1984 was the Eastern experiment, Brave New World was the West's. Which is the more effective means of population control? That is the question being answered. Who commissioned the experiment? That's the question we should all be asking ourselves.
Claytos Republic You are correct. Brave New World = Postmodernism/Identity politics and globalist consumerism/technocracy, coercion - 1984 = Marxism, social media and thought control/Cancel culture, brute force. Tyranny in either case.
Patriot act flatout eroding the Bill of Rights. SJW cancel culture. A surveillance state. Universities pushing for regulation against anything that "triggers" students. Content control all over the place in replace of upholding the First Amendment. And you just realized that present day "America" is in a 1984, Brave New World fusion? Obvious dude. Been obvious ever since the start of the paranoid post 9/11 patriot act era.
The reason I think people prefer 1984 is because the onus is on the "them", the government, the corporations, etc. Whereas in Brave New World, the onus is on us. Who wants to be told that their pursuit of happiness can lead to passivity and apathy?
haven't read BNW but she said she didn't understand why they were torturing Winston and why they would let him back into society so I thought I'd clear it up. Obrien tortured Winston to break him(2+2=5 brainwashing)and made him betray Julia the one thing he loved in the world and in doing that they took his will to fight and live. That's why Obrien and the Inner Party weren't worried about Winston doing anything anymore, they had taken his thoughts and will along with Julia's and he had admitted to his crimes as well as ones he didn't even do. When Julia and Winston betrayed each other it was like their connection and will to be together broke. The Party had won, Winston loved big brother over everything else.
Idk why I got recommended this 2 years later but I just wanted to add: The point IS that they didn’t just kill Winston. I think it is much more powerful that instead of killing treasonous freethinkers, they make them turn on freethinking itself. The point is there IS NO escape. Not even death. Big Brother doesn’t want you to obey or die. Big Brother WILL have your obedience. 2+2 DOES equal 5. That’s the sheer terror of 1984. Never had a story given me such a chill down my spine. And I went through a serious horror phase!!
Good overview of both books but there are a couple things I'd like to point out. I'll try to be as concise as possible. 1) I'd like to point out that that both books are written as a response, a challenge to the established order and a warning of times to come. Therefore when I analyze both books I try to think of what are the methods used by the State to control the population. 2) You mentioned that Huxley's vision was one of society so pacified that would never pursue science or art. The statement is certainly true, but I don't think that's exactly where BNW dystopia is centered. I believe that the true dystopic element of BNW is the genetic caste system. The fact that people are born to do one thing and cannot move away from it, is the way the State tends to operate. You are assigned a place in the machinery and cannot deviate from it or it would all go bust, they say. It is particularly awful in the case of gammas, half-men bred only for tasks like pushing elevator buttons while the upper castes debate and philosophize. It is class system brought to its extremes, and it's even scarier because it is a fact of the book that I have not seen properly reviewed. Another factor I'd just like to point out is that while BNW's society is in a way polyamorous, and that is in no way a bad thing, the dystopian element pertains to the fact that there are no real human connections in that world. Yes, you can have sex freely but you can't love a person, I think that's the scariest part. 3) For 1984, I've seen a number of reviews that focus entirely on the ubiquitous police state that is Oceania. I'd like to point out that 1984 also deals with the destruction of art, such as the rewriting of Shakespeare in newspeak, and the prohibition of love, like Winston and Julia's story prove. And I have seen many reviews not totally "buying" the whole repression argument of the book. I'm willing to empathize with critics who have been born in a country that has not had totalitaristic governments in the last century (USA, England, Canada, among few others). However, I myself coming from Argentina can tell you that whatever Orwell writes about complete censorship and brutal repression is mostly an exaggeration that's completely plausible. And while certainly some methods used in 1984 are still science fiction, the cruelty and viciousness behind them are certainly not. If you want a modern analysis of total surveillance, I recommend Naomi Klein's "China's All-Seeing Eye". It is really scary. Also, my take on the ending of the book is the following: the torture is for dehumanization, and the return to society is for Big Brother to prove itself that it can mold and shape human beings into its will, and needs not to worry about potential challenges to the state. 4) Lastly I would like to argue a bit about the comparison, and a rising trend I have noticed that 1984 might not be as relevant anymore and that BNW is what 21st Century society might turn out. I'll be brief on this because it is a subject for pages of political debate. Simply put, if you consider Italian political thinker Antonio Gramci's concepts, BNW stands for Cohesion and 1984 stands for Coercion. No State has ever prospered without both of them. Basically, if we imagined challenges to the established order like diseases (and classic sociology did so), Cohesion is a bit like Preventive Medicine and Coercion is like aggressive disease treatment. I think one the great successes of postmodern capitalism is tricking people into believing that it's all Cohesion. And while certainly all first world countries place the heaviest emphasis on Cohesion, the repression on the latest French strikes can tell you very well that those who do not fall to the tricks of Cohesion are eagerly awaited by the forces of Coercion to swiftly bring them back to the path of righteousness and total social peace. Sorry, that was not brief at all but they are the basic premises of what I'd like to point about these books. If you'd like to we could continue the debate.
Gabriel Gobari thanks for your analysis! Is very nice to read a clear an insightful point of view, taking into consideration that we are now near to be a BNW society. I guess you would also find interesting to read about AI and its implications for our future World, let's say 2050... Greetings from Buenos Aires
I think 1984 it is a more enjoyable novel to read, but the ideas of brave new world were something i didnt expect or imagined.... the idea of being controlled and at the same time being really happy and confortable.... it looks like a more inteligent and subtle way of control (that it is actually happening!)...thats why I like brave new world even more... ;)
1984 is communism gone wrong, while BNW is capitalism gone wrong! Edit: these are the views of my much younger and more naive self. I don't hold these views anymore. For the reasons why, go read "Homage to Catalonia"
I agree although I think 1984 is just as applicable to our society, such as the aspect of surveillance cameras and being watched in every aspect of our lives.. especially with the increase in technology we now all have surveillance cameras in our pockets, and document our lives online.. Orwell would be turning in his grave
Hi Ruby :) Glad I found this, after reading both of them this year (better late than never, haha!) I think Brave New World is more relevant to today (overconsumption, addiction, delayed or nonexistent maturity) but I personally preferred 1984, mainly because I just found that it was just more powerfully written... more of a gut-punch.
