How Did Huxley Impact Society

Aldous Huxley was a pioneer in science fiction and anti-utopianism as well as a revolutionary spirit within early 20th century society. Born into a distinguished family in Surrey, England, on July 26, 1894, Aldous Huxley was educated to fulfill his lineage. His literature became an anthology of commentaries on his contemporary civilization. The lasting impact of Aldous Huxley’s mystic literature has been seen throughout the ages, from George Orwell all the way to the 21st century. Aldous Huxley was the product of an elite English family. Many members of Huxley’s direct line were British intellectuals. His father, Leonard Huxley, was a classicist and Editor for Cornhill Magazine. Leonard was the son of T.H. Huxley, a famous biologist and a construer of Darwinism. Huxley’s mother, Judith Arnold Huxley, came from the family of Thomas Arnold of Rugby, her grandfather and Huxley’s great-grandfather. Thomas was a major Victorian educator and English historian. Huxley’s great uncle on Judith’s side was Matthew Arnold, a poet and cultural
critic. His mother’s sister, Mary Augusta Ward née Arnold, was a novelist that wrote under the name Mrs. Humphry Ward after her marriage. Huxley’s brother was Sir Julian Huxley, a biologist and the first Director-General of UNESCO. Huxley’s education and development were typical for a pupil of his status.
In his early education, Huxley discovered his love of reading and literature. In 1911, at the age of 16, Aldous suffered from keratitis, which caused severe eyesight damage. Despite this hardship, Huxley graduated from Eton and Balliol College at Oxford in 1916. Beginning in his university days, Huxley began socializing at Garsington. Garsington was the country home of Lady Ottoline Morrell, whom Huxley had been introduced to at Oxford. This club was a gathering ground for elite minds in England. There, Huxley met many scholars and writers. Authors such as D.H. Lawrence and Bertrand Russell influenced the works of Huxley. These experiences allowed Huxley to become a published poet at the early age of 22 and gain a generally positive reputation. Soon after his graduation, Huxley married Maria Nys, a Belgian woman, in 1919. Their son Matthew was born in
1920. The start of Huxley’s professional life was sparked with the publishing of his first novel, Crome Yellow. This book was heavily influenced by his time spent at Garsington. Huxley wrote as a commentary on modernity. Previously, Huxley had written commentary essays, and his novels became longer, more satirized versions of these. Crome Yellow was very critical of communication, failure, and opportunity. Gina Macdonald quotes Huxley’s aim of Crome Yellow in St. James Guide to Science Fiction Writers. Huxley says he intended to "shock the stupid and morally reprehensible truth-haters." His first novel showed Huxley’s focus on psychological issues over sociopolitical ones. Huxley’s next three novels were all written in the same style as Crome Yellow, and they had reappearing character types and themes. Throughout the series, Huxley’s criticism became more destructive. This set was capped with Huxley’s 1928 novel, Point Counter Point, which showed the advance of Huxley’s morbidity throughout his writing. Aldous Huxley was through classic literature and fiction, but he evolved his writing into science fiction and anti-utopianism. Huxley’s Brave New World is the quintessential example of this evolution. Brave New World was first conceived with ideas from H.G. Wells’ 1923 novel, Men Like Gods. The basis of skepticism in evolutionary progress thrust Huxley into a new genre of fiction, but kept a similar satiric rhetoric. Huxley emphasized the constant battle between progress and humanism. Brave New World is often compared to George Orwell’s 1984 (1949). Johan Heje writes, in British Fantasy and Science-Fiction writers, 1918-1960, that “... [this book] together with George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949)... in the history of science fiction (it) stands out as a seminal work, a model for latter cautionary tales set in the future.” Both novels are based around a singular idea of discontent within a utopian society. Huxley wrote to Orwell in appreciation of the novel; however, he disagreed with the strenuous efforts of the government in 1984, and he saw Orwell’s novel to have more tyranny than his own. Many of Huxley’s other works exemplify his satirical nature. His 1939 novel After Many a Summer was written soon after he had moved to California with Maria and Matthew. This narrative was an analysis of longevity, much like 1944’s Time Must Have a Stop. In this tale, the main character refuses to accept his own death. These two stories have depth from peaceful religion, philosophy, and psychoanalysis. Huxley was interesting in philosophical religions, as he had written an introduction commentary for a 1944 translation of the Bhagavad Gita. This was also another example of Huxley’s focus on psychology of sociopolitics. One of Huxley’s more infamous novels was his 1948 creation, Ape and Essence. This was his second novel set in the future. Atomic warfare had plagued the world, and survivors had reverted from progress into a primitive state. They worshipped demons, and practiced sadistic cruelties. The reception of this novel was harsh. Huxley’s criticism on Christianity, along with his murderous and morbid themes, led to the poor results of Ape and Essence. The Perennial Philosophy was a Huxley work that deviated from his satirical fiction composition style. This was a 1945 collection of quotes along with commentary aimed to define philosophy through time. It also discussed underlying oneness of religion in societies. Two of Huxley’s novels were written about his own experiences with hallucinogens, specifically LSD and mescaline. The Doors of Perception (1954) and Heaven and Hell (1956) told of the drugs’ ability to induce a higher state of existence and thought. Huxley’s final novel, written in 1963, was Island. Island began with a utopia opposite that of Brave New World. A drug called moksha was used similarly to soma. However, moksha improved a spiritual experience, but soma synthesized a false sense of expression through childlike behavior. Island’s utopia expressed perfect blend between Western ideas and science with Buddhist religion on the fictional island of Pala. The islanders stressed importance in an organized family unit, and grief and death were handled with humanity and empathy. However, the utopia fell to dystopia as international oil companies sought to exploit Pala. The contemporary world had forced itself upon the peaceful humanity of the natives. Island was reviewed with little enthusiasm and seen as a conglomeration of Huxley’s unused ideas. Huxley had a momentous impact on both literature and society. Huxley masterfully used his words to create fluid explanations of new and abstract ideas. He wrote to challenge readers to think at a higher level. Huxley took personal experiences with state of mind to explain growth of mind and development. Aldous Huxley wrote satirical commentary through the unique scopes of his utopias. Huxley’s commentaries showed his particular perspective on the progression of society. He aimed to expose the flaws of modern times, and he did so quite well.
Throughout his education and professional career, Aldous Huxley shocked readers with a rhetoric that could only ever be perfected again by the great George Orwell. His family life and education molded his passion for literature. His numerous works were each unique, but all with similar themes, and his impact has persisted into the 21st century. Aldous Huxley was a pioneer, and he sparked a literary and social revolution.