I'm writing this to say how much Mr. Bradbury has influenced my life through your works. Your books introduced me to thoughts and ideas that i would've never uncovered otherwise. You create an awareness of life in your audience that no other could ever accomplish. His works have changed the way i look at life each and everyday i wake up. You have given me the opportunity to realize how special our lives are but also how fragile we can be. Your works transcend generations and will continue to educate and illuminate people for years to come. You are without a doubt one of the greatest influences i have had in my life as i have transformed into the person i have become today and his works continue to enlighten and challenge me everyday. I thank you Mr. Bradbury for what you have done for me and so many others. You cannot imagine the influence you have had on the people lucky enough to have been introduced to your works and i wish you the best and hope to hear many more works for years to come.

I sure can relate to 'the illustrated man's' posting there.

'The 13th Day of Christmas...' dedicated to Ray.

I think that with the making of the Lord of the Rings trilogy of films Tolkien lost the title of the 'least-appreciated literary figure in modern English' and perhaps Stan Lee has taken over, by and large because comic books are yet to be seen a 'legitimate' literature which is, of course, a horribly disgusting snobbish attitude. English is unique in that, like it states in the BBC documentary "The Story of English", English has it's base wide and low to the ground. In other words, it's a language of the people and is far more organic than most languages today and recent history. English lit should be viewed the same way.

My point is, Stan Lee is the least appreciated literary figure in the English language, with Ray Bradbury a close second.

Well, I like to think that I am the least appreciated literary figure of our day, but I guess I have to actually HAVE a literary work in order to be a literary figure . . .

I agree with the original post here. Reading F451 in 9th grade changed my life and opened me up to an interest in and passion for a world of ideas. This has completely molded my life.

I am also a huge fan of Stan Lee. His ability to turn comic books into literary works was/is amazing. Spiderman was morally ambiguous, conflicted, interesting, powerful yet vulnerable, witty, etc. Stan Lee created characters who were complex and stories that were thought provoking. Spiderman, Thor, Dr. Strange, Silver Surfer, etc . . . these are characters that got me ready for the complexity of "real" literature, philosophy, theology, and poetry. Stan Lee was my preparation for a life immersed in ideas, story, and mythology.

About the creation of Spider-man, Steve Ditko is often credited along with Stan Lee on this one. Stan Lee kept legal rights to the creation of Spider-man, whilst Steve Ditko sold his rights or something along the lines not long after Spider-man was created. You'll notice in the Spider-man movies that both names are depicted on screen as creators.

I'm sure you're right, Nard. Didn't Steve Ditko do the original art on the Spiderman series?

Stan Lee...
A great man with a vivid imagination. What in the heck is he doing with that 'So You Want to be a Superhero' stuff on TV.
IMHO it's a real sell-out for him, a comedown.

The significance of the stories in The Illustrated Man are the moral turmoils held within. In The Veldt, Bradbury reveals the rarely used theme of perenticide in a surrealistic nursery. Is it a truism that children, when left to their own devices are the worst conspirators to murder? It’s very Goldingish before ‘flies’ was penned.
Secondly, in Kalidoscope, death, when it is sure to come, persuades moral character to reveal itself. The characters recycle through emotions, actions, and hypocracies that have defined them up until the moment of impact. Can characters change who they are? Does the meteor cloud change Applegate, or is his definition too ingrained? The answer, I think, is that man is defined by the sum of his actions, and Applegate’s heroic murder validates him to ‘go out in style!”
Thirdly, The Illustrated Man, is a prime candidate to teach students via the auditory intelligence. Bradbury 13's are timeless radiodramas, that create mental pictures for students still learning to love reading. Thanks to Mr. Bradbury and 13's producers.
JMcDonald

Kaleidoscope is one of my all time favorite stories. To me it is stating lifes brevity, fragility, horror, and beauty. I loved the ending where the kid is walking down a country road with his mother and sees the meteor flash. How wonderfully tragic or tragically wonderful, take your pick. Help, Braling II. Stars too die, only to contribute to rebirth.

Kaleidoscope is one of my favorite stories, also; for the reasons cited above. It one of the stories that turned me on to the power of story, the fragility (and importance) of life, and the power or words and ideas. The Pedestrian is another of my very favorites.