Brave New World Literary Themes Themes to Consider: Commodification Freedom Limits of Science Mass production Individuality Power dynamics Determinism/Free Will Individual vs. Society Identity Crisis Loneliness Immorality Love & Sacrifice Second Self vs. Doubling The body itself has various sorts of “others” that echo and complement it. Sometimes our speech can be more revealing than our conscious thoughts. Consider how people say, “broken up” “going to pieces” “Pull yourself together” “get a grip” “out of his mind” “beside himself” all of these are indications to, or allude to the division or existence of other selves. Second Self vs. Doubling Cont. Inner self: frequently suggests a twofoldness which is purely internal. Double: often times implies a duplication of identity. Second Self: helps us understand the difference of the self by allowing us to have a distinct first self. Second Self vs. Doubling Cont. When there is a second self: The first self is on the foreground of the reader’s attention. He or she is the one that the reader tries to connect to. The second self is usually conscious of the first self’s existence. The reader usually interprets the second self as the intruder and tends to remain half-shadowed. The motivations of the second self tend to be ambiguous. Second Self vs. Doubling Cont. Ego is the lens through which you experience physical reality. The superego reflects the internalization of cultural rules, mainly taught by parents applying their guidance and influence. Id: is the unorganized part of the personality structure that contains a human's basic, instinctual drives. Id is the only component of personality that is present from birth. Eco criticism (This is a literary theory, not a literary theme.) Eco criticism: the application of ecology and ecological concepts to the study of literature. Essentially it is the study of literature and the physical environment and or nature in order to raise awareness of human interaction with the natural world. When they say nature scholars mean: the environment before it was impacted by technology- the land its flora, its waterways, living creature, the ecosystem etc.. How does the text depict character interacting with nature? What argument is constructed as a result of this interaction or lack of interaction? Feminist Criticism (This is a literary theory, not a literary theme.) Feminist Criticism: the application of a feminist lens onto a study of literature. This school of thought studies the ways in which women are depicted or their lack of depiction in a text. How is their representation connected to patriarchal threads of power? This theory considers the objectification and subordination of women. This also studies stereotypical depictions of women and their impact on the reader. Feminist criticism focuses on gender identity. This criticism resists the idea that men are superior to women and considers social conditioning as a the ...