Aldous Huxley Biography

At Aldous’ birth, the Huxley family and their relatives already commanded literary and philosophical attention in Victorian England. Huxley’s grandfather, biologist T. H. Huxley, gained recognition in the nineteenth century as the writer who introduced Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution to a wide public and coined the word “agnostic.” The […]

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Character Analysis Mustapha Mond

Only Mond’s extraordinary power keeps him safe from whispers of his dangerous knowledge and collection of unorthodox books. He is untouchable but not unreachable. With Helmholtz and John, Mond discusses the unspoken assumptions of the society they find so constricting, even confessing his own youthful experiments in challenging authority. Mond […]

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Character Analysis Lenina

Although she may not acknowledge it, Lenina rebels against her conditioning for sexual promiscuity, the belief that “every one belongs to every one else.” At the onset, she is continuing an unconventionally long and exclusive sexual relationship with Henry Foster. Even in returning to normal sexual behavior, she again rebels, […]

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Summary and Analysis Chapter 18

In a lighthouse outside London, John undergoes purification for “eating civilization.” Fasting, whipping himself, and vomiting, John strives to exorcise the guilt he feels for Linda’s death and his horror of sexual contact with Lenina. Reporters, film crews, and then crowds intrude on his privacy. When Lenina herself approaches him, […]

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