RAY DOUGLAS BRADBURY
22 August 1920-
shuyang li
the "BIG IDEA"
Ray Bradbury is not simply a literary genius in the realm of
craftsmanship - rather, he is first and foremost a passionate critic
of American Society, unafraid to scrutinize the most ingrained
portions of American ideals.
Discussion Question I
You heard Ray Bradbury state in the interview that the only “realistic”
science fiction novel he has written is Fahrenheit 451, that parts of it
are happening today. How do you think this connects with the direction
that society is moving - is it beneficial?
Discussion Question II
Television is one facet of modern society that Bradbury despises, a fact
that he makes clear in his work. How important is mass media today,
and how important do you think it was in society during the 1950s? In
connection, how relevant do you think Bradbury’s social criticism is in
the modern era?
Discussion Question III
Read the quotes below. What themes can you link to
these quotes? Do you think Bradbury meant to convey
these messages as his core idea?
“The bigger your market, Montag, the less you handle controversy,
remember that! All the minor minor minorities with their navels to
be kept clean” (Fahrenheit 451 57)
“We must all be alike. Not everyone born free and equal, as the
Constitution says, but everyone made equal. Each man the image of
every other; then all are happy, for there are no mountains to
make them cower, to judge themselves against” (Fahrenheit 451 58)
Brief Biography
1920 - born to Ester and Leonard Bradbury
1926 - watches Phantom of the Opera, smitten with theatre
1934 - moves to Los Angeles
1938 - graduates from Los Angeles High School
1941 - first short story to be published, The Pendulum
1946 - meets future wife, Marguerite McClure
1950 - finishes organizing The Martian Chronicles
1953 - finishes writing Fahrenheit 451
1976 - consulted by Disney for EPCOT (Bicentennial)
“We must all be alike. Not everyone born free and equal, as
the Constitution says, but everyone made equal. Each man
the image of every other; then all are happy, for there are
no mountains to make them cower, to judge themselves
against” (Fahrenheit 451 58)
Theses
A: Bradbury peered deep into the darkest reaches of the American psyche and
emerged enlightened, wielding a rich, provocative, distinctive literary voice born
from his haunting life experiences to educate American society about itself-- and
in the process turn humanity’s sight to its future.
B: With his vast repertoire of literary works still read, analyzed, and considered
relevant today, Ray Bradbury's unique and fantastic literary styles and themes
makes him a mastery of literature whose work should be regarded as truly classic
and worthy of inclusion in the American literary canon.
“Nobody knows anyone. Strangers come and violate you.
Strangers come and cut your heart out. Strangers come
and take your blood. Good God, who were those men? I
never saw them before in my life” (Fahrenheit 451 16)
“I don’t think it’s social to get a bunch of
people together and then not let them talk, do
you? An hour of TV class, an hour of
basketball...we never ask questions, or at
least most don’t; they just run the answers at
you, bing, bing, bing, and us sitting there
for four more hours of film teacher. That’s
not social to me at all” (Bradbury 29)
A Critical Viewpoint
“No one communicates with anyone else on any but the most
superficial level because the senses are completely inundated
by constant sound and music blaring from vast TV-walls and
transistor radios” (Hamblen 819)
“the images drained away, as if the water had
been let from a gigantic crystal bowl of
hysterical fish...The three women fidgeted and
looked nervously at the empty mud-colored
walls” (Fahrenheit 451 94)
A Critical Viewpoint
“the mass media must keep watering down the
intellectual level of its material...Bradbury
takes this problem to an extreme to show the
potential effects of such a course on our
culture” (Sisario 201)
Why Bradbury?
Bradbury and HAL
Should Bradbury be taught in Honors American Literature?
Yes...and No.
-fin-