hundred Years” (Huxley, page 9), quotes from more specialized intellectual authorities and analogies of similar scenarios presented within Brave New World Revisited. His diction and sentence structure is kept simple in order to maintain clarity, not poignancy. Huxley makes sparse usage of imagery and physical detail to pain a picture in his work for the very same purpose of his simple diction. In the case of Brave New World Revisited, which its purpose is mainly informational, imagery and physical detail was never used due to the need for the author to remain factually credible and professional. This emphasis of substance over style allows Huxley to address the issue at hand as succinctly as possible, a significant trait necessary for an essay and reflection of the accuracy of his past works.
It is interesting to note, however, that Huxley does not always revel into the overtly dry. His writing, whether it be fiction such as Island or essays such as Brave New World Revisited, is sprinkled with apparent but never excessive cynicism. Even as he calls for his fellow men to struggle against the very forces that threatens the future viability of freedom, Huxley seems skeptical on how successful such a struggle would be, stating that “the forces that now menace freedom are too strong to be resisted for very long.” (Huxley, page 123). This cynicism may be difficult to accept initially, but this harsh criticism of everything around him is the foundation of Huxley’s tone and belief.
As an intellectual who witnessed the over-commercialization of America, rise of fascist regimes, and the western world’s continuous stride towards the leadership of the privileged few, Huxley lived in an era in which so many promises and expectations of an utopia were broken for seemingly one conflict to another. It would have been difficult to maintain an optimistic outlook during such turbulent times. However, this bitterness serves only to further emphasize the hope and love he had for his fellow man, as it takes a truly dedicated, enlightened man to protect and wish for freedom after seeing it foolishly squandered by corrupt leaders and short sighted people.
Work Cited:
Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World Revisited. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1958. Print.
Perhaps the most noticeable part of Huxley’s style is his cold, logical analysis of the topic of interest. Whenever a new argument is created to reinforce his opinions on a given subject, Huxley is quick to use research such as “1957- The Next Hundred Years” (Huxley, page 9), quotes from more specialized intellectual authorities and analogies of similar scenarios presented within Brave New World Revisited. His diction and sentence structure is kept simple in order to maintain clarity, not poignancy. Huxley makes sparse usage of imagery and physical detail to pain a picture in his work for the very same purpose of his simple diction. In the case of Brave New World Revisited, which its purpose is mainly informational, imagery and physical detail was never used due to the need for the author to remain factually credible and professional. This emphasis of substance over style allows Huxley to address the issue at hand as succinctly as possible, a significant trait necessary for an essay and reflection of the accuracy of his past works.
It is interesting to note, however, that Huxley does not always revel into the overtly dry. His writing, whether it be fiction such as Island or essays such as Brave New World Revisited, is sprinkled with apparent but never excessive cynicism. Even as he calls for his fellow men to struggle against the very forces that threatens the future viability of freedom, Huxley seems skeptical on how successful such a struggle would be, stating that “the forces that now menace freedom are too strong to be resisted for very long.” (Huxley, page 123). This cynicism may be difficult to accept initially, but this harsh criticism of everything around him is the foundation of Huxley’s tone and belief.
As an intellectual who witnessed the over-commercialization of America, rise of fascist regimes, and the western world’s continuous stride towards the leadership of the privileged few, Huxley lived in an era in which so many promises and expectations of an utopia were broken for seemingly one conflict to another. It would have been difficult to maintain an optimistic outlook during such turbulent times. However, this bitterness serves only to further emphasize the hope and love he had for his fellow man, as it takes a truly dedicated, enlightened man to protect and wish for freedom after seeing it foolishly squandered by corrupt leaders and short sighted people.
Work Cited:
Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World Revisited. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1958. Print.
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