vincentveyrat

This was my first Ray Bradbury novel. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. I have read a few of his short stories, but they seemed to be "hard" science fiction in a way that did not appeal to me. Perhaps it is because Fahrenheit 451 continues to meld closer to the culture with time, but at this stage, it hardly seems to be set in a futuristic setting at all. The central notion of the evolution of firemen from someone who fights fires to someone who sets fire to books and their covetors was captivating for me. It reminded me of something I read in law school about the evolution of the notorious horse salesman to the modern mechanic. The occupation evolved with technology and societal need. The other thing that will stay with me about the book is the interesting discourse on fire -- source of destruction ala the book burnings and Atomic weapons, but also source of light -- symbol of the resistance to the tyranny of the modern dark ages. Also a place of warmth, for comraderie, even for the preparation of nurishment. It was an interesting contrast in its destructive and constructive character. Perhaps that also serves as a metaphor for mankind in this book. Well anyway, not to wax too philosophical, but it was a fine work. There is an interesting afterword from Bradbury that is kind of a rant against minorities. He seems overly worried about self-censorship that stems from sensitivity. He seems to anticipate the worst excesses of political correctness. Fortunately, society at large seems to have moved beyond this discussion. What now seems most prophetic in Bradbury's book is the endless profusion of talking heads on television saying nothing. In Fahrenheit 451, they had managed to individualize the experience of television through some clever software. I really don't think that such an experiment is that far off. We already have some interesting experiments with interactive television.

2022-10-29 03:58