Brave New World – Seminar Topics
1. Using examples from the novel, Brave New World, explain the costs of unbridled
consumerism.
2. Misfits clearly threaten society in Brave New World, but do they achieve anything
noteworthy? Consider the roles of Bernard, Helmholtz, and John.
3. “The kernel of everything reactionary and tyrannical in society is the impoverishment
of the means of verbal communication.” (Northrop Frye)
What role does language play in the creation and perpetuation of a society?
Consider how verbal expression creates the realities of various characters in
relation to the World State.
4. In the novel, Brave New World, stability is achieved through control and censorship.
Does the end (stability) justify the means (control and censorship)? Consider the control
of science, religion and art as well as the effects of this control.
5. Discuss the role that Bernard and Lenina's visit to the Savage Reservation plays in the
context of the entire novel.
6. In the novel, Brave New World, various passages and motifs are borrowed from works
of William Shakespeare, including tragedies such as Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet,
and Othello. To what extent does Huxley’s novel meet the criteria of tragedy?
7. Discuss the transhumanist ethos that pervades the thinking of the characters of Brave
New World. What impact does this mindset have on their lives? (If you are interested in
this topic, see me for a primer on transhumanism.)
8. Who is the stronger leader: Mustapha Mond from Brave New World or Prospero from
The Tempest?
9. Using examples from the novel, discuss the importance of the family as a social unit.