1. Introduction toFahrenheit 451

2. Ray Bradburys Life
Ray Bradbury
Born in 1920: wrote during 40s-50s-60s

3. Ray Bradburys Life
Died last year

4. At age 12 wrote sequels to science fiction storiesfor fun
-Story:
Flash Gordon

5. At age 15,:
submits stories to Saturday Evening Post
Rockwell also published here (well see him later)

6. During WWII
Writes advertising
for the Red Cross

7. Bradbury paid
-$0.10 per page to write F451
Thus literally a dime novel

8. SCIENCE FICTION

9. Based on real science but
Has imaginary/made up elements

10. Usually set in the future

11. Often has non-human characters
Robots, aliens, creatures

12. SCIENCE FICTION
CONTINUED

13. Asks the question: What if?

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

15. Fahrenheit 451 the novel

16. Science fiction novel with MANY themes.
Fahrenheit 451 - the novel

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

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

19. 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

20. HOW DOES HISTORY AFFECT THE MESSAGE?

21. When the novel was written
Hitler just defeated,
He burned books during the war

22. Soviet Union also banned and burned books

23. 1949: Communist China comes to power
They also burned books

24. In 1945, there were probably fewer than 10,000 TVsets in the country.

25. By 1950:
6 million

26. About
60 million
by 1960

27. It was the newest technology

28. Sound familiar?
SCREENAGERS

29. THIS BOOK HAS MULTIPLE
MOTIFS

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

31. There is also the motif ofTIME

32. THE NEXT SLIDE IS ART DONE BY NORMAN ROCKWELL AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME BRADBURY WAS WRITING F451. WHAT PATTERNS DO YOU SEE?