both books are amazing and scary to an extent that it reflects our current society and it would require trigger warnings or outright banned in our current cultural atmosphere
1984 is my alltime favourite book, and I read BNW only recently, so I’m a bit biased in preferring the Orwell book, yet your summary has really made me reconsider what makes BMW so great and I’m really grateful for that!!
hooray for old covers! i've only read snippets of brave new world back at uni, but now you've made me really curious to read it, as you find it more relevant to today's society. 1984 is among the first books that sort of confirmed me to question everything and it's due for a reread. thanks for sharing your thoughts :)
they both share a re occurring theme where the state controls life because the inability of personal responsibility and the state replacing the family is in fact, a hypothetical raised by Plato where he asserted the state good for each citizen to be the state essentially but this was a concept derived from the Peloponnese wars. both are more resonant today i think
This was just suggested to me and I do like your analysis. I personally "got" 1984 especially with the way things are going on today, but I really did like your analysis of Brave New World. May have to go back and read that again. Would love to hear if you have any further thoughts on these (or possibly other relevant books).
Great reviews as always, I would be curious to know your opinion about these male authors compared utopia female authors like Starhawk who wrote The Fifth Sacred Thing, another utopia theme, and how character development and situational conflicts evolve.
+De Anna Le Pree Thank you! :). I haven't actually read that book, but I will have to check it out. I do find I like female authors better when it comes to dystopia and female characters.
I was very impressed with both of them. I think I was slightly more impressed with 1984. Regarding the end of 1984, I think Winston has been let out temporarily, so he can be seen drinking at The Chestnut Tree which is where broken thought criminals are put on show. I thought it was a good ending.
I enjoyed your comparison. Thank you for sharing (subscribed). I'm also curious if you have any thoughts on Huxley's "Island", which Huxley wrote later as what many see a positive answer to both of these dystopian formulas.
Hey, idk if your channel is still active, but have you read speaker for the dead? It seems to line up perfectly with your genre interests. (It’s the often overlooked sequel to Enders game, very philosophical or at least exploratory of human nature, specifically tribalism and treatment of the ‘other’)
I agree with you. I read brave new world on Saturday and I definitely enjoyed it much more than 1984. I found myself getting bored with the narration and characters in 1984, but Brave New World always kept me interested (I mean I had to be to read it in one day). The ending in brave new world was sad, but it was oddly satisfying. Hopefully that doesn’t sound creepy.
I suppose the book "To Kill a Mockingbird" should be moved there as well, considering fiction now means that it doesn't and never will happen. Fiction - literature in the form of prose, especially short stories and *novels,* that describes imaginary events and people 1984 - a novel
It's still fiction. No matter how probable a scenario like that may be, the fact is that the story and characters of 1984, SPECIFICALLY, are still fiction. Winston Smith was not tortured by O'Brien in real life because those characters never existed. George Orwell made those characters up and placed them in a story he also made up to describe real fears about a possible future. Non-fiction would be something that is written about actual events that have occurred with real people involved. Ann Frank's diary or a true crime book are examples of non-fiction.
In the context of my comment, non-fiction implies that the major THEMES of this book are in fact NOT FICTION, and that was the point of my post. If you can't understand that you need some help.
10:00 I think it's a joke and the punch line is the government will always win. It's suppose to get you really angry and encourage you not to want to be the character. It shows you what the human problem is and encourages you to want to be different from what is considered to be normal.
Am surprised that you consider brave new world to be better written though I have not read it myself. You could do a review on We which was written before brave new world. George Orwell reviewed both books and considered We to be a better novel
I read both of these, but I feel that they are going to warrant rereads, due to the fact that I believe I could have had a better grasp on both novels. 1984 was relatively dense, but I feel that its concepts are quite terrifying and take on a far more cynical tone. Brave New World is also something I want to go over again and I feel that the summary and points definitely helped. George Orwell's intent is definitely to make a statement, which he does with everything I read from him. I read Keep the Aspidistra Flying and it is interesting what he has to say about money and its control in society. The thing that really creeps me out is the steps between where we are now and the dystopias that are described in these novels; not just Brave New World and 1984, but also Fahrenheit 451, The Giver, The Hunger Games, and a novel that I plan to check out called We. At the moment, I cannot take a side, but Room 101 definitely seems to linger in my head! Thank you for sharing! -Josh
+Literary Gladiators yeah the steps are disconcerting. However, I think the point of dystopian fiction is to critique what is going on with our society, so similarity is necessary in order to make any sort of impact with readers.
I agree completely! Dystopian fiction is meant to be a warning that is inspired by the practices of society. In many cases there are similarities, but a lot of novels concentrate on specific ideas. For instance, Fahrenheit 451 concentrates on censorship, The Giver on sameness and what the past (which is somewhat our present) once was, Brave New World on the breeding of humans, 1984 on totalitarian government, and there are so many examples.
I haven't read 1984 (though I have seen the movie), but I really enjoyed Brave New World, and find the story world much more imaginative (yet profoundly applicable to real life) than the concept of a fear-based authoritarian regime. Also, it points more at the reader to look inward on what you value, and if you rather have freedom or comfort.
Great review as always!!!... Me too I prefer A brave new world than 1984 .Aldous Huxley came from a lineage of naturalist and biologist so he was on the point on so many things that would develop in the future.Also I think we are living in his dystopian world because this capitalist society needs us to be artificially happy so we can consume things and there is a multimillion industry revolving around drugs both prescription and illegal so of course the system wants us to be subdued and controled.
+adriana adriana Yeah exactly! I'm not sure I 100% agree that we are living in a dystopian society, but at the same time the book is eerily close to what is going on today.
atleast people have real feeings,you never been under th communistyou thik capitalist society is a false sense of realitythey are profiteering,why should they wish to manipulate peopes life,under the people's smile in a comunist society lies something dark!!believe me,
+Dennis De Leon I am not implying communist society is perfect as well it subdues and controls in other ways, but living in the west in a non communist country I feel A brave new world by Huxley is closer to how people in power and companies control the world.
