• Search books
• Topics
• New Arrivals
• New
• Coming Soon

Ape and essence

Title	Ape and essence a novel
Author	by Aldous Huxley
Publication	Chatto & Windus
Size	153p
Language	ENG
ISBN
Topics	English fiction--Dystopian English fiction--War stories Post-apocalyptic world--Fiction Nuclear war--Fiction World War III--Fiction
Notes	largely a satire of the rise of large-scale warfare and warmongering in the 20th century, and presents a pessimistic view of the politics of mutually assured destruction. The book makes extensive use of surreal imagery, depicting humans as apes who, as a whole, will inevitably kill themselves. Ape and Essence is presented in its entirety, without remark by interruption, footnote or afterword. It begins with a vignette describing the destruction of the world by nuclear and chemical warfare at the hands of intelligent baboons – a critique of the human race (see more about these vignettes below). The two warring sides each have an Einstein on a leash which they force to press the button, releasing clouds of disease-causing gases toward each other. The story then advances to a time 100 years after the catastrophic events of World War III, which characters in the book refer to as "the Thing", when nuclear and chemical weapons eventually destroyed most of human civilisation. In the script's timeframe, radiation has subsided to safer levels and in 2107, an exploratory team of New Zealander rediscovery scientists (New Zealand was spared from direct nuclear attack because it was "of no strategic importance") travel to California. Unfortunately, a strange society has emerged from the radiation and three of its men capture one of the scientists (Dr. Poole). Dr. Poole is introduced to an illiterate society which survives by "mining" graves for clothes, burning library books as fuel, and killing off newborns deformed by radiation (that is, newborns with over 3 pairs of nipples and more than 7 toes/fingers per hand) to preserve genetic purity. The society has also taken to worshipping Satan, whom they refer to as Belial, and limiting reproduction to an annual two-week orgy which begins on "Belial's Day Eve" after the deformed babies are "purified by blood." The story climaxes during the purification ceremonies of Belial's Day Eve with an intellectual confrontation between Dr. Poole and the Arch-Vicar, the head of the Church of Belial (somewhat like the confrontation John the Savage has with Mustapha Mond in Brave New World). During the conversation the Arch-Vicar reveals that there is a minority of "Hots" who do not express an interest in the post-World War III style of reproduction, but they are severely punished to keep them in line. In exchange for his life, Dr. Poole agrees to do what he can as a botanist to help increase their crops yields, but about a year later he escapes with Loola in search of the community of "hots" that is rumoured to exist North of the desert. [wikipedia]

823

HUXL 1

4166

Available