What an amazing, amazing, amazing book. Instant top-ten book, for sure. It's a futuristic book describing a society in which books are illegal. The story follows the journey of a "fireman" whose career consists of burning illegal books.
There are two things that make this book so fantastic. First, the writing. Bradbury has a unique writing style that is brief and yet incredibly descriptive at the same time. I felt like I was getting the detail of Dickens in every profound, precise sentence. Bradbury truly understands how to manipulate the English language. Second, there is so much truth in this book. I found myself nodding in assent throughout the book as statements rang true in my mind.
Rather than attempting to review the entire masterpiece, I thought I would simply share some of my favorite quotes:
1. "Many were those whose sole knowledge of Hamlet ... was a one-page digest in a book that claimed: 'now at least you can read all the classics; keep up with your neighbors.' Do you see? Out of the nursery into the college and back to the nursery; there's your intellectual pattern for the past five centuries or more."
- Ummm...Internet Sparknotes?
2. "We must all be alike. Not everyone born free and equal, as the Constitution says, but everyone made equal. Each man the image of every other; then all are happy, for there are no mountains to make them cower, to judge themselves against."
3. "People want to be happy, isn't that right? Haven't you heard it all your life? I want to be happy, people say. Well, aren't they? Don't we keep them moving, don't we give them fun? That's all we live for, isn't it? For pleasure, for titillation? And you must admit our culture provides plenty of these."
4. "If you don't want a man unhappy politically, don't give him two sides to a question to worry him; give him one. Better yet, give him none. Let him forget there is such a thing as war."
5. "Give the people contests they win by remembering the words to more popular songs or the names of state capitals or how much corn Iowa grew last year. Cram them full of non-combustible data, chock them so damned full of 'facts' they feel stuffed, but absolutely 'brilliant' with information. Then they'll feel they're thinking, they'll get a sense of motion without moving. And they'll be happy, because facts of that sort don't change. Don't give them any slippery stuff like philosophy or sociology to tie things up with. That way lies melancholy."
There are two things that make this book so fantastic. First, the writing. Bradbury has a unique writing style that is brief and yet incredibly descriptive at the same time. I felt like I was getting the detail of Dickens in every profound, precise sentence. Bradbury truly understands how to manipulate the English language. Second, there is so much truth in this book. I found myself nodding in assent throughout the book as statements rang true in my mind.
Rather than attempting to review the entire masterpiece, I thought I would simply share some of my favorite quotes:
1. "Many were those whose sole knowledge of Hamlet ... was a one-page digest in a book that claimed: 'now at least you can read all the classics; keep up with your neighbors.' Do you see? Out of the nursery into the college and back to the nursery; there's your intellectual pattern for the past five centuries or more."
- Ummm...Internet Sparknotes?
2. "We must all be alike. Not everyone born free and equal, as the Constitution says, but everyone made equal. Each man the image of every other; then all are happy, for there are no mountains to make them cower, to judge themselves against."
3. "People want to be happy, isn't that right? Haven't you heard it all your life? I want to be happy, people say. Well, aren't they? Don't we keep them moving, don't we give them fun? That's all we live for, isn't it? For pleasure, for titillation? And you must admit our culture provides plenty of these."
4. "If you don't want a man unhappy politically, don't give him two sides to a question to worry him; give him one. Better yet, give him none. Let him forget there is such a thing as war."
5. "Give the people contests they win by remembering the words to more popular songs or the names of state capitals or how much corn Iowa grew last year. Cram them full of non-combustible data, chock them so damned full of 'facts' they feel stuffed, but absolutely 'brilliant' with information. Then they'll feel they're thinking, they'll get a sense of motion without moving. And they'll be happy, because facts of that sort don't change. Don't give them any slippery stuff like philosophy or sociology to tie things up with. That way lies melancholy."
