Hi folks,

I am currently studying "V for Vendetta" (the graphic novel, not the film) and there is a reference to a Bradbury story. I am trying to work out what this might be. In the graphic novel, the character Evey says (p221):

"It's like that Ray Bradbury story you read me, with the cornfield, and each ear of corn is somebody's life..."

Can anyone help me identify what this work might be?

Many thanks,

Jerry

The story is:
~The Scythe~

About The Scythe, RB says, "It's a double metaphor. It's the automatic metaphor of knowing farmers and seeing them using the scythe on occasion, and then the obvious metaphor you saw in cartoons or war and death. Reaping harvests. I must have seen a cartoon and carried it to the next step."

It's in Dark Carnival (October 1947). I have the book, and it's wonderful - one of his true horror works.

That's great! Many thanks to both Nard and Doug for helping me with this. I'm keen to track the book down now.

Thanks again,

Jerry

quote:

Originally posted by Jerry:
I'm keen to track the book down now.

Good luck! They're very rare and almost prohibitively expensive (if you're lucky enough to find one), I believe you couldn't touch one for less than 800$, if that!

It's been published in "The October Country" and "The Stories of Ray Bradbury" as well as "Dark Carnival."

Oh, yes - there have been several reprintings. Of course, The October Country was Ray's "improved" version of Dark Carnival, and almost mirrors it, so that book will do if you can't locate "DC".

I'm confused--In "The Scythe" it is a wheat field, not a cornfield. So is "V for Vendetta" misquoting Ray's story, or was Jerry misquoting the novel? (Have not read the novel myself.)

Although it has been many years since I have read "The Scythe" I believe that it is a wheat field in that you would use a scythe to cut wheat. Corn stalks have to be attacked by a machete or other large knife. In corn rows you would not have the space to swing a scythe properly to cut the stalks. I say this in that I have done both, although it was cutting weeds with a scythe, not wheat.

In close quarters of corn rows, a machete is really the only way to cut corn stalks. Today farmers use combines with a specific corn head on it.

I think the confusion is resolved when you realise that the author of V for Vendetta (Alan Moore) is British: in Britain, "corn" is used generically to refer to any kind of cereal crop, including wheat.

So Bradbury may have written "wheat", but to a Brit, wheat is a form of corn. See the Wikipedia page on corn for more details!

Thanks for clarifying that, philnic! Go, Bears!!

The scythe wasnt about a cornfield though. Its about a Wheatfield.

quote:

Originally posted by lmskipper:
Go, Bears!!

Not only that, but, Go Saints!

Actually, as a Florida Gator, I like Rex.