Damon LaBarbera's Reviews
Esteemed Scholar:Damon LaBarbera
Total Posts in Aldous Huxley 25
1. Favorite book and why?
Eyeless in Gaza is my favorite. It contains many of the ideas that pervaded Huxley's earlier books, and seems more mature to me than Antic Hay and Point Counter Point. By about this time, he was getting older, and though less funny and satirical, was developing a more humanistic view. I dislike most his later works, after about 1950, which seem, honestly, a little peculiar to me.

2. Least favorite book and why?
I'd say that Ape and Essence is my least favorite book, because it is in verse. Also, dislike his books on the Bates vision method. I think Brave New World and Island are pretty weak, as well.

3. Favorite scene in favorite book and why?
Funniest story is The Claxtons, written when Huxley was in his twenties. Giaconda Smile is also funny. As for favorite scene--Illidge tripping on the steps in Point Counter Point.

4. Favorite character and why?
Uncle Eustace in Time Must Have A Stop. That has been my screen name on AOL for a few years. Uncle Eustace is a kind of debauched aristocrat living in Italy on the money his late wife left him.

5. Which character do you identify most with and why?
I identify most with Philip Quarles in Point Counter Point, or maybe Denis Stone in Crome Yellow. Both are avoidant types, really models on Huxley himself. Gumbril, too, from, Antic Hay.

6. If you could see a sequel to one of the author's books, which would it be and what would it be about?
I'd like to see what happens to Joe Stoyte in After Many a Summer.

7. What do you like about author's writing style?
Lack of use of metaphors

8. What are your favorite themes of this author?
--Reason versus emotion --Attempting to find balance in life --The disjuncture of the classes --Personality variables in humans

9. What could be most improved about this authors books?
Later on, characters tended to become cardboard figures in service of his particular ideas. Brave New World, for example, can not be taken seriously as literature. Huxley himself probably would have liked to write a little more like Lawrence--more emotion. Gertrude Stein said he was "Dead". I think that is what she meant.

Other great reviews I've written
(click on a link below)

Science Fiction
2001: A Space Odyssey
Try our new Star Wars & Star Trek puzzle pictures! Click here

Advertise with us
Feedback
Star Wars Revenge of the Sith plot spoilers
Hobbits
The politics game
The lawyer game

3 Movie search options!
1) Simple lookup
(title or author)

or
2) Detailed movie search
(click here)
or

3) One-click plot searches! Simply click on a plot below!

Animal Story

Clones

Coming of age

Cultural problems, alien culture

Explore/1st contact/ enviro story

Family relations

GIANT monster(s)

Horror story?

Inner Struggle

Lifeform altered?

Mental/magical powers focus

Parody

Political power play

Religious overtones?

Repressive society story

Robots, Computers, VR

Romance

Spying & Investigations

Tech./$$$/Info hunt

Time Travel story?

Training/Apprent.

War or Invasion




Become a Aldous Huxley Allscifi Scholar! Games:
Trivia Masters!

Rescue your favorite
scifi characters from
slavery!


Talk to your favorite
scifi characters!


Eating New Yorkers
Computer Game


Pomeranians

Most recent TV & Movie discussions:

Charmed: Is Piper really a Halliwell? 11/13/2009 11:30:45 AM

Lord of the Rings: Why would Aragorn choose pig lips Arwen Evenstar over Eowyn? 11/12/2009 6:40:39 PM

Xena: 37 reasons why Xena and Gabrielle are... you know.... 11/12/2009 7:23:13 AM

A Boy and His Dog: A Boy and His Dog 11/11/2009 11:48:16 PM

Battlestar Galactica: Was Battlestar Galactica politically conservative? 11/1/2009 9:51:45 AM

Battlestar Galactica: Why were the Cylons so slow and thinking impaired? 10/31/2009 8:36:52 PM

Blade Runner: Blade Runner 10/22/2009 2:43:11 AM

Star Trek Enterprise: Jolene Blalock on T'Pol and Star Trek Enterprise 10/19/2009 2:48:46 PM

Charmed: If Piper Halliwell gets pregnant, can Leo give her an abortion? 10/3/2009 12:29:33 PM

Star Wars: Why did stormtroopers wear armor that didn't work against blasters? 9/30/2009 9:48:47 PM


Newest slaves:
Cat Woman 8:49:59 PM
Starship Troopers Boob Girl 8:43:39 PM
Nikita (Peta Wilson) 8:38:37 PM
Dylan Hunt 8:37:02 PM
Trance 8:35:36 PM
Tyr Anasazi 8:34:25 PM
Rommie 8:32:54 PM
Princess Leia 8:30:41 PM
Lita Alexander 8:29:21 PM
Jeanne Tripplehug (Tripplehorn) 8:27:02 PM
All slaves
(click here)


Celebrity interviews:
President George W. Bush 6:32:00 PM
Jan-Michael Vincent 2:16:51 PM
Captain Kathryn Janeway 3:47:46 PM
Jack ONeill (Richard Dean Anderson) 1:39:22 PM
Jennifer Aniston (Friends) 5:01:07 PM
All celebrities
(click here)



Back To Main Menu