- This quote definitely hit home for me. I watched Jeopardy every single day until I was twelve and I still try to catch it when I can. (They changed the stupid time...pff). For many years my dream job was to be the next Alex Trebek. I know an enormous amount of absolutely trivial information...that I will never ever, ever use, and yet I am remarkably proud of my knowledge. *Sigh...* I am one of those useless stuffed people.
6. "Our civilization is flinging itself to pieces. Stand back from the centrifuge."
- What profound imagery! It reminds me of Yeats' poem "The Second Coming." Look it up.
7. "Everyone must leave something in the room or left behind when he dies, my grandfather said. A child or a book or a painting or a house or a wall built or a pair of shoes made. Or a garden planted. Something your hand touched some way so your soul has somewhere to go when you die, and when people look at that tree or that flower you planted, you're there. It doesn't matter what you do, he said, so long as you change something from the way it was before you touched it into something that's like you after you take your hands away. The difference between the man who just cuts lawns and a real gardener is in the touching, he said. The lawn-cutter might just as well not have been there at all; the gardener will be there a lifetime."
- Every time I read this quote I get warm and fuzzies.
8. "Some day the load we're carrying with us may help someone. But even when we had the books on hand, a long time ago, we didn't use what we got out of them. We went right on insulting the dead. We went right on spitting in the graves of all the poor ones who died before us. We're going to meet a lot of lonely people in the next week and the next month and the next year. And when they ask us what we're doing, you can say, We're remembering. That's where we'll win out in the long run. And some day we'll remember so much that we'll build the biggest goddamn steam-shovel in history and dig the biggest grave of all time and shove war in and cover it up. Come on now, we're going to go build a mirror-factory first and put out nothing but mirrors for the next year and take a long look in them."
- And this is why we learn.
6. "Our civilization is flinging itself to pieces. Stand back from the centrifuge."
- What profound imagery! It reminds me of Yeats' poem "The Second Coming." Look it up.
7. "Everyone must leave something in the room or left behind when he dies, my grandfather said. A child or a book or a painting or a house or a wall built or a pair of shoes made. Or a garden planted. Something your hand touched some way so your soul has somewhere to go when you die, and when people look at that tree or that flower you planted, you're there. It doesn't matter what you do, he said, so long as you change something from the way it was before you touched it into something that's like you after you take your hands away. The difference between the man who just cuts lawns and a real gardener is in the touching, he said. The lawn-cutter might just as well not have been there at all; the gardener will be there a lifetime."
- Every time I read this quote I get warm and fuzzies.
8. "Some day the load we're carrying with us may help someone. But even when we had the books on hand, a long time ago, we didn't use what we got out of them. We went right on insulting the dead. We went right on spitting in the graves of all the poor ones who died before us. We're going to meet a lot of lonely people in the next week and the next month and the next year. And when they ask us what we're doing, you can say, We're remembering. That's where we'll win out in the long run. And some day we'll remember so much that we'll build the biggest goddamn steam-shovel in history and dig the biggest grave of all time and shove war in and cover it up. Come on now, we're going to go build a mirror-factory first and put out nothing but mirrors for the next year and take a long look in them."
- And this is why we learn.
Very profound review. I remember reading this when I was in high school. We are now living this book. I love the quote about everyone leaves something behind. It describes my motivation for some of the things I do. I really should read this again. Thanks for posting this.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever read 1984? I did a large book report in AP English comparing the two books. It was called "Mind Manipulation in 1984 and Fahrenheit 451". I actually (don't tell my teacher) never read Fahrenheit 451, but I've read 1984 multiple times and love it. Your review makes me want to read 451 though. Did you listen to it on CDs from the library or actually read it? I'm wondering if I would get lost if I listened (and I'm wanting to know if the library would now have it).
ReplyDeleteI've never read 1984, but it's definitely on my list. How about you read Fahrenheit 451 and I'll read 1984 and then we'll discuss them? Eh?
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I did get it on CD from the library. I really, really enjoyed it.