Brave New World is indeed a more relevant book for today's society, so I would suggest reading that one first. To give just one example: Aldous Huxley talks of the popularity of ''Soma vacations'' in Brave New World, which shows society's desire to be half-asleep most of the time and to simply escape reality, much like we do these days through computer games or mind-numbingly scrolling on social media! Huxley also predicted how modern society would lust for convenience and comfort in all areas of life. And indeed, we now rely on online shopping at our fingertips, food delivery on-demand, Alexa, Siri, etc. All human struggles - which could lead to building one's moral character - as well as thought itself - is burdensome and should be eliminated! Today, with AI and virtual reality gaming on the rise, we might soon be able to have virtual experiences in the near future - just look up the company NeuraLink, which wants to create a computer-brain interface. So Huxley wasn't far off, with his Soma-induced vacations. 100-500 years from now when AI and brain-computer interfaces have matured enough, I see no reason why we wouldn't be spending weeks at a time in virtual worlds that will appear far more grandiose than any reality we could ever experience. The question that remains is only: at what cost?
I would say both books are relevant today, as people have become so dumbed-down that the 1984 scenario is now happening in front of peoples' very eyes but they cannot see it. One scenario has created the other in a way.
A Person's take on both these books and how they identify shows where they were reared to be in our current society.. The questions you may have left unanswered are because of a lack of experience to understand the answer
Orwell’s 1984 was so much better to me. I have never felt from a book the way I did when Winston and Julia were caught together. Brave new world was ok but nothing spectacular.
My father collects old, pulp covers of books, so you can usually find them in thrift stores (especially stores that haven't been picked over by hipsters).
I would also consider reading Marx's essay The Fragments on Machines and John Stuart Mill's Utilitarianism, as they were both inspirations for Huxley's Socratic Dialogue at the end of Brave New World.
Loved this comparison. Brave new world is better, I think the worldbuilding os Huxley was superior and makes it more applicable to our times much because the ways this society functions like ours. They don`t contemplate art, but they go to the movies, much like we see with this modern trend of letting big data tell us what to right. The way people talk about sex today isn`t much far off of that. The use of non prescription drugs. But living in Brazil, a country that is been under a coup with massive attacks to Humans and Wokers Rights. Thrumps ellection and the Englishs conservatives with the Brexit, i can`t say our world is not going towards a mix of the worst worlds ever consived. Clockwork Orange? Brail`s youth makes them seem nice.
I dont see the overall need of a "best book" here, both are good, and so is Fahrenheit 451... Just possible eventual futures envisioned thru each authors work. Dont believe any are ,or will ever be anyone's idea of a preferred outcome..i feel that the only pertinent comparison should involve the collective readers to do what we can to never allow any of these possible outcomes to be. But read...these or anything.. One major use of all 3 here is the idea of control thru ignorance to various degrees...so lets start there, read more encourage others to as well. Thnx. Peace
Great job btw. I wouldn't want to have done a "vs" of these two. Personally, I see the best and worst aspects of both of these books in our society today(as you do I'm sure). Like...meds like amphetapep in bnw=adderall today. We have a med for every person and every disease(almost). We are at a place where facing real issues has become impossible do to because of time constraints(basically and many many other etc etc. lol) as I said, great job and I couldn't do it i 13+ minutes as eloquently as you did. Thanks
Great review, I don't know if I choice a favourite, I think both Brave New World and 1984 were great but...but if I had to pick, I would pick We by Yevgeny Zamyatin :P Only because it was the inspiration for 1984 and Orwell accused Huxley of borrowing from We, even though Huxley said his inspiration was the H. G. Wells's utopian novels. I like that you compared the two books, now you'll have to check out We :D
1984 is about the domination of the tyrannical father archetype, Brave New World is that of the devouring oedipal mother who kills with compassion. The reason we don't talk about Brave New World (and talk a lot about 1984) is because BNW is increasingly the world we're living in. In the modern world we are only told (through the media) about the negative side of masculinity (rigidity, domination, brutality) and not it's positive side (encouragement, fostering independence, strength). Likewise we are only told about the positive side of femininity (compassion, care, nurturing) and not it's negative side (infantalization, emasculation, indulgence).
BNW leads to 1984. It's all the same message, just different stages in the dictatorship. First you socially engineer, poison the consumer goods, destroy all meaning (family, nation, religion)-- Then you're free to go full 1984 on them.
It's probably good to note that Orwell was in the Spanish Civil War, fighting on the side of socialism against communism. That war fundamentally changed his outlook toward politics as he would later note in his HtC and in animal farm. 1984 is his experiences as a naive cog in a horrible system. Aldous Huxley on the other hand is the brother of Julian Huxley the first director of UNESCO. So Aldous was writing from the perspective of a member of the elite/insider. 1984 is technically already here, history is constantly being rewritten and ingsoc is alive and well(google/wikipedia). Think terms like "fake news", or "white privilage" or any privilege for that matter.
Hello, your analysis is pretty much to the point. Personally I can associate better with Orwell although both of their fictional societies have elements we witness in the world around us. Irrelevancy, SOMA, and abuse under the facade of liberalism are pretty much characteristics of our days: people forget themselves by watching their i-phone for hours, there is an increasing superficiality in every aspect of our life, in our emotions, relationships, our way of talking, in our studies. There is a superficial egalitarianism limited to social media but not any actual engagement or social commitment. We experience an ultra-subjectivity, where each of us lives in an individual bubble, digital hedonism replacing actual physical contact...in that concern Huxley seems more close to the western reality. At the same time Orwellian measures appear in an increasing and threatening pace under the pretense of national security, terrorism, martial medical emergencies etc...so both sides are right and the system applies methods mentioned by both writers. Matrix is another school of dystopian social model, that is also related to both Orwellian and Huxleyian societal archetypes.
I think it was 60. Brave new world had an escape too, you could live with the savages or simply go to the islands IF you were an alpha. Compared to 1984, where there is absolutely no escape, BNW is sort of a bad utopia whereas 1984 is a great, horrible dystopia.
Great video. Funny, coming from South Africa I see 1984 (and Animal Farm by G.A, more so ) more applicable to our our modern day society. I guess both works speak to a different people, in their respective context.
