Reading Log Brave New World

Who? | Where + When? | What? | Chapter I| Director, students, Henry Foster, Lenina| Central London Hatchery and Conditioning CentreYear A. F. 632| – World State’s motto: ‘Community, Identity Stability’ – The Director of Hatcheries and Conditioning (D. H. C. shows some new arrived students the Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre–> introduces them to the principles of the mass production of humans- There are groups of ‘alpha’, ‘beta’, ‘gamma’, ‘delta’ and ‘epsilon’ – Work with the ‘Bokanovsky’s Process’–> one of the major instruments of social stability – Mr Foster, an avid employee, tells the students more about the Centre- The embryos are prepared for their later life and work | Chapter II| Director, students, infants, nurses| Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre (Infant-Nurseries – Neo-Pavlovian Conditioning Rooms)| – The tour continues in the Infant Nurseries-Neo-Pavlovian Conditioning Rooms –

Example of conditioning: low-caste babies are offered books and flowers which they want to reach; suddenly there are loud frightening sirens and the babies get a slight electric shock –> they should learn to associate books and flowers with negative experiences–> lower caste humans are not supposed to read because it is a waste of time and flowers are useless- The Director explains hypnopaedia (sleep-teaching) –> children listen to tapes that permanently repeat slogans about behaviour and attitudes during their sleeps| Chapter III| Director, students, Mustapha Mond, Henry Foster, Lenina, Fanny, Bernard Marx| Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre (outside in the garden), the lift, Girl’s Dressing-Room| – In the garden the students observe children playing erotic games -> they are encouraged to play sexual games-

The Director tells the group about the suppression of erotic games in former times -> it is incredible to the students- Mustapha Mond, one of the ten rulers, appears and gives a lecture on history -> “history is bunk” a explains why it was necessary to change the society-> Lenina Crowne and her friend Fanny Crowne talk about men and Lenina’s interest in Bernard Marx, who is said to be strange – Bernard Marx overhears Henry Foster talking with a friend about Lenina -> dislikes the way they talk about women as if they were meat| Chapter IV| Lenina, Bernard, Mr Helmholtz Watson| The lift, Propaganda House, Bernard’s apartment| – Lenina and Bernard meet in a rowded lift and Lenina asks him about their plan to go to the Savage Reservation in New Mexico; Bernard feels embarrassed about that – Bernard is uncertain about Lenina because on the one hand she wants to go on holiday with him and on the other hand she spends much time with Henry Foster- Bernard feels to be an outsider –

Bernard and his friend Mr Helmholtz Watson meet–> both are an ‘alpha-plus’ and both feel like individuals and for this reason like outsiders | Chapter V| Lenina, Henry, Bernard, other participants,| Helicopter, a club, Henry’s apartment, Fordson Community Singery| Part 1:- Lenina and Henry fly with the helicopter over the Slough Crematorium where corpses are burnt to recover phosphorus which is used as a fertilizer –> even dead people are useful for the society- They talk about how it is like to be an ‘Epsilon’ and come to the conclusion that everyone is happy- In the evening they dine and go to a club together; after that they have sex in Henry’s apartment- ‘Soma’ is served with the coffee after meal–> indispensable for the people in the state, otherwise they can’t feel happyPart 2:- Bernard takes part in a Solidarity Service with eleven other people–> they take ‘soma’, sing hymns and wait for the coming of the ‘Greater Being’-

While everyone there enjoys it as a feeling of unity, Bernard feels very isolated| Chapter VI| Bernard, Lenina, Fanny, Director, Helmholtz, a warden| Helicopter, Bernard’s apartment, Director’s room, Savage Reservation| Part 1:- Bernard go to the Woman’s Heavyweight Wrestling Championships in Amsterdam together – They have different ideas of happiness–> Lenina wants to do sports and have fun with ‘soma’, he prefers being alone with her, avoids crowds and refuses ‘soma’ – Bernard wants to be happy in his own individual way and not “enslaved by his conditioning” – When Bernard realizes that Lenina does not understand him, he takes ‘soma’ and sleeps with herPart 2:- Bernard goes to the D. H. C. to get his permission to enter the Savage Reservation –