Introduction to Fahrenheit

451

Ray Bradbury’s Life

Born in 1920: wrote during 40s-50s-60s

Ray Bra

dbury

Ray Bradbury’s Life

Died last year

At age 12 – wrote sequels to science fiction stories—for fun-Story: Flash Gordon

At age 15,: submits stories to Saturday Evening Post

Rockwell also published here (we’ll see him later)

During WWII Writes advertising for the Red Cross

Bradbury paid-$0.10 per page to write F451

Thus–

lite

rally

a

“dim

e” n

ovel

SCIENCE

FICTION

Based on real science but… Has imaginary/made up elements

Usually set in the future

Often has non-human charactersRobots, aliens, creatures

SCIENCE

FICTION

CONTINUED…

Asks the question: “What if?”

Takes what we know about Science and life, and extrapolates(Stretches)

Fahrenheit 451

the novel

Science fiction novel with MANY themes.

Fahrenheit 451 - the novel

Anti-utopia: DYSTOPIA (how do we make paradise)? By making it, we make: Opposite of paradise -> DYSTOPIA

SETTING of the novel: After WWII ends The atomic bomb has been dropped

Literary Terms for this novel Symbol: a concrete object that stands

for an abstract idea Setting Protagonist Antagonist Conflict Theme Plot

Point of View: 1st, 3rd limited, 3rd omniscient

HOW DOES HISTORY

AFFECT THE MESSAGE?

When the novel was written

Hitler just defeated,He burned books during the war

Soviet Union also banned and burned books

1949: Communist China comes to power

They also burned books

“In 1945, there were probably

fewer than 10,000 TV sets in the country.”

By 1950: 6 million

About 60 million by 1960

It was the newest technology

Sound familiar?

SCREENAGERS

THIS BOOK HAS

MULTIPLE MOTIFS

Communication? Religion? Nature? Active-vs-passive?

There is also the motif

of TIME

THE NEXT SLIDE IS ART DONE BY NORMAN

ROCKWELL AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME

BRADBURY WAS WRITING F451.

WHAT PATTERNS DO YOU SEE?