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Fahrenheit 451

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Fahrenheit 451, a dystopian novel published in 1953 by Ray Bradbury, depicts a future where books are banned, burned, and entertainment is limited to mindless media consumption. The story follows Guy Montag, a fireman whose job is to burn books, but he begins to question the society's anti-intellectualism and conformity. Bradbury's writing style is described as lyrical, with a deeper meaning that critiques censorship, media manipulation, and the consequences of a society devoid of critical thinking.

Characters:

The characters are primarily archetypes representing different aspects of society, with Montag being the conflicted protagonist, Clarisse as the awakening force, and Beatty as the antagonist.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is characterized by vivid imagery and poetic language, effectively conveying emotions and themes but may feel dated to some readers.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot centers around Guy Montag's transformation as he questions the oppressive society he lives in where books are burned and critical thinking is suppressed.

Setting:

The setting is a dystopian future characterized by fireproof homes and a society disengaged from critical thought and books.

Pacing:

The pacing is rapid, especially in the beginning, but some readers find the latter parts less engaging.
It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed. With the brass nozzle in his fists, with this great python spitting its venomous kerosene upon the world, the blood ...

Notes:

Fahrenheit 451 has been printed over 5 million times since its publication nearly 60 years ago.
The book was originally serialized in Playboy magazine before being published as a book.
Ray Bradbury won the 1954 Hugo Award for science fiction for Fahrenheit 451.
A major theme of the book is how society's obsession with television and entertainment leads to a decline in intellectual engagement and critical thinking.
Captain Beatty, Montag's boss, explains that the book burnings were not imposed by the government, but were a result of societal demand for censorship.
Bradbury described the process of writing Fahrenheit 451 as taking only nine days to complete.
The term 'fireman' in the book refers to individuals who burn books, contrasting with the traditional role of firefighters who extinguish fires.
The story features a character named Clarisse, who acts as a catalyst for Montag's awakening to the importance of books and independent thought.
After the release of the book, several parents and groups attempted to ban it due to its content and themes.
The book envisions a world where conversations are nearly nonexistent, and people are more interested in superficial entertainment than deep discussions.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings include themes of suicide, violence, and censorship, which may be distressing to some readers.

From The Publisher:

Nowadays firemen start fires. Fireman Guy Montag loves to rush to a fire and watch books burn up. The system was simple. Everyone understood it. Books were burning, along with the houses in which they were hidden. Then he met a seventeen-year old girl who told him of a past when people were not afraid, and a professor who told him of a future in which people could think, and Guy Montag suddenly realized what he had to do!

Ratings (787)

Incredible (118)
Loved It (258)
Liked It (234)
It Was OK (123)
Did Not Like (45)
Hated It (9)

Reader Stats (1234):

Read It (824)
Currently Reading (5)
Want To Read (294)
Did Not Finish (17)
Not Interested (94)

10 comment(s)

Hated It
1 week

writing style

 
Hated It
1 month

the idea is awesome, but the realisation is terrible, one of the worst i’ve seen. if this book was written by a good author i would have loved it.

 
Loved It
3 months

finally read it! i can call myself...well read?

(probably not, until i read moby dick, which i recently heard was homoerotic whale porn, so looking forward to that)

i have to say, i always thought i knew what this book was about:

how it's bad to burn books because books make the world go 'round, pen is mightier than the sword, etc

but bradbury is far more subtle than that

books aren't good in and of themselves, they're good because they make people think for themselves

they're good because they uphold the first amendment: you must be educated, well-read, before you can know what you're speaking about

sometimes books make us do bad stuff too, but ultimately they allow for progress towards a world where we learn from our mistakes

obligatory modern feminist criticism of old school sci fi:

-every woman in this book is fridged

-possibly contains the first ever manic pixie dream girl

however, it does pass the bechdel test!

 
Loved It
3 months

First Read :2016

First Rating :

***4.0****

Second Read:2020

Second Rating:

***4.5****

Set in a Dystopian world where Fireman sets fire rather than puts them off, our Protaonist Guy Montag is a fireman. He is happy to see things (especially books) turn in to ashes, he loves what he does. But he meets a 17 year old girl Clarisse, who opens up a new perspective about the world. And he questions the reality about his current beliefs.

“It was a pleasure to burn.”

He doesn't even care when his wife Mildred ( who watches TV shows with virtual relatives ) attempts suicide and that scares Montag. The absense of empathy towards his own wife rattles him. It dawns on him that he is not a happy man and he is living a very superficial life which rarely gives time to talk to oneself and each other.

“There must be something in books, something we can’t imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You don’t stay for nothing.”

Motag decides to see what is in the books that has made the Firemen to burn them. And he takes a book from a house, which he himself went to set fire. But he has his own satck of books which is illegal to carry. As the days pass and circumstances change where he himself becomes the victim.

“But you can't make people listen. They have to come round in their own time, wondering what happened and why the world blew up around them. It can't last.”

Ray Bradbury has written a book which is almost accurate prediction of the current world. A world where people are enslaved by the technology or gadgets and are least bothered about the world and life around them. A world where the power of quiet and self exploration has little place in it.

“Our civilization is flinging itself to pieces. Stand back from the centrifuge.”

Happy Reading!!!

 
Liked It
3 months

Interesting critique of anti-intellectualism, technology addiction, violence, hedonism, capitalism, and war, but felt a bit heavy handed and preachy at times! This is a classic dystopian novel, and the themes presented are still scarily relevant (if not even more so with reality television, smart phones, etc) today as when it was originally published! However, things move very quickly and I got the impression sometimes that Bradbury was being a little Old Man "Get off my lawn!" in his approach. I am glad I finally got around to reading this classic, though!

 
Incredible
3 months

Absolutely adored the prose. Loved the way the story unfolded. Favorite antagonist of any book.

 
Incredible
6 months

A dystopian world where books are banned which leads to a society controlled by the government. You can see parts of the book in reality nowadays. And at first I didn’t like Mildred, montags wife but my feelings changed. She would choose the “family” on tv over her own husband. It’s sad what society done to her.

 
It Was OK
9 months

Not much happens in this story. The protagonist's job is to burn books, but after a while he wonders if it's the right thing to do. The end

 
Incredible
9 months

Read for the first time in the 5th grade, was in awe. Then re read for 8th grade still struck a chrord with me. Ray Bradbury o e of my favorite authors.

 
Loved It
10 months

Brief, terse and prescient. One of my favorite novels to teach as it never becomes out-of-date and never fails to provoke engaged conversation.

 

About the Author:

Ray Douglas Bradbury (August 22, 1920 - June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. He worked in a variety of genres, including fantasy, science fiction, horror and mystery fiction. Widely known for his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 (1953), and his science fiction and horror story collections The Martian Chronicles (1950), The Illustrated Man (1951), and I Sing the Body Electric (1969), Bradbury was one of the most celebrated 20th- and 21st-century American writers. While most of his best known work is in speculative fiction, he also wrote in other genres, such as the coming-of-age novel Dandelion Wine (1957) or the fictionalized memoir Green Shadows, White Whale (1992). Recipient of numerous awards, including a 2007 Pulitzer Citation, Bradbury also wrote and consulted on screenplays and television scripts, including Moby Dick[2] and It Came from Outer Space. Many of his works were adapted to comic book, television and film formats. On his death in 2012, The New York Times called Bradbury "the writer most responsible for bringing modern science fiction into the literary mainstream"

 
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