I'll have to reread both books, but if I remember correctly, in 1984 our protagonist is publicly executed at the end. now from memory I believe that the reason why 1984 is more memorable is because of several reasons: 1 being set in a relatable time people are more familiar with the basic dialog and themes, while BNW requires you to really think and sometimes reread the text to understand what is going on. 2 1984 sets an easily identifiable bad scenario. the world is trashy, the people are generally miserable, and resources are scarce, the totalitarian aspect of "the party" is plane for all to see, however most people are either too apathetic or feel to powerless to do anything. on the other hand BNW is more subtle and nuanced, and some would argue is actually a positive direction to move towards, and this is evident in the gradual shift that our society has made, particularly since the sexual liberation movement.
1984 has poor writing, Aldous is the more skillful writer, I prefer Brave New World especially in regards to predicting soma and the whole sexual relationships.
to me 1984 is eerie and scary because it reminds me of times of witch my older brothers parents and grandparents speak, in Romania under Ceausescu we had it rough and people were trained and taught to think that this is as it is supposed to be . the thinker was declared a lazy fanatic and the worker who did not think to much was a hero to the country. and ceasescu made many debts to russia in order to forcibly industrialize this country . debts witch he paid until his death in 1989 . he was put down and killed because the people were fed up with the rationalization of basic consumer food . he limited acces to technology and there was no free press . we only had one tv station and it was a 6 hours a day thing of witch 4 or 5 were party propaganda . after ceausescu was killed the ones who selected them selves as rulers were former colleagues of his and since then they have almost made this country worse . at least now i can write this and still be free.. poor and free .
Brave New World: A scientifically engineered society brought to perfection...the science of eugenics fully realized and practiced on a wide scale. 1984: A decrepit, nightmare, post-war society made glorious and free based on the assimilation of propaganda and winning the war, not against an external and alternating enemy, but against ones own biological instincts. IMO 1984 is far more frightening and relevant today. Brave New World, I do agree, is an example of a 1984 society in full progress, but with all the rough edges smoothed out. Both novels touch on components that are in use today as we speak (propaganda, mass surveillance, artificial inseminations, the receding of civil unions and personal relationships, the scapegoating of free thinking individuals when their thought and action is not congruent with the status quo, collective thinking and "mob mentalities"). 1984, to me, is closer to our reality which makes it that much more frightening. It is the concept of fear being used as a tool to enforce people into social and political orthodoxy, and not because they have been scientifically engineered against organic thought processes, which makes it all to easy to bring about conformity, that makes it hit home to reality more. These days one may say that medications and prescriptions are used to alter organic responses to thought and emotion, but our modern drugs are so primitive when compared to the clean and well thought out processes outlined in Brave New World. 1984 is Brave New World unfiltered and far more bitter. If thought is a biological instinct...collective conformity can be a bitter struggle unless one has had their individuality scientifically engineered and dictated to them before having even drawn their first breath. In Brave New World it has been scientifically engineered out of every individual. In 1984, one must engage in "Doublethink", an ambiguous thought process that ultimately dictates that the lies, broadcasted as "truths" from the Ministry Of Truth (a media propaganda superpower) are in fact true and ones own perspectives and memories of current events and history are irrelevant and the product of a defective memory. The struggle for conformity was portrayed so gruelingly in 1984, for in Brave New World the necessity for "doublethink" had been replaced by biological engineering of the uterus throughtout its gestation.
Brave New World leads to 1984. First you have to socially engineer the people into being completely stupid, helpless and devoid of meaning (ergo, the poisoned consumer goods, the high divorce rates, SJWs and attacks on nationalism, family and religion). Then once you have your perfect wage cattle (slaves implies they're still even human), you can then go full 1984 on them.
Exactly my thoughts. I can’t understand people that think BNW is more realistic, it’s not even close. While there are countries right now almost 100% like 1984 (North Korea etc)
Both of them are happening simultaneously today
1984 was the Eastern experiment, Brave New World was the West's. Which is the more effective means of population control? That is the question being answered. Who commissioned the experiment? That's the question we should all be asking ourselves.
Claytos Republic You are correct. Brave New World = Postmodernism/Identity politics and globalist consumerism/technocracy, coercion - 1984 = Marxism, social media and thought control/Cancel culture, brute force. Tyranny in either case.
Patriot act flatout eroding the Bill of Rights. SJW cancel culture. A surveillance state. Universities pushing for regulation against anything that "triggers" students. Content control all over the place in replace of upholding the First Amendment. And you just realized that present day "America" is in a 1984, Brave New World fusion? Obvious dude. Been obvious ever since the start of the paranoid post 9/11 patriot act era.
lol. it sure is
The reason I think people prefer 1984 is because the onus is on the "them", the government, the corporations, etc. Whereas in Brave New World, the onus is on us. Who wants to be told that their pursuit of happiness can lead to passivity and apathy?
+Pickles Reads That's a really good point! I haven't considered that before.
Courtney Pickles but it does!
@@AtticTapes14 bruh
@@RuffledRuby and because people identify with Winston in 1984 while almost no one can do the same with the savage of brave new world
@@AtticTapes14 Not irrelevant, but definitely less relevant than Brave New World.
haven't read BNW but she said she didn't understand why they were torturing Winston and why they would let him back into society so I thought I'd clear it up. Obrien tortured Winston to break him(2+2=5 brainwashing)and made him betray Julia the one thing he loved in the world and in doing that they took his will to fight and live. That's why Obrien and the Inner Party weren't worried about Winston doing anything anymore, they had taken his thoughts and will along with Julia's and he had admitted to his crimes as well as ones he didn't even do. When Julia and Winston betrayed each other it was like their connection and will to be together broke. The Party had won, Winston loved big brother over everything else.
Idk why I got recommended this 2 years later but I just wanted to add:
The point IS that they didn’t just kill Winston. I think it is much more powerful that instead of killing treasonous freethinkers, they make them turn on freethinking itself.
The point is there IS NO escape.
Not even death.
Big Brother doesn’t want you to obey or die. Big Brother WILL have your obedience. 2+2 DOES equal 5.
That’s the sheer terror of 1984.
Never had a story given me such a chill down my spine. And I went through a serious horror phase!!
Good overview of both books but there are a couple things I'd like to point out. I'll try to be as concise as possible.
