In case you also managed to skate through life without reading it, here's a brief synopsis: we're in a future in England where people are genetically modified from birth to fall into certain predefined roles in society. Because they are conditioned, they are happy with their lot in life and unwilling to challenge the status quo. Along comes The Savage, who grew up on a reservation in America for reasons you'll learn in the book. It is through his eyes that we get the critical analysis of the governing social order.
I found this an easier read than I expected; in the way that so many "classics" are sort of tedious, this one was not. I did not, however, do the full scope of possible background research that I could have done. Though I don't have a substantial enough base of knowledge to appreciate the full depth of naming various characters after famous totalitarian dictators and thinkers -- Marx, Lenina, Benito, Bonaparte -- I certainly did pick up on use of their names and the references (and reverence) conveyed thereby. And of course, there's Ford. The whole society is built on and continues to be inspired by the efficient mechanization of Henry Ford's assembly line, only now they're doing it with people.
The luddite in me loved much about the critique advance in this book. I feel for The Savage, just wanting a simpler, slower-paced life and not a fan of the forward march of "progress."
No comments:
Post a Comment