Analysis On Brave New World: A Deconstruction On "Poetic Dwelling"

As a genre of fiction,dystopia novels are created based on worries against modern society.They have become an alarm of the future by describing a prospective future world.We,Nineteen Eighty-Four,and Lord of Flies etc.are all depicting a totalitarianism dystopian world.The fictional depicting itself is not terrifying comparing to the fact that those worlds are possibilities of future reality.Totalitarianism in dystopian novels are realized through weakness of humanity.In Brave New World,the novel this thesis is analyzing,desires are magnified and satisfied limitlessly,while visions and connection with the world is shrinking.Brave New World was written by Aldous Huxley in the year of 1931,when England was suffering from the Depression.Mass unemployment and abandonment of golden currency both struck Huxley deeply into thinking that if “stability” is the cure for social crisis.Combined with his own concerns on technology,the novel was published soon in the next year.In Brave New World,human beings are pre-designed by biotechnology to fit into fixed caste.Thus,elements that could stir the society stability are eliminated.Besides,mass production is not only applied in industrial world,but also used in producing human in order to bring effectiveness and stability for the World State.Drug,sex and community activities are also playing a crucial rule in satisfying humans' desire while depriving them from experiencing real joy and pain.Lastly,books(literature and language),God(divinity)and aesthetics are all replaced so that the dwellers cannot think,judge and realize what humanity is.Under the world motto: “Community,Stability,Identity”,humanity and individuality are totally erased.“...Poetically man dwells…” was first written by Friedrich H?lderlin in his poem In Lovely Blue.Martin Heidegger later interpreted it philosophically in his writings and lectures as an ideal mental and spiritual state of modern people who are overwhelmed by advanced technology.This thesis aims to analyze the deconstruction of “poetic dwelling”: the abuse of technology and denial of literature and God are in every way against “poetic dwelling”,making it impossible.This thesis consists of three parts: introduction,body,and conclusion.The introduction part will elaborate major works and studies on Brave New World abroad and in China.Theoretical framework and expected study results will also be introduced.In the first chapter of main body,philosophical theory of “poetic dwelling” and its background theories: “dasein”,and Heidegger's concerns on technology are introduced.Heidegger deems human existence as “dasein”(being here).“Dasein” is not about “things being here”,but “to be here”.It is a process of “to be” while“being”.This philosophy view on existence roots in his interpretation on “poetic dwelling”.Besides,technology brings two threats in Heidegger's eyes: nearness and materialization.Technology has blurred the meaning of space and time.When it set the physical world as wielded tools,it also degrades human beings into a fixed position in using the tool.Except for the theory,literary background of the novel Brave New World will be introduced through comparison study on its utopian and dystopian theme.In the second part of the novel,by examining the biotechnology approaches used in the World State,conflicts between the meaning of “...poetically man dwells...” and advanced technology reveals.For instance,the Bokanovsky process manufactures community without individuality;hypnopaedia infuses people with notions instead of thoughts and ideas.Also,the phenomenon of art,literature,God being replaced in the novel is analyzed to illustrate the denial of “poetic dwelling”.The prerequisite of“poetic dwelling” is the “fourfold” of the world: human,earth,divinity and sky.Human who lives on the earth look up to the sky,the God.This means that humans are transcending themselves and trying to surpass the divinity along the way to death.The history of transcending becomes the origin of poetics.In the era where H?lderlin and Heidegger lived,Gods are absent---root of human dwells on the earth is gone.Accordingly,this part will analyze the reasons of why “poetic dwelling” cannot root without humanity and spiritual belief.Based on the analysis in the body parts,the last chapter will go through the concept of “Enframing”,“challenge-forth” and “revealing” with an analysis to the current situation.According to Heidegger,technology is the fundamental phenomenon of modern world,and it is also a way to see the world.The world has become an objective with humans being the subjective.The equality between nature and human is broken because nature is “framed” as a “store reserve”.Also,it will discuss the necessity of human art for it can “reveal” the truth of nature and help build a poetic dwelling within.It is a possibility that human will start to look at oneself and the whole world with a perspective of authentic existence and will be alert of the overwhelming technology.