On Christmas Eve, John Rivers recounts to a friend the idyllic yet stormy period of his youth spent at the Maartens household. While lab assistant to genius physicist, Henry Maartens, John falls for his luminous wife Katy, the titular goddess. Simultaneously, he spurns the affections of the Maartens' adolescent daughter Ruth, who becomes increasingly suspicious of the affair and jealous of her mother.
I interpreted this novel as having strong oedipal themes. Huxley describes Katy as the "womb-secretary" to Henry's "psychological equivalent of a fetus." And when Katy returns from her visit to her dying mother to nurse Henry back to health, her nurturing instinct is fueled by the eroticism of her affair with John.
Though the adulterous plot is familiar, I found this read thought-provoking and it was made riveting by Huxley's lyricism.
On Christmas Eve, John Rivers recounts to a friend the idyllic yet stormy period of his youth spent at the Maartens household. While lab assistant to genius physicist, Henry Maartens, John falls for his luminous wife Katy, the titular goddess. Simultaneously, he spurns the affections of the Maartens' adolescent daughter Ruth, who becomes increasingly suspicious of the affair and jealous of her mother.
I interpreted this novel as having strong oedipal themes. Huxley describes Katy as the "womb-secretary" to Henry's "psychological equivalent of a fetus." And when Katy returns from her visit to her dying mother to nurse Henry back to health, her nurturing instinct is fueled by the eroticism of her affair with John.
Though the adulterous plot is familiar, I found this read thought-provoking and it was made riveting by Huxley's lyricism.
On Christmas Eve, John Rivers recounts to a friend the idyllic yet stormy period of his youth spent at the Maartens household. While lab assistant to genius physicist, Henry Maartens, John falls for his luminous wife Katy, the titular goddess. Simultaneously, he spurns the affections of the Maartens' adolescent daughter Ruth, who becomes increasingly suspicious of the affair and jealous of her mother.
I interpreted this novel as having strong oedipal themes. Huxley describes Katy as the "womb-secretary" to Henry's "psychological equivalent of a fetus." And when Katy returns from her visit to her dying mother to nurse Henry back to health, her nurturing instinct is fueled by the eroticism of her affair with John.
Though the adulterous plot is familiar, I found this read thought-provoking and it was made riveting by Huxley's lyricism.
On Christmas Eve, John Rivers recounts to a friend the idyllic yet stormy period of his youth spent at the Maartens household. While lab assistant to genius physicist, Henry Maartens, John falls for his luminous wife Katy, the titular goddess. Simultaneously, he spurns the affections of the Maartens' adolescent daughter Ruth, who becomes increasingly suspicious of the affair and jealous of her mother.
I interpreted this novel as having strong oedipal themes. Huxley describes Katy as the "womb-secretary" to Henry's "psychological equivalent of a fetus." And when Katy returns from her visit to her dying mother to nurse Henry back to health, her nurturing instinct is fueled by the eroticism of her affair with John.
Though the adulterous plot is familiar, I found this read thought-provoking and it was made riveting by Huxley's lyricism.
On Christmas Eve, John Rivers recounts to a friend the idyllic yet stormy period of his youth spent at the Maartens household. While lab assistant to genius physicist, Henry Maartens, John falls for his luminous wife Katy, the titular goddess. Simultaneously, he spurns the affections of the Maartens' adolescent daughter Ruth, who becomes increasingly suspicious of the affair and jealous of her mother.
I interpreted this novel as having strong oedipal themes. Huxley describes Katy as the "womb-secretary" to Henry's "psychological equivalent of a fetus." And when Katy returns from her visit to her dying mother to nurse Henry back to health, her nurturing instinct is fueled by the eroticism of her affair with John.
Though the adulterous plot is familiar, I found this read thought-provoking and it was made riveting by Huxley's lyricism.
