本論文旨在研究赫胥黎《美麗新世界》與歐威爾《1984》中本真生活之追尋。在二十世紀，由於極權主義的產生與科技之進步，人類對於自身自由備感威脅。赫胥黎與歐威爾在各自的小說中，即對現代社會朝向非人性化發展提出警告。另一方面，存在主義哲學家海德格、沙特等，在他們各自的哲學著作中，對個人本真生活的探討與肯定，也反映了現代人在現實環境的壓力下，對於自我生命意義
的追尋。

第一章導論概述沙特與海德格各自的哲學著作中，對於本真性之探討，在《存在與時間》中，海德格提出非本真生活之特點，焦慮感、良心之召喚、與本真性等，在《存在與虛無》與《存在主義與人文主義》中，沙特則探討人類的本然自由，強調透過個人自由選擇以創造自我價值。顯然，兩位哲學家對人類創造自我生命的價值持肯定態度。

第二章則透過比較赫胥黎《美麗新世界》、歐威爾《1984》、柏拉圖《理想國》這三部著作，探討赫胥黎與歐威爾在各自小說中對當代世界的批評，與暗示柏拉圖的烏托邦思想，如何可能成為當代獨裁者所濫用之對象。

第三章論述赫胥黎的反烏托邦小說《美麗新世界》中之世界秩序與對生命的理念，實為當代存在主義之夢魘。透過小說中主要人物的反叛，赫胥黎暗示讀者，真正的人類本真生活實為真、善、與美之追求。
第四章討論歐威爾小說中主角對於本真生活之追求。藉著忠實紀錄過去事實，開始一段真實的感情生活，與加入兄弟會，主角溫斯頓.史密斯實為歐威爾對於人類追求本真生活理想之代言人。

This dissertation intends to study the quest for the authentic life in both Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four. In this dissertation, I attempt to examine how Huxley and Orwell criticize the modern trend toward dehumanization and how both writers assert the value of the authentic life in their individual dystopian novels. In the twentieth century, the rise of totalitarianism and the development of science and technology threaten the independence of the individual. In their respective dystopian novels, both Huxley and Orwell reflect this crisis of the death of individuality in the modern world and warn us against it by portraying the quest of the characters for an individual meaningful life. On the other hand, the rise of existentialism also reflects the human desire to live a life of authenticity in this excruciating modern condition. Philosophers like Heidegger and Sartre all try to assert the value of the individual authentic life in this modern world where traditional values seem no longer sufficient to guide the individual in his life. Thus, it seems that the four authors Heidegger, Sartre, Huxley and Orwell all share the concern for the freedom of humans in the modern world. To them, an authentic individual life has a value in itself. It overrides the past utopian concern for rational order that overlooks the freedom and independence of the individual.
The introduction focuses on presenting the major tents of Heidegger’s and Sartre’s ideas on authenticity. In his Being and Time, Heidegger mentions the characteristics of a life of fallen-ness, the individualizing effects of anxiety, the call of conscience and the authentic life. And in his Being and Nothingness, and Existentialism and Humanism, Sartre emphasizes the freedom of the individual to define himself through his own free choice of actions. In their individual philosophical works, both of them emphasize the freedom of the individual to take the initiative to create an authentic life. Chapter two focuses on a comparison between three works, Plato’s The Republic, Huxley’s Brave New World and Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-four. In my discussion of their similarities and differences, we try to point out both Huxley’s and Orwell’s reflections on the modern world and their implied criticism of Plato’s utopian ideals which can be taken advantage of by the modern dictators. Chapter three treats Huxley’s dystopia Brave New World as essentially an anti-existential world in which there exists no possibility for the individual to lead a truly authentic life. Through the characters’ rebellion, Huxley suggests to the reader that the true authentic life consists in the quest for beauty, love and truth. Chapter four focuses on the protagonist’s quest for the authentic life in Orwell’s dystopia Nineteen Eighty-four. By starting a diary to keep a faithful record of the past, by developing a love affair and joining the Brotherhood to revive the past authentic life, Orwell’s protagonist Winston Smith actually serves as the novelist’s alter ego to express his ideal for the individual authentic life.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction ………………………………………………………6
Chapter 2: Plato's Heirs: Orwell, Hexley and Repressive societies …………48
Chapter 3: Brave New World: A "Bland" New World and Its Discontents …… 88
Chapter 4: Nineteen Eighty-Four: The Fight for the Authentic Life …………145
Chapter 5: Conclusion …………………………………………………………180
Works Cited ……………………………………………………………………187

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