Book Forty-Three of the Book-a-Week QuestFahrenheit 451
by Ray Bradbury (1953)
Part of me wanted to hate this because everyone but me seemingly had to read it in high school. Anything forced on you can't be good, right? Well, there may be a reason it's read by so many high schoolers...it's shockingly good.
The tale of a future where books are burned and life, in turn, seems very robotic, was filled with several lines that really seemed to hit home to me.
Describing what could easily be our society now, Bradbury writes: "Cram [people] full of noncombustible data, chock them so damed full of 'facts' that they feel stuffed, but absolutely 'brilliant' with information. Then they'll feel they're thinking, they'll get a sense of motion without thinking."
On a world without books: "We seemingly have everything we need to be happy, but we aren't happy. Something's missing. I looked around. The only thing I positively knew was gone was the books I burned."
And on the failure of a media-driven society (even though the quote out of context really doesn't seem like it's about that): "You can't make people listen. They have to come 'round in their own time, wondering what happened and why the world blew up under them."
Not only was the story itself intriguing, I found Bradbury's writing style to be a treat to read. Typically, I'm not a fan of the "overly descriptive" technique, but Bradbury uses it to great effect here, depicting a desolate future driven solely by "new media" while the "classic media" of books gets brushed aside by "showiness."
Really, really liked this one.
The tale of a future where books are burned and life, in turn, seems very robotic, was filled with several lines that really seemed to hit home to me.
Describing what could easily be our society now, Bradbury writes: "Cram [people] full of noncombustible data, chock them so damed full of 'facts' that they feel stuffed, but absolutely 'brilliant' with information. Then they'll feel they're thinking, they'll get a sense of motion without thinking."
On a world without books: "We seemingly have everything we need to be happy, but we aren't happy. Something's missing. I looked around. The only thing I positively knew was gone was the books I burned."
And on the failure of a media-driven society (even though the quote out of context really doesn't seem like it's about that): "You can't make people listen. They have to come 'round in their own time, wondering what happened and why the world blew up under them."
Not only was the story itself intriguing, I found Bradbury's writing style to be a treat to read. Typically, I'm not a fan of the "overly descriptive" technique, but Bradbury uses it to great effect here, depicting a desolate future driven solely by "new media" while the "classic media" of books gets brushed aside by "showiness."
Really, really liked this one.
Get really nostalgic about thinking about this book.
ReplyDeleteI remember this book as a painful experience. but that's all I remember
ReplyDeleteInteresting...two very different opinions in these comments.
ReplyDeleteJustin, I don't know if you'll read this, but why nostalgic? Just reminds you of high school?
And, Anonymous, I wonder why you thought it painful (although I'm not sure you'll remember apparently)? I breezed through this one and found it quite enjoyable (obviously).
Well, nostalgic for my ninth grade english class, but it in itself too. The robodog, Faber, Montag, the huge explosion at the end(i think i remember it being described as a phoenix)
ReplyDeleteI basically only have good memories attached to the book.