(Semester IV)

Assignment: English Literature

Topic:
▪ Analysis of Huxley's employment of Greek mythology and evolution of
alphabet in the universality of language in his essay Adonis and the
Alphabet
Submitted to:
Ma’am Sobia
Submitted by:
Name: Syeda Rida Zahra
Roll No: 2125116001
Department: BS English Literature – Semester IV
Session: 2021-2025
Date of Submission: 2nd May,2023

Lahore College for Woman University

 Adonis and the Alphabet

Aldous Huxley was a prominent British writer of the 20th century, known for his
novels, essays, and other works that explored a wide range of topics, from
spirituality and mysticism to science and technology. Aldous Huxley was born into
a family of prominent intellectuals and writers and was educated at Eton and
Oxford.
Huxley’s writing style was marked by its intellectual depth, literary
sophistication, and engagement with a wide range of philosophical and spiritual
traditions. He drew on a rich and diverse set of influences, from the ancient Greek
myths to the teachings of Eastern mystics, to develop his own unique vision of the
human condition. Huxley incorporated themes and motifs from Greek mythology
into his writing. Huxley's fascination with Greek mythology can be seen in his
use of allegory, symbolism, and archetypes in his works.
Aldous Huxley was a prolific essayist, writing on a wide range of topics, from
mystical experiences to the dangers of technology. His essays were known for their
clarity and elegance of expression, as well as their insights into the fundamental
questions of human existence. Huxley's essay style was characterized by its clarity,
precision, and elegance of expression. He had a remarkable ability to distill
complex ideas into accessible language, making his writing both informative and
engaging for a wide audience.
Adonis and the Alphabet was Huxley’s triumph as an essayist. In addition to the
old urbanity there is a far more serious sense of purpose. The essay "Adonis and
Alphabet" by Aldous Huxley is a complex and thought-provoking piece in
which he ponders upon the link between Greek mythology and advancement of
language which he maintains likewise Adonis suffer death and experience rebirth
each year.
The myth of Adonis is a legendary love story that combines tragedy and death on
the one hand, and the joy of coming back to life on the other. The story of the
impossibly handsome Adonis and his lover the goddess Aphrodite originally
dates back to the ancient civilizations of the Near East. It is the legend of
the God of beauty who faced death when he was young but came back to life for
the sake of his beloved Aphrodite. Myth has been a source of great inspiration for
many poets, artists, and historians alike, leading to its widespread use as a major
theme in literary and intellectual productions.
In his essay "Adonis and Alphabet," Aldous Huxley uses a poetic and
contemplative writing style to explore the relationship between ancient myths and
modern technology. The essay is structured as a series of meditations on the myth
of Adonis and the role of the alphabet in shaping human consciousness.
In his essay "Adonis and the Alphabet," Aldous Huxley explores the universality
of language by analyzing the relationship between the evolution of the alphabet
and the mythology of Adonis, a Greek god associated with death and rebirth. One
of the key elements of Huxley's essay is his use of Greek mythology to illustrate
the universality of language. He argues that the myths and stories of the ancient
Greeks are still relevant to modern society because they tap into universal human
experiences and emotions. For example, the story of Adonis, the beautiful youth
who dies and is reborn each year, is a metaphor for the cyclical nature of life and
death that is common to all cultures and times.
Huxley argues that the evolution of the alphabet from pictograms to phonetic
symbols represents a fundamental shift in human consciousness, as it allowed
for the development of a more precise and nuanced language. He draws on the
myth of Adonis, who dies and is reborn each year, to illustrate how the evolution
of language mirrors the cycle of death and rebirth in nature.
Huxley also connects the evolution of language to the development of the
alphabet. He explains how early forms of writing, such as hieroglyphs and
pictographs, were limited in their ability to convey complex ideas and were tied to
specific cultures and languages. The development of the alphabet, which is based
on the phonetic sounds of speech rather than visual symbols, allowed for a more
universal form of communication that could be adapted to different languages
and cultures.
Huxley states that the alphabet's evolution is a metaphor for the evolution of
language and communication in general. As humans have developed more
complex ideas and forms of communication, they have had to find new ways to
express themselves, leading to the development of new words and writing systems.
Huxley sees this evolution as a fundamental aspect of human nature, one that
reflects our innate drive to understand and communicate with each other.
Huxley suggests that the development of the alphabet is a key milestone in this
evolution of language and communication. Unlike earlier forms of writing, which
relied on pictographs and symbols, the alphabet is based on the sounds of speech.
