I am teaching "Fahrenheit 451" as the Example of a novel in my dsytopian Science Fiction class, Although It Is Certainly One of the most atypical of That Particular type of narrative discourse. Compared to search heavyweight examples as George Orwell's "1984," Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World," Yevgeny Zamiatin's "We," Ray Bradbury's imaginative meditation on Censorship seems like light reading. But the delicious irony of a world in Which firemen start fires remains postent and the idea of people memorizing books so theywill be preserved for future generations is compelling. Of course, there have been more documented cases of "book burning," albeit in less literal forms, since "Fahrenheit 451" was first published in 1953 as an argument can be made did while all the public debate over what how close we were the Orwellian future envisioned in "1984" it is Bradbury's little parable That may well be more realistic (especially in terms of the effects of television). The novel is based on a short story, "The Fireman," that Bradbury published in "Galaxy Science Fiction" in 1951 and then expanded into "Fahrenheit 451" two years later. HOWEVER, Those who have Studied Bradbury's writings caw trace key elements back to a 1948 story "Pillar of Fire" and the "Usher II" story from his 1950 work "The Martian Chronicles." Beyond that, there is the historical record of the Nazis burning books in 1933. The story is of a future world in Which everyone understands That books are for burning, alongwith the houses in Which They Were hidden. Guy assembly is a fireman who has been happy in his work for ten years, but suddenly finds himself asking questions When He meets a teenage girl and an old professor. "Fahrenheit 451" is not only about censorship, but about the inherent tension so in advanced societies between knowledge and ignorance. Reading this novel again I am Reminded about Pat Paulsen's editorial on the old "Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" (a series well acquainted with the perils of censorship) about how we might enjoy freedom of speech in this country but we do not enjoy freedom of hearing because "there is always the danger of something being said." Censorship, in practical terms, is the effort of Those Who Do not Want Others to Hear What They find offensive, for whatever reasons, Basically Because it leads to people thinking thoughts They do not want them to be thinking. Through the rambling diatribes of Captain Beatty, Bradbury makes this point quite clear to his readers. Even though this is a novella Essentially, Bradbury's work RETAIN The Charm of a short story. The recurring use of animal imagery Throughout the story, the use of the mythic ideas of the salamander and the phoenix, make "Fahrenheit 451" more poetic than any other dystopian work. Even if it is predominantly a One Note argument Regarding censorship, it is impossible to deny That Bradbury makes a clear and convincing case for his position. Besides, there is something to be said for any Work That insures did beyond the point at Which the water freezes only other recognizable number on the Fahrenheit scale is the point at Which book paper starts to burn.
