MIRANDA
a hypertext of Huxley's Brave New World

This prescient 1932 novel is often remembered only for its title which is in common usage, particularly now as the world changes more quickly every day.  However, the context of its use is often that of unqualified enthusiasm for some new development, something positive and exciting.   An understanding of this important novel reveals that the world Huxley portrays is neither positive nor exciting.  The title is derived from Shakespeare's play "The Tempest" when Prospero's daughter, Miranda, sees another man for the first time and utters the misunderstood words: 

"O brave new world that has such people in it".  In this scene, Miranda is an innocent, naive to the reality behind the glittering vision before her.  This is not unlike our enthusiasm for the technology that is rapidly changing - and changing us.

* *CRITICAL READING REQUIRED** part of the purpose of this hypertext is to provide a complex web of texts with which readers can challenge their critical reading and writing skills. To this end, readers should be aware that, like the Web, the links contained herein are of varying quality. By including links that are not "pre-approved", the reader is pushed to exercise her own careful reading and assesment rather than rely on the assumed authority and judgement of the composer or unknown peer reviewers.

"Miranda" is a dynamic, growing text that includes the best input of her readers in an ever growing web of connection.

The text of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World entered the public domain on 1 September 2008. Click here for a PDF of the copyright-termination notice from the Library of Congress.