This made it a more versatile and adaptable system of writing, one that could be
adapted to different languages and cultures.
In Huxley's view, the evolution of the alphabet reflects the human drive to
understand and communicate with each other. Just as the myth of Adonis
represents the cyclical nature of life and death, the development of the alphabet
represents the ongoing evolution of language and communication. Both are a
testament to the power of human imagination and our innate desire to explore
the world around us.
Huxley uses the myth of Adonis to illustrate the idea that human beings have a
deep connection to the natural world, and that this connection is threatened by the
rise of rationality and technology. He suggests that the invention of the alphabet
represents a shift away from the intuitive, sensory-based knowledge of the
natural world that was embodied by the myth of Adonis, and towards a more
abstract, intellectual form of knowledge.
Huxley has also pointed out our uncomfortable yet necessary shift from the world
of mythology to learning highly advanced alphabet-based language. He has shown
how our focus deviated from Adonis towards Alphabet.
Huxley also highlights the fact that Byblos is much more than a city of romantic
pilgrimage where people pay emotional homage to the Aphrodite-the woman who
loved Adonis. It was this city where the alphabet was invented. It was here that
ABC was polished and perfected. Huxley strengthens his argument by stating that
Adonis and the Alphabet are related by the city of Byblos.
Huxley also describes the importance of language by saying that we are nothing
without language. Our feelings and emotions are expressed through words and
syntax. Language is a conditioner of thoughts and emotions; it is molder of
sentiments, a reflector of perception and a creator of behavior of-patterns. Wisdom
rests upon language. Emphasizing the practical significance of written language,
Huxley has quoted Socrates who says writing abides, while spoken word flies
away. Before the invention of Alphabet, people used various methods of writing,
most commonly hieroglyphic writing of Egypt or some ideographic symbols like
Chinese Picture writing.
Huxley makes it clear that the alphabet has led to a transformation of human
thought and consciousness. He argues that the alphabet has encouraged a linear,
logical mode of thinking that emphasizes the separation of ideas and the
categorization of knowledge. This has led to a loss of holistic, intuitive thinking
that emphasizes the interconnectedness of ideas and the unity of knowledge.
Despite these criticisms, Huxley also acknowledges the positive contributions of
the alphabet and written language. He argues that they have played a crucial role in
the development of science, philosophy, and literature, enabling the accumulation
and transmission of knowledge across generations. He also notes that the alphabet
has played a role in the democratization of knowledge, making it accessible to
more people.
By using Greek mythology in this way, Huxley became able to create a rich and
multi-layered argument about the relationship between language, culture, and
the natural world. He draws upon the symbolism and imagery of Greek
mythology to evoke powerful emotions and associations, and to make his
argument more compelling and memorable.
The title essay in this volume, “Adonis and the Alphabet”, urges us not to take
language too seriously. Nature presents us with a complexity of material to express
which words and sentences are inadequate. Language is serious as an instrument,
but it is a crude interpreter of direct experience. It would thus seem that Huxley in
the final stages came to regard literature as a lesser art: that he felt that as
distinguished from a pictographic language, emphasized the separateness of things
and tended to increase man’s knowledge but to diminish his understanding,
whereas in painting it was easier for an artist to see things as they are, shining in
their own essential nature, and to render them according to their proper rhythms.
Needless to say, that this meant that he rejected abstraction in art as much as in
science, for to him the ultimate purpose of art was to convey “the underlying
rhythm of the mysterious spirit that manifests itself in every aspect of our
beautiful, frightful, unutterably odd and adorable universe” (“Doodles in a
Dictionary”), and that aim could not be achieved by the separation from the natural
world which abstraction involves.
In conclusion, Huxley's analysis highlights the power and potential of language to
unite humanity across cultural and temporal divides. Huxley’s essay "Adonis and
the Alphabet" uses Greek mythology and the evolution of the alphabet to explore
the universality of language and communication. By connecting these two
seemingly disparate subjects, Huxley shows how language has evolved over time
to become a universal tool for human communication, one that reflects our deep-
seated need to express ourselves and understand one another.
Overall, Huxley's use of Greek mythology in "Adonis and Alphabet" is a
testament to his skill as a writer and thinker. By drawing upon the deep wells of
human myth and symbolism, he creates a work that is both intellectually
rigorous and emotionally engaging, and that speaks to some of the deepest
questions and concerns of human existence.