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angus_murchie 's review for:
Fahrenheit 451
by Ray Bradbury
A book that needs to be thought about.
Thoroughly readable, even with the great swathes of metaphor and somewhat purple prose that I have often found incredibly off putting in the hands of inferior writers. In this case the power of the story allows many incomprehensible phrases to be ignored as the tale leaps ahead. The writing often has a poetic quality which is thoroughly absorbing and adds a certain, somewhat surprising, thrill to the reading experience.
As relevant today as it was when written 72 years ago.
More in a while….I need to ponder.
One month later….it’s interesting to compare this vision of a future with A Brave New World. In the latter people are created specifically to be happy with their allotted roles in life - and it works for everyone except the free thinking Alphas. In this case original thought and reading about other ideas are specifically banned and people are fed endless soap operas apparently aimed at each audience member. On the surface most people seem happy with that, but in practice there is an underlying deep unhappiness - so deep that even potential suicides deny ever reaching such a low ebb, apparently incapable as they are of recognising their own unhappiness with their pointless existence. In both visions of a future world drugs are necessary to keep the populace under control.
Without some sense of personal ambition, no matter how small, what is the point in living?
Thoroughly readable, even with the great swathes of metaphor and somewhat purple prose that I have often found incredibly off putting in the hands of inferior writers. In this case the power of the story allows many incomprehensible phrases to be ignored as the tale leaps ahead. The writing often has a poetic quality which is thoroughly absorbing and adds a certain, somewhat surprising, thrill to the reading experience.
As relevant today as it was when written 72 years ago.
More in a while….I need to ponder.
One month later….it’s interesting to compare this vision of a future with A Brave New World. In the latter people are created specifically to be happy with their allotted roles in life - and it works for everyone except the free thinking Alphas. In this case original thought and reading about other ideas are specifically banned and people are fed endless soap operas apparently aimed at each audience member. On the surface most people seem happy with that, but in practice there is an underlying deep unhappiness - so deep that even potential suicides deny ever reaching such a low ebb, apparently incapable as they are of recognising their own unhappiness with their pointless existence. In both visions of a future world drugs are necessary to keep the populace under control.
Without some sense of personal ambition, no matter how small, what is the point in living?