1) I'd like to point out that that both books are written as a response, a challenge to the established order and a warning of times to come. Therefore when I analyze both books I try to think of what are the methods used by the State to control the population.
2) You mentioned that Huxley's vision was one of society so pacified that would never pursue science or art. The statement is certainly true, but I don't think that's exactly where BNW dystopia is centered. I believe that the true dystopic element of BNW is the genetic caste system. The fact that people are born to do one thing and cannot move away from it, is the way the State tends to operate. You are assigned a place in the machinery and cannot deviate from it or it would all go bust, they say. It is particularly awful in the case of gammas, half-men bred only for tasks like pushing elevator buttons while the upper castes debate and philosophize. It is class system brought to its extremes, and it's even scarier because it is a fact of the book that I have not seen properly reviewed.
Another factor I'd just like to point out is that while BNW's society is in a way polyamorous, and that is in no way a bad thing, the dystopian element pertains to the fact that there are no real human connections in that world. Yes, you can have sex freely but you can't love a person, I think that's the scariest part.
3) For 1984, I've seen a number of reviews that focus entirely on the ubiquitous police state that is Oceania. I'd like to point out that 1984 also deals with the destruction of art, such as the rewriting of Shakespeare in newspeak, and the prohibition of love, like Winston and Julia's story prove. And I have seen many reviews not totally "buying" the whole repression argument of the book. I'm willing to empathize with critics who have been born in a country that has not had totalitaristic governments in the last century (USA, England, Canada, among few others). However, I myself coming from Argentina can tell you that whatever Orwell writes about complete censorship and brutal repression is mostly an exaggeration that's completely plausible. And while certainly some methods used in 1984 are still science fiction, the cruelty and viciousness behind them are certainly not. If you want a modern analysis of total surveillance, I recommend Naomi Klein's "China's All-Seeing Eye". It is really scary.
Also, my take on the ending of the book is the following: the torture is for dehumanization, and the return to society is for Big Brother to prove itself that it can mold and shape human beings into its will, and needs not to worry about potential challenges to the state.
4) Lastly I would like to argue a bit about the comparison, and a rising trend I have noticed that 1984 might not be as relevant anymore and that BNW is what 21st Century society might turn out. I'll be brief on this because it is a subject for pages of political debate. Simply put, if you consider Italian political thinker Antonio Gramci's concepts, BNW stands for Cohesion and 1984 stands for Coercion.
No State has ever prospered without both of them. Basically, if we imagined challenges to the established order like diseases (and classic sociology did so), Cohesion is a bit like Preventive Medicine and Coercion is like aggressive disease treatment. I think one the great successes of postmodern capitalism is tricking people into believing that it's all Cohesion. And while certainly all first world countries place the heaviest emphasis on Cohesion, the repression on the latest French strikes can tell you very well that those who do not fall to the tricks of Cohesion are eagerly awaited by the forces of Coercion to swiftly bring them back to the path of righteousness and total social peace.
Sorry, that was not brief at all but they are the basic premises of what I'd like to point about these books. If you'd like to we could continue the debate.
Brave New world more accurate
Very insightful points, this really made sense
Gabriel Gobari thanks for your analysis!
Is very nice to read a clear an insightful point of view, taking into consideration that we are now near to be a BNW society.
I guess you would also find interesting to read about AI and its implications for our future World, let's say 2050...
Greetings from Buenos Aires
Gabriel.. ditto.. concur with other respondents... interesting analysis ..the RSA/ISA (Gramsci) contextualised within Blair/Huxley novels.🤗🤗🤗 Bravo!
I think 1984 it is a more enjoyable novel to read, but the ideas of brave new world were something i didnt expect or imagined.... the idea of being controlled and at the same time being really happy and confortable.... it looks like a more inteligent and subtle way of control (that it is actually happening!)...thats why I like brave new world even more... ;)
1984 is communism gone wrong, while BNW is capitalism gone wrong!
Edit: these are the views of my much younger and more naive self. I don't hold these views anymore.
For the reasons why, go read "Homage to Catalonia"
None of any communist country ever got right. It was just disasters after disasters.
Paul Phu None exept Yugoslavia
Lesson learned? ALL FORMS OF GOVERNMENT are wrong!
Conaodh are we debating the need for govermant, economic systems or literature?
Danilo Popović For me 1984 is communism gone perfectly and NBW capitalism gone also perfectly.
I agree although I think 1984 is just as applicable to our society, such as the aspect of surveillance cameras and being watched in every aspect of our lives.. especially with the increase in technology we now all have surveillance cameras in our pockets, and document our lives online.. Orwell would be turning in his grave
Let's not forget endless war
And to a lesser extend the military industrial complex, and the way political figures on all sides use framing of words to sway the conversation etc.
These are far from science fiction, there pretty much reality
they used to be fiction
Both of them were insiders so they knew what the globalist had planned for us
@@marimercy14 the world in 1984 is not globalist, its very nationalist (the nation is big, but they still hate every other nation in the world
Hi Ruby :) Glad I found this, after reading both of them this year (better late than never, haha!)
I think Brave New World is more relevant to today (overconsumption, addiction, delayed or nonexistent maturity) but I personally preferred 1984, mainly because I just found that it was just more powerfully written... more of a gut-punch.
both books are amazing and scary to an extent that it reflects our current society and it would require trigger warnings or outright banned in our current cultural atmosphere
1984 is my alltime favourite book, and I read BNW only recently, so I’m a bit biased in preferring the Orwell book, yet your summary has really made me reconsider what makes BMW so great and I’m really grateful for that!!
hooray for old covers! i've only read snippets of brave new world back at uni, but now you've made me really curious to read it, as you find it more relevant to today's society. 1984 is among the first books that sort of confirmed me to question everything and it's due for a reread. thanks for sharing your thoughts :)
I think " Brave New World" is a more deep critic... 1984 is just Stalinism and Nazism . Anyway both books are amazing.
they both share a re occurring theme where the state controls life because the inability of personal responsibility and the state replacing the family is in fact, a hypothetical raised by Plato where he asserted the state good for each citizen to be the state essentially but this was a concept derived from the Peloponnese wars.
both are more resonant today i think
There's a lecture by Huxley himself online where he compares his world with Orwell's; it's called The Ultimate Revolution.
Read the book 'We' the original 1984, brave new world.
