hello,
i am an 11th grader doing a paper for english, it has to be 6-10 pg long. i am doing the research paper on the martian chronicles. my thesis statement is...
the martian chronicles, by Ray Bradbury, not only became a well known science fiction novel, with intence scenery and discriptivness; but also created a scence of fear and an everlasting awarness to the suroundings of people and the Earth.
i would value any help at all. even if it is just an opinion of the outlook i am taking on the paper. but the book was really good! i am now reading Fahrenheit-451. thank you again.
ElleMarie :d

Hello SheMarie,
I don't want to sound like a punk, but your thesis is not much of a thesis. I suggest you argue something better than stating that Bradbury changed the course of history - it's a pretty hard-core claim considering that, objectively speaking, he is just one of many sf writers out there who wrote about martians, fear, and the like.
Cheers,
Translator

[This message has been edited by Translator (edited 02-25-2004).]

Translator doesn't sound like a punk, but the thesis is pretty difficult in that it requires outside research into things like surveys of opinion, searches for articles that discuss the impact of MC on the mood of the nation, etc.

Can you adjust your thesis so that it looks at internal issues raised in MC? Questions of themes, etc., that can be extrapolated from the text itself or from comparative studies within the canon of Bradbury's own works?

I, and many others, would not consider Bradbury to be just another scifi writer among many. His writing style, his themes and topics, his many forays into areas outside the scifi genre, set him apart from the persons who just do hard scifi stories. Ray himself does not consider himself a scifi writer. I've read interviews where he considers F451 scifi, but not the rest of his works.


[This message has been edited by Mr. Dark (edited 02-26-2004).]

Hello Mr Dark,
despite what Ray says (I hope he doesn't mind that I address him by his first name), he is a sci-fi writer, even though he did and still does venture into non-sci-fi stuff. His main bent is the portrayal of what could have happened, or what will happen, hence he is sci-fi in nature (include science in the last sentence to make it true sc-fi). You may consider him the alpha and omega of authorship, however, globally, he is still just another writer (Not to say that I don't respect him - I wouldn't be contributing to the website if I hadn't. I also think that he's great).
Cheers,
Translator

I'm definitely a fan.

One thing to remember is that he himself defines himself as a non science fiction writer (with a few exceptions). His argument is that science fiction is the possibility of the real. His work is closer to a fantasy genre. An example is Martian Chronicles. Most would consider it science fiction, whereas Ray is clear that it is fantasy. The reason is that there is no reasonable scientific scenario presently possible that would allow man to walk around Mars without breathing apparatus. That makes it, in Bradbury's view, fantasy. Not science fiction. Allowing the author to define the terms by which he's labeled, I agree with him.

His writing -- unlike that by many other science fiction writers -- not only transcends science fiction, but is completely different. Much of his poetry is extremely religious. Dandelion Wine is pure nostalgic fiction. Something Wicked is a horror/fantasy. He's done mysteries, etc. In other words, he's not "just like another science fiction writer" in that they often stay within the genre (Azimov being an obvious and notable exception).

Bradbury also writes in a style that is atypical to the typical scifi writer. He is called the Poet of Science Fiction for a reason. Even if you broadly define the market, his writing is driven by metaphor, emotion and symbolism, not by plot quirks (although he has plenty of those!).

He is the alpha and omega of authorship FOR ME (as a subjective entity), as his writing is what turned me on to the world of ideas. I felt like I was reborn when I was introduced to his writing. So while I'm well aware of other tremendous talents -- both contemporary and past -- it was Bradbury's writing that took a rather boring/bored kid with no imagination, grabbed me by the scruff of my neck, tossed me across the universe, and transformed me into a completely different person. No other writer has done that to me.

I'm with Mr. Dark on this one. While my experience wasn't quite so intense, as a wannabe writer, I know just what it is that Ray has accomplished: a singular vision, like no other. Call it sci-fi, call it fantasy, call it nostalgia, all of it is done in the unique Ray Bradbury style. A rare accomplishment in the world of art.

Ok, I will have to agree. He does actually lean towards fantasy, and I take back my classification of him as a sci-fi writer. Yes, he also does posess a singular and very characteristic style, and yes, it does make him the "poet" of his genre(s). I would also agree that he is an inspirtaion - was for me as well - despite that, to say that he changed the course of history is an overstatement (and I don't mean the "butterfly" types of changes of which we are all a part of, but rather the historical, social changes that are brought about by wars and inventions). Notice that my origianl argument related to ElleMare, and see what her claim was. In the context of that statement, I am, I think, right; in the more specific statements about writing sytles and classifications, which statements lie outside of the boundries set up by ElleMare, I am not as right.
Cheers,
Translator

He is a literary "magician!" by his own accounts. Metaphors are at the center of each of his illusions, slights of hand, disappearing and appearing acts, and conjurings.

MC: a new world, pioneers, virgin lands (for the explorers), an ancient well-adapted culture mistreated, and a mixture of movers, shakers, and philosophers arriving at a break neck rate. Sounds like the "new world" all right. How about the expanses of the Western Territory that awaited "discovery" - even though those same lands had been inhabited for centuries before!

Here are some sites to contemplate: http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/martianchronicles/

Also: http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/space/02/25/mars.drill.ap/index.html
*Click on "Gallery: Images from Opportunity and Spirit" then view "Opportunity" "Spirit" "Close-up" files.
They really give a feeling for things that unfold in Martian Chronicles, especially the Rover's tracks on the surface and the chance to observe Martian soil up close. It is no longer a fantasy or fiction!

Mr. Bradbury did it again - 50 yrs. ago.