内容简介

　　世界经典英文名著文库（GUOMAIENGLISHLIBRARY）包含30本全世界范围内超受欢迎的原版经典图书：《小王子》《老人与海》《了不起的盖茨比》《月亮和六便士》《喧嚣与骚动》《瓦尔登湖》《欧o亨利短篇小说精选》《双城记》……

　　BraveNewWorld，中文译名为《美丽新世界》，公元2532年是个科技高度发达的新世界：没有物质匮乏之忧虑，没有衰老颓废之烦恼，没有工作繁琐之厌倦，没有孕育抚养之压力，没有婚姻、性道德之约束，没有药物滥用之限制，没有政治高压之窒息……俨然是人类一直以来无限向往和憧憬的"世外桃源"和"乌托邦"。然而，在这个"美丽新世界"里，人们失去了个人情感--爸爸妈妈是令人羞辱的词，失去了爱情--性代替了爱，失去了痛苦、激情和经历危险的感觉--1克索麻就能带来快乐，更可怕的是，人失去了思考的权利，失去了创造的能力……过去、现在、未来，人类关于自身和未来的所有忧思都蕴含其中。

　

作者简介

　　阿道司·赫胥黎（AldousLeonardHuxley，1894-1963）
　　英国著名作家、学者，一生创作了50多部小说、诗歌、哲学著作和游记，代表作为长篇小说《美丽新世界》。赫胥黎出生于大名鼎鼎的赫胥黎家族，祖父是《天演论》的作者，父亲是英国小说家，哥哥是著名动物学家，弟弟是诺贝尔奖得主。他先后就读于伊顿公学和牛津大学。青年时的一次眼疾几乎让他视力全失，在学习了盲文后，他开始写作，先后创作了许多胎炙人口的小说，并且在学术领域成绩斐然。在他人生的末期，在一些学术圈他被认为是现代思想的领导者，位列当时杰出的知识分子行列。

精彩书摘

Asquatgreybuildingofonlythirty-fourstories.Overthemainentrancethewords,CENTRALLONDONHATCHERYANDCONDITIONINGCENTRE,and,inashield,theworldstate’smotto,COMMUNITY,IDENTITY,STABILITY.

Theenormousroomonthegroundfloorfacedtowardsthenorth.Coldforallthesummerbeyondthepanes,forallthetropicalheatoftheroomitself,aharshthinlightglaredthroughthewindows,hungrilyseekingsomedrapedlayfigure,somepallidshapeofacademicgoose-flesh,butfindingonlytheglassandnickelandbleaklyshiningporcelainofalaboratory.Wintrinessrespondedtowintriness.Theoverallsoftheworkerswerewhite,theirhandsglovedwithapalecorpse-colouredrubber.Thelightwasfrozen,dead,aghost.Onlyfromtheyellowbarrelsofthemicroscopesdiditborrowacertainrichandlivingsubstance,lyingalongthepolishedtubeslikebutter,streakafterlusciousstreakinlongrecessiondowntheworktables.

“Andthis,”saidtheDirectoropeningthedoor,“istheFertilizingRoom.”

Bentovertheirinstruments,threehundredFertilizerswereplunged,astheDirectorofHatcheriesandConditioningenteredtheroom,inthescarcelybreathingsilence,theabsent-minded,soliloquizinghumorwhistle,ofabsorbedconcentration.Atroopofnewlyarrivedstudents,veryyoung,pinkandcallow,followednervously,ratherabjectly,attheDirector’sheels.Eachofthemcarriedanotebook,inwhich,wheneverthegreatmanspoke,hedesperatelyscribbled.Straightfromthehorse’smouth.Itwasarareprivilege.TheDHCforCentralLondonalwaysmadeapointofpersonallyconductinghisnewstudentsroundthevariousdepartments.

“Justtogiveyouageneralidea,”hewouldexplaintothem.Forofcoursesomesortofgeneralideatheymusthave,iftheyweretodotheirworkintelligently—thoughaslittleofone,iftheyweretobegoodandhappymembersofsociety,aspossible.Forparticulars,aseveryoneknows,makeforvirtueandhappiness;generalitiesareintellectuallynecessaryevils.Notphilosophers,butfret-sawyersandstampcollectorscomposethebackboneofsociety.

“Tomorrow,”hewouldadd,smilingatthemwithaslightlymenacinggeniality,“you’llbesettlingdowntoseriouswork.Youwon’thavetimeforgeneralities.Meanwhile…”

Meanwhile,itwasaprivilege.Straightfromthehorse’smouthintothenotebook.Theboysscribbledlikemad.

Tallandratherthinbutupright,theDirectoradvancedintotheroom.Hehadalongchinandbigratherprominentteeth,justcovered,whenhewasnottalking,byhisfull,floridlycurvedlips.Old,young?Thirty?Fifty?Fifty-five?Itwashardtosay.Andanyhowthequestiondidn’tarise;inthisyearofstability,A.F.632,itdidn’toccurtoyoutoaskit.

“Ishallbeginatthebeginning,”saidtheDHCandthemorezealousstudentsrecordedhisintentionintheirnotebooks:Beginatthebeginning.“These,”hewavedhishand,“aretheincubators.”Andopeninganinsulateddoorheshowedthemracksuponracksofnumberedtest-tubes.“Theweek’ssupplyofova.Kept,”heexplained,“atbloodheat;whereasthemalegametes,”andhereheopenedanotherdoor,“theyhavetobekeptatthirty-fiveinsteadofthirty-seven.Fullbloodheatsterilizes.”Ramswrappedintheremogenebegetnolambs.

Stillleaningagainsttheincubatorshegavethem,whilethepencilsscurriedillegiblyacrossthepages,abriefdescriptionofthemodernfertilizingprocess;spokefirst,ofcourse,ofitssurgicalintroduction—“theoperationundergonevoluntarilyforthegoodofSociety,nottomentionthefactthatitcarriesabonusamountingtosixmonths’salary”;continuedwithsomeaccountofthetechniqueforpreservingtheexcisedovaryaliveandactivelydeveloping;passedontoaconsiderationofoptimumtemperature,salinity,viscosity;referredtotheliquorinwhichthedetachedandripenedeggswerekept;and,leadinghischargestotheworktables,actuallyshowedthemhowthisliquorwasdrawnofffromthetest-tubes;howitwasletoutdropbydropontothespeciallywarmedslidesofthemicroscopes;howtheeggswhichitcontainedwereinspectedforabnormalities,countedandtransferredtoaporousreceptacle;how(andhenowtookthemtowatchtheoperation)thisreceptaclewasimmersedinawarmbouilloncontainingfree-swimmingspermatozoa—ataminimumconcentrationofonehundredthousandpercubiccentimetre,heinsisted;andhow,aftertenminutes,thecontainerwasliftedoutoftheliquoranditscontentsre-examined;how,ifanyoftheeggsremainedunfertilized,itwasagainimmersed,and,ifnecessary,yetagain;howthefertilizedovawentbacktotheincubators;wheretheAlphasandBetasremaineduntildefinitelybottled;whiletheGammas,DeltasandEpsilonswerebroughtoutagain,afteronlythirty-sixhours,toundergoBokanovsky’sProcess.


其他推荐