Have you read Island by Huxley? If not, you definitely must!!! Especially because you enjoyed A Brave New World so much.
I'm definitely going to.
This was just suggested to me and I do like your analysis. I personally "got" 1984 especially with the way things are going on today, but I really did like your analysis of Brave New World. May have to go back and read that again. Would love to hear if you have any further thoughts on these (or possibly other relevant books).
Great reviews as always, I would be curious to know your opinion about these male authors compared utopia female authors like Starhawk who wrote The Fifth Sacred Thing, another utopia theme, and how character development and situational conflicts evolve.
+De Anna Le Pree Thank you! :). I haven't actually read that book, but I will have to check it out. I do find I like female authors better when it comes to dystopia and female characters.
I was very impressed with both of them. I think I was slightly more impressed with 1984. Regarding the end of 1984, I think Winston has been let out temporarily, so he can be seen drinking at The Chestnut Tree which is where broken thought criminals are put on show. I thought it was a good ending.
I enjoyed your comparison. Thank you for sharing (subscribed). I'm also curious if you have any thoughts on Huxley's "Island", which Huxley wrote later as what many see a positive answer to both of these dystopian formulas.
Thanks! Most informative & enjoyable!
Would be nice to hear a spoiler alert at ~ 10:00 but not at the beginning of the video
I Can't wait to read these books. 2017 and still relevant. AMAZING
Hey, idk if your channel is still active, but have you read speaker for the dead? It seems to line up perfectly with your genre interests. (It’s the often overlooked sequel to Enders game, very philosophical or at least exploratory of human nature, specifically tribalism and treatment of the ‘other’)
So we have two books, who can add a book to make a trilogy, after all things always come in three,s ?
It's scary how some things in Brave New World are actually happening in real life
I wish I could send Bernie Sanders, a copy of these books. Great video by the way.
I agree with you. I read brave new world on Saturday and I definitely enjoyed it much more than 1984. I found myself getting bored with the narration and characters in 1984, but Brave New World always kept me interested (I mean I had to be to read it in one day). The ending in brave new world was sad, but it was oddly satisfying. Hopefully that doesn’t sound creepy.
You should read 'We' and 'The Iron Heel'.
Analysis starts at 6:47
What I like to know, after five years what has stayed in your mind, the most !
oooh you've made me interested in Brave New World. no idea why i never read it :)
+revolutesound You should!
Orwell the student; Huxley the master.
Dear Librarians,
Time to move 1984 to the Non-Fiction section,
Sincerely,
Someone paying attention
I suppose the book "To Kill a Mockingbird" should be moved there as well, considering fiction now means that it doesn't and never will happen.
Fiction - literature in the form of prose, especially short stories and *novels,* that describes imaginary events and people
1984 - a novel
^^
Someone NOT paying attention
It's still fiction. No matter how probable a scenario like that may be, the fact is that the story and characters of 1984, SPECIFICALLY, are still fiction. Winston Smith was not tortured by O'Brien in real life because those characters never existed. George Orwell made those characters up and placed them in a story he also made up to describe real fears about a possible future.
Non-fiction would be something that is written about actual events that have occurred with real people involved. Ann Frank's diary or a true crime book are examples of non-fiction.
In the context of my comment, non-fiction implies that the major THEMES of this book are in fact NOT FICTION, and that was the point of my post. If you can't understand that you need some help.
Yes, I understood that. Sorry that I'm such an anal fuck. Apparently being terminologically accurate is useless today.
Those books were originally intended to be novels, now they are manifestos.
10:00 I think it's a joke and the punch line is the government will always win. It's suppose to get you really angry and encourage you not to want to be the character. It shows you what the human problem is and encourages you to want to be different from what is considered to be normal.
Am surprised that you consider brave new world to be better written though I have not read it myself. You could do a review on We which was written before brave new world. George Orwell reviewed both books and considered We to be a better novel
What are your thoughts on the Alpha ++ island?
I read both of these, but I feel that they are going to warrant rereads, due to the fact that I believe I could have had a better grasp on both novels. 1984 was relatively dense, but I feel that its concepts are quite terrifying and take on a far more cynical tone. Brave New World is also something I want to go over again and I feel that the summary and points definitely helped. George Orwell's intent is definitely to make a statement, which he does with everything I read from him. I read Keep the Aspidistra Flying and it is interesting what he has to say about money and its control in society. The thing that really creeps me out is the steps between where we are now and the dystopias that are described in these novels; not just Brave New World and 1984, but also Fahrenheit 451, The Giver, The Hunger Games, and a novel that I plan to check out called We. At the moment, I cannot take a side, but Room 101 definitely seems to linger in my head! Thank you for sharing! -Josh
+Literary Gladiators yeah the steps are disconcerting. However, I think the point of dystopian fiction is to critique what is going on with our society, so similarity is necessary in order to make any sort of impact with readers.
I agree completely! Dystopian fiction is meant to be a warning that is inspired by the practices of society. In many cases there are similarities, but a lot of novels concentrate on specific ideas. For instance, Fahrenheit 451 concentrates on censorship, The Giver on sameness and what the past (which is somewhat our present) once was, Brave New World on the breeding of humans, 1984 on totalitarian government, and there are so many examples.
My vote goes to Brave New World
I haven't read 1984 (though I have seen the movie), but I really enjoyed Brave New World, and find the story world much more imaginative (yet profoundly applicable to real life) than the concept of a fear-based authoritarian regime. Also, it points more at the reader to look inward on what you value, and if you rather have freedom or comfort.
Great review as always!!!... Me too I prefer A brave new world than 1984 .Aldous Huxley came from a lineage of naturalist and biologist so he was on the point on so many things that would develop in the future.Also I think we are living in his dystopian world because this capitalist society needs us to be artificially happy so we can consume things and there is a multimillion industry revolving around drugs both prescription and illegal so of course the system wants us to be subdued and controled.
+adriana adriana Yeah exactly! I'm not sure I 100% agree that we are living in a dystopian society, but at the same time the book is eerily close to what is going on today.
atleast people have real feeings,you never been under th communistyou thik capitalist society is a false sense of realitythey are profiteering,why should they wish to manipulate peopes life,under the people's smile in a comunist society lies something dark!!believe me,
+Dennis De Leon I am not implying communist society is perfect as well it subdues and controls in other ways, but living in the west in a non communist country I feel A brave new world by Huxley is closer to how people in power and companies control the world.
