''Antic Hay'' is a

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

Aldous Huxley Aldous Leonard Huxley ( ; 26 July 1894 – 22 November 1963) was an English writer and philosopher. His bibliography spans nearly 50 books, including non-fiction novel, non-fiction works, as well as essays, narratives, and poems. Born into the ...

, published in 1923. The story takes place in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, and gives a satiric depiction of the aimless or self-absorbed cultural elite in the sad and turbulent times following the end of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. A 1923 review opined that Antic Hay was "probably the most brilliant novel of the year" and summarized Huxley's theme as "contemporary civilization is damnable, and...the dark stream of Time is the only reality." A 1961 scholarly journal article characterized the book's theme as "disunity, disorder and disorganization" whose characters "illustrate a disreputable world disintegrating into fragments." It reinforced Huxley's reputation as an iconoclast. The book was condemned for its cynicism and for its supposed immorality because of its open debate on sex. The novel was banned for a while in Australia and burned in Cairo. Superficially the story follows Theodore Gumbril, a teacher in an English boarding school who invents Gumbril's Patent Small-Clothes, trousers which contain a

pneumatic Pneumatics (from Greek 'wind, breath') is the use of gas or pressurized air in mechanical systems. Pneumatic systems used in Industrial sector, industry are commonly powered by compressed air or compressed inert gases. A centrally located a ...

cushion in the seat. Gumbril's quest for love occasionally makes him resort to utilizing "The Complete Man" which is a disguise he concocts around a false full beard. With it he is able to overcome his shyness and approach women in public places with a bold directness. However he is then left with the problem of how he reveals his real self to the women he befriends. The novel was written just after Huxley and his wife moved to Italy, where they lived from 1923 to 1927. The title is from the play '' Edward II'' by

Christopher Marlowe Christopher Marlowe ( ; Baptism, baptised 26 February 156430 May 1593), also known as Kit Marlowe, was an English playwright, poet, and translator of the Elizabethan era. Marlowe is among the most famous of the English Renaissance theatre, Eli ...

, c1593, Act One, Scene One, lines 59-60: "My men, like satyrs grazing on the lawns, shall with their goat feet dance the antic hay", which is quoted on the frontispiece. "Antic hay", here, refers to a playful dance. The manuscripts for the novel are part of the collection of the University of Houston Library. The novel was mentioned briefly in

Evelyn Waugh Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh (; 28 October 1903 – 10 April 1966) was an English writer of novels, biographies, and travel books; he was also a prolific journalist and book reviewer. His most famous works include the early satires ''Decli ...

's novel ''

Brideshead Revisited ''Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred & Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder'' is a novel by the English writer Evelyn Waugh, first published in 1945. It follows, from the 1920s to the early 1940s, the life and romances of Charles Ryder, esp ...

'' (1945):

References

As a Seminar topic
at Flinders University, Australia

at Valencia University, Spain *In Patrick Leigh Fermor's ''Between the Woods and the Water''

External links

* * * {{Aldous Huxley 1923 British novels Novels by Aldous Huxley Roman à clef novels Novels set in London Chatto & Windus books