Brave New World Vs. 1984

A video in which I review and compare Brave New World and 1984.

I'm sorry for how long it's been since the last video!

I also tried to edit out as many 'um's as possible, but there are still a lot in there. Make a drinking game out of it? Bear with me?

Where to find me:
Instagram: thoughts_in_books

[claytosrepublic]

Both of them are happening simultaneously today

[PicklesReads]

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?

[arturo]

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... ;)

[el_duderino]

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.

[gabrielbogari]

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.

[daca]

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"

[BRENDAJASON]

These are far from science fiction, there pretty much reality

[SLang-xkdj]

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.

[Charlotte-svfy]

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

[rogue]

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 :)

[kennethmatthew]

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

[HzEh]

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

[felipercb]

I think " Brave New World" is a more deep critic... 1984 is just Stalinism and Nazism . Anyway both books are amazing.

[TimLeeSongs]

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!!

[conegan]

Dear Librarians,

Time to move 1984 to the Non-Fiction section,

Sincerely,

Someone paying attention

[teenanguyen]

1984 is what you see when you stop taking your soma.

[KevTheImpaler]

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.

[justamoteofdust]

For me reading wise, 1984 is much better than BNW. But content wise, BNW wins any day.

[paul]

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).

[Gorboduc]

There's a lecture by Huxley himself online where he compares his world with Orwell's; it's called The Ultimate Revolution.