Laazulnocturna huxleys are most evil family ever worse thsn bush or clintons even
Thoughts in Books the book is the same as today because its the blueprint not a prediction
I think you missed the point of the ending of 1984
Have you read "Anthem", and if you have, how do you think it compares with theese two?
+BetweenBooks No I haven't, sorry!
Brave New World is indeed a more relevant book for today's society, so I would suggest reading that one first. To give just one example: Aldous Huxley talks of the popularity of ''Soma vacations'' in Brave New World, which shows society's desire to be half-asleep most of the time and to simply escape reality, much like we do these days through computer games or mind-numbingly scrolling on social media! Huxley also predicted how modern society would lust for convenience and comfort in all areas of life. And indeed, we now rely on online shopping at our fingertips, food delivery on-demand, Alexa, Siri, etc. All human struggles - which could lead to building one's moral character - as well as thought itself - is burdensome and should be eliminated! Today, with AI and virtual reality gaming on the rise, we might soon be able to have virtual experiences in the near future - just look up the company NeuraLink, which wants to create a computer-brain interface. So Huxley wasn't far off, with his Soma-induced vacations. 100-500 years from now when AI and brain-computer interfaces have matured enough, I see no reason why we wouldn't be spending weeks at a time in virtual worlds that will appear far more grandiose than any reality we could ever experience. The question that remains is only: at what cost?
I would say both books are relevant today, as people have become so dumbed-down that the 1984 scenario is now happening in front of peoples' very eyes but they cannot see it. One scenario has created the other in a way.
A Person's take on both these books and how they identify shows where they were reared to be in our current society..
The questions you may have left unanswered are because of a lack of experience to understand the answer
Orwell’s 1984 was so much better to me. I have never felt from a book the way I did when Winston and Julia were caught together. Brave new world was ok but nothing spectacular.
it should be paired with "this perfect day" by Ira Levin. this 3rd book is like a mix of both, and goes beyond.
Where did you get those copies or how could I get the same haha
My father collects old, pulp covers of books, so you can usually find them in thrift stores (especially stores that haven't been picked over by hipsters).
I would also consider reading Marx's essay The Fragments on Machines and John Stuart Mill's Utilitarianism, as they were both inspirations for Huxley's Socratic Dialogue at the end of Brave New World.
Loved this comparison. Brave new world is better, I think the worldbuilding os Huxley was superior and makes it more applicable to our times much because the ways this society functions like ours. They don`t contemplate art, but they go to the movies, much like we see with this modern trend of letting big data tell us what to right. The way people talk about sex today isn`t much far off of that. The use of non prescription drugs.
But living in Brazil, a country that is been under a coup with massive attacks to Humans and Wokers Rights. Thrumps ellection and the Englishs conservatives with the Brexit, i can`t say our world is not going towards a mix of the worst worlds ever consived.
Clockwork Orange? Brail`s youth makes them seem nice.
Pleasure VS Pain
We already live in Brave New World, the problem is we are transitioning to 1984.
now im Reading 1984. its a very Good book.
Only if they both could have lived to see 2020.
"The end was unfullfilling". Welcome to reality.
I dont see the overall need of a "best book" here, both are good, and so is Fahrenheit 451...
Just possible eventual futures envisioned thru each authors work. Dont believe any are ,or will ever be anyone's idea of a preferred outcome..i feel that the only pertinent comparison should involve the collective readers to do what we can to never allow any of these possible outcomes to be.
But read...these or anything..
One major use of all 3 here is the idea of control thru ignorance to various degrees...so lets start there, read more encourage others to as well.
Thnx. Peace
Great job btw. I wouldn't want to have done a "vs" of these two. Personally, I see the best and worst aspects of both of these books in our society today(as you do I'm sure). Like...meds like amphetapep in bnw=adderall today. We have a med for every person and every disease(almost). We are at a place where facing real issues has become impossible do to because of time constraints(basically and many many other etc etc. lol) as I said, great job and I couldn't do it i 13+ minutes as eloquently as you did. Thanks
That's so sweet, thank you! And I agree, it's eerie how much we are seeing in today's society.
Both books almost accurately predicted today's world, where people are slaves of their desires not the other way around.
10:57 I can see why you like Brave New World over 1984.
Orwell was the best. However, I don't disagree with you about anything you said about Brave New world. It was extraordinarily prescient.
Agreed
Dumbing us down is a excellent book.
Great review, I don't know if I choice a favourite, I think both Brave New World and 1984 were great but...but if I had to pick, I would pick We by Yevgeny Zamyatin :P Only because it was the inspiration for 1984 and Orwell accused Huxley of borrowing from We, even though Huxley said his inspiration was the H. G. Wells's utopian novels. I like that you compared the two books, now you'll have to check out We :D
+Knowledge LostI will put it on my list! I think someone else mentioned We for the same reason, when I mentioned this video.
1984 is about the domination of the tyrannical father archetype, Brave New World is that of the devouring oedipal mother who kills with compassion.
The reason we don't talk about Brave New World (and talk a lot about 1984) is because BNW is increasingly the world we're living in.
In the modern world we are only told (through the media) about the negative side of masculinity (rigidity, domination, brutality) and not it's positive side (encouragement, fostering independence, strength). Likewise we are only told about the positive side of femininity (compassion, care, nurturing) and not it's negative side (infantalization, emasculation, indulgence).
BNW leads to 1984. It's all the same message, just different stages in the dictatorship.
First you socially engineer, poison the consumer goods, destroy all meaning (family, nation, religion)--
Then you're free to go full 1984 on them.
It's probably good to note that Orwell was in the Spanish Civil War, fighting on the side of socialism against communism. That war fundamentally changed his outlook toward politics as he would later note in his HtC and in animal farm. 1984 is his experiences as a naive cog in a horrible system. Aldous Huxley on the other hand is the brother of Julian Huxley the first director of UNESCO. So Aldous was writing from the perspective of a member of the elite/insider. 1984 is technically already here, history is constantly being rewritten and ingsoc is alive and well(google/wikipedia). Think terms like "fake news", or "white privilage" or any privilege for that matter.
you must have read the 1984 version of 1984 It's been changed from original
It was changed!? I think I also read a 1984 anniversary edition of the book, and what exactly are the changes?
