FelixSH
(He/Him)
I'll watch a play based on the book in a month, so I thought this might be a good opportunity to give it another read.
My thoughts are a combination of reading it now and whatever is left of my other reads from years ago, plus articles and interviews that I read last year about Bradbury and the book. So I might be totally off base, this is more puking out thoughts then a professional criticism. This also means I might throw out some strong ideas or things that seem like criticism, without intending to.
Input is very welcome.
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The book is weird (not in a bad way, just weird). I'm only a few pages in, but the writing style gives it a dreamlike feel from the get-go. I can't put my finger down, but it feels already emotionally detached. Which shouldn't be too surprising, considering that this is part of being third-person, but it feels even more detached than most other books.
Clarisse is weird. I mean, she is supposed to be, but she doesn't seem like a typical person even by regular standards. She talks with a fireman, someone who Montag and she acknowledge as a scary person, without any need to. Well, she is a new neighbour, so it wouldn't be too strange to introduce yourself, but talking about how your uncle got arrested twice just seems careless. Dunno, something about her brought immediately the idea of the "Manic Pixie Dreamgirl" to mind. It seems pretty like she is how Bradbury imagines his perfect girlfriend. Not afraid of standing up for her ideals, going against the new ideas of society without a care, doing things old fashioned, loves books.
I understand that the state is getting more fascist all the time, and the book shows a point in the middle of the process. And I can sort of see that slow driving gets actually criminalized (going too slow is probably a problem today too, if you are hindering other cars), but criminalizing walking struck me as bizarre. I guess it's supposed to be a punishment, so people don't even have time for thinking. But it also seems more like we are dealing here with Bradburys personal fear.
I know, this book is supposed to be one of the big dystopias, but it feels even more focused on Bradburys personal fears than 1984 and Brave New World. This is probably not fair to say, dystopias are always about the fears of the authors, but the other two books feels more objective, I guess? I feel like Orwell or Huxley would have also talked about other forms of art that are getting lost. Bradbury talks just about books. Bradbury doesn't show too much of the state, except for some stuff about things he likes are have gotten criminalized. I feel like he focuses more on the interpersonal and less on worldbuilding.
But maybe I remember this wrong, as I said, this is more about whatever comes to mind. Just reading a bit brought on so much thoughts, and I needed to put it somewhere to people who at least might have read the book.
Anyway, the part that I already read (and my memory of the rest) reads like the wish of a conservative* person to stop time. The book very soon talks about how everything goes too fast these days, and that it is actually forbidden to go too slow and think about things.
I think I finally ran out of random thoughts. More when I have read a bit more, and maybe actually know what I am talking about here.
*Not meant as a criticism.
My thoughts are a combination of reading it now and whatever is left of my other reads from years ago, plus articles and interviews that I read last year about Bradbury and the book. So I might be totally off base, this is more puking out thoughts then a professional criticism. This also means I might throw out some strong ideas or things that seem like criticism, without intending to.
Input is very welcome.
------------------
The book is weird (not in a bad way, just weird). I'm only a few pages in, but the writing style gives it a dreamlike feel from the get-go. I can't put my finger down, but it feels already emotionally detached. Which shouldn't be too surprising, considering that this is part of being third-person, but it feels even more detached than most other books.
Clarisse is weird. I mean, she is supposed to be, but she doesn't seem like a typical person even by regular standards. She talks with a fireman, someone who Montag and she acknowledge as a scary person, without any need to. Well, she is a new neighbour, so it wouldn't be too strange to introduce yourself, but talking about how your uncle got arrested twice just seems careless. Dunno, something about her brought immediately the idea of the "Manic Pixie Dreamgirl" to mind. It seems pretty like she is how Bradbury imagines his perfect girlfriend. Not afraid of standing up for her ideals, going against the new ideas of society without a care, doing things old fashioned, loves books.
I understand that the state is getting more fascist all the time, and the book shows a point in the middle of the process. And I can sort of see that slow driving gets actually criminalized (going too slow is probably a problem today too, if you are hindering other cars), but criminalizing walking struck me as bizarre. I guess it's supposed to be a punishment, so people don't even have time for thinking. But it also seems more like we are dealing here with Bradburys personal fear.
I know, this book is supposed to be one of the big dystopias, but it feels even more focused on Bradburys personal fears than 1984 and Brave New World. This is probably not fair to say, dystopias are always about the fears of the authors, but the other two books feels more objective, I guess? I feel like Orwell or Huxley would have also talked about other forms of art that are getting lost. Bradbury talks just about books. Bradbury doesn't show too much of the state, except for some stuff about things he likes are have gotten criminalized. I feel like he focuses more on the interpersonal and less on worldbuilding.
But maybe I remember this wrong, as I said, this is more about whatever comes to mind. Just reading a bit brought on so much thoughts, and I needed to put it somewhere to people who at least might have read the book.
Anyway, the part that I already read (and my memory of the rest) reads like the wish of a conservative* person to stop time. The book very soon talks about how everything goes too fast these days, and that it is actually forbidden to go too slow and think about things.
I think I finally ran out of random thoughts. More when I have read a bit more, and maybe actually know what I am talking about here.
*Not meant as a criticism.
