In reality my thesis will end up being related to the prompt that is decided on in class, as obviously the unasked question cannot be answered. But I have a hunch that the essay will have some basis in either post-modernism and Brave New World, Progress and Brave New World, or point of view and... you get the idea. So then the only logical(Yay gratuitous hyperlinking) thing to do is to word three different ones and then pick based on the prompt. If it is the first topic then I'd probably go with a statement similar to one I made in the blog post concerning it, I.E. That Brave New World is only postmodern in that it is a critique of modernist thought on morality with a few elements of the postmodern I.E. the rapid shifts in points of view in the second chapter, the multiple plot lines. If it the second topic then I would argue that yes Brave New World has progressed more than our society but that does not necessarily make that society better. Finally if the prompt is based on the third option then I would write about the use of third person omniscient and how it creates a more horizontal, less plot driven story. And also how the story itself has two main plots that are surrounded by multiple subplots, a comment on the nature of the society it describes. To back all of these, quotes from the text are in a very real sense the least I could do.
Side Note: I'd love to do a cross media comparison between the matrix and brave new world, or 1984 and Brave New World would also be and interesting point.
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Maybe a full length comparison of the Matrix and Brave New World is a little much, but what works, works. I think a much safer idea would be the comparison to 1984 although safer is not necessarily better. Go with your gut instinct because no one can really tell you how or what to write. But also be aware that we might not even have a thesis to work off of, meaning your topic will completely rely on what you want to write. I also think that you could do a lot with the topic of progressing society. Yes, we are progressing, but what are we progressing to? Are we evolving into something that is good, or something that is bad? And who determines what is good or bad? Efficiency? Morality? Equality? All these are present in both Brave New World and in 1984, giving you a lot to work off.
ReplyDeleteCool ideas Ted! How ever I disagree with your statement that B.N.W. is only postmodern because of that chapter. When I first read it, I though Bernard and Lenina would the main characters, but really...there is not one true main character. When the reader meets the Savage, Bernard takes a back seat, and both are equally developed. There is no center in the novel, much like the lack of a grand narrative. It is all subplots-no one character absorbs the lime light for more than one chapter.
ReplyDeleteI love your idea of tying in point of view since that's what we've been working on the past week.
But Good ideas Ted! Yay!