That’s a pretty strong accusation, any reference?
Hello, your analysis is pretty much to the point. Personally I can associate better with Orwell although both of their fictional societies have elements we witness in the world around us. Irrelevancy, SOMA, and abuse under the facade of liberalism are pretty much characteristics of our days: people forget themselves by watching their i-phone for hours, there is an increasing superficiality in every aspect of our life, in our emotions, relationships, our way of talking, in our studies. There is a superficial egalitarianism limited to social media but not any actual engagement or social commitment. We experience an ultra-subjectivity, where each of us lives in an individual bubble, digital hedonism replacing actual physical contact...in that concern Huxley seems more close to the western reality. At the same time Orwellian measures appear in an increasing and threatening pace under the pretense of national security, terrorism, martial medical emergencies etc...so both sides are right and the system applies methods mentioned by both writers. Matrix is another school of dystopian social model, that is also related to both Orwellian and Huxleyian societal archetypes.
I wouldn't mind living in Brave New World. So by default 1984 wins. Am I that messed up.
brave new world...party till you are 40 then work till you die....sounds somewhat familiar....
I think it was 60. Brave new world had an escape too, you could live with the savages or simply go to the islands IF you were an alpha. Compared to 1984, where there is absolutely no escape, BNW is sort of a bad utopia whereas 1984 is a great, horrible dystopia.
1984 is what you see when you stop taking your soma.
Great video. Funny, coming from South Africa I see 1984 (and Animal Farm by G.A, more so ) more applicable to our our modern day society. I guess both works speak to a different people, in their respective context.
1984
I'll have to reread both books, but if I remember correctly, in 1984 our protagonist is publicly executed at the end.
now from memory I believe that the reason why 1984 is more memorable is because of several reasons: 1 being set in a relatable time people are more familiar with the basic dialog and themes, while BNW requires you to really think and sometimes reread the text to understand what is going on.
2 1984 sets an easily identifiable bad scenario. the world is trashy, the people are generally miserable, and resources are scarce, the totalitarian aspect of "the party" is plane for all to see, however most people are either too apathetic or feel to powerless to do anything. on the other hand BNW is more subtle and nuanced, and some would argue is actually a positive direction to move towards, and this is evident in the gradual shift that our society has made, particularly since the sexual liberation movement.
Jefferson DeMott spoiler alert. Put a spoiler tag next time.
This is not how 1984 ends
1984 has poor writing, Aldous is the more skillful writer, I prefer Brave New World especially in regards to predicting soma and the whole sexual relationships.
You do know Huxley was a man 8:56
For me reading wise, 1984 is much better than BNW. But content wise, BNW wins any day.
Two propagandists both wrote propagandists as main characters? Whoa, what are odds?
to me 1984 is eerie and scary because it reminds me of times of witch my older brothers parents and grandparents speak, in Romania under Ceausescu we had it rough and people were trained and taught to think that this is as it is supposed to be . the thinker was declared a lazy fanatic and the worker who did not think to much was a hero to the country. and ceasescu made many debts to russia in order to forcibly industrialize this country . debts witch he paid until his death in 1989 . he was put down and killed because the people were fed up with the rationalization of basic consumer food . he limited acces to technology and there was no free press . we only had one tv station and it was a 6 hours a day thing of witch 4 or 5 were party propaganda . after ceausescu was killed the ones who selected them selves as rulers were former colleagues of his and since then they have almost made this country worse . at least now i can write this and still be free.. poor and free .
Brave New world more accurate to TODAY
In "Brave New World" terms, you are fresh Beta female (B without Plus). Clever, but not able to connect all dots...
BNW is better. Fordey!
Because of all the free sex and drugs we will become BNW more and more.
Brave New World: A scientifically engineered society brought to perfection...the science of eugenics fully realized and practiced on a wide scale.
1984: A decrepit, nightmare, post-war society made glorious and free based on the assimilation of propaganda and winning the war, not against an external and alternating enemy, but against ones own biological instincts.
IMO 1984 is far more frightening and relevant today. Brave New World, I do agree, is an example of a 1984 society in full progress, but with all the rough edges smoothed out. Both novels touch on components that are in use today as we speak (propaganda, mass surveillance, artificial inseminations, the receding of civil unions and personal relationships, the scapegoating of free thinking individuals when their thought and action is not congruent with the status quo, collective thinking and "mob mentalities").
1984, to me, is closer to our reality which makes it that much more frightening. It is the concept of fear being used as a tool to enforce people into social and political orthodoxy, and not because they have been scientifically engineered against organic thought processes, which makes it all to easy to bring about conformity, that makes it hit home to reality more. These days one may say that medications and prescriptions are used to alter organic responses to thought and emotion, but our modern drugs are so primitive when compared to the clean and well thought out processes outlined in Brave New World. 1984 is Brave New World unfiltered and far more bitter. If thought is a biological instinct...collective conformity can be a bitter struggle unless one has had their individuality scientifically engineered and dictated to them before having even drawn their first breath. In Brave New World it has been scientifically engineered out of every individual. In 1984, one must engage in "Doublethink", an ambiguous thought process that ultimately dictates that the lies, broadcasted as "truths" from the Ministry Of Truth (a media propaganda superpower) are in fact true and ones own perspectives and memories of current events and history are irrelevant and the product of a defective memory. The struggle for conformity was portrayed so gruelingly in 1984, for in Brave New World the necessity for "doublethink" had been replaced by biological engineering of the uterus throughtout its gestation.
Brave New World leads to 1984.
First you have to socially engineer the people into being completely stupid, helpless and devoid of meaning (ergo, the poisoned consumer goods, the high divorce rates, SJWs and attacks on nationalism, family and religion).
Then once you have your perfect wage cattle (slaves implies they're still even human), you can then go full 1984 on them.
Exactly my thoughts. I can’t understand people that think BNW is more realistic, it’s not even close. While there are countries right now almost 100% like 1984 (North Korea etc)
:(
Damm you're beautiful!
@blogsjoe1985 You are breathtaking!