philnic, I respect his cinematic style, but he just randomly intoduces characters, and tells you nothing about them. For example, Mildred's friends, who's names all escape me. They come, and Montag upsets them, there is barley enough time to learn their names, let alone anythingabout them. For most of the book Mr. Bradbury only has montag talk to Clarisse, who only constantly talks about what her uncle taught her. I waited on baited breath to meet this mysterious uncle, and then Clarisse is dead. The worst part of this is that the family is also gone instantly. This may be because Mr. Bradbury wanted to make it seem as though they were being prosecuted, perhaps killed, for their beliefs, but he could of had Montag at the very least, interact with the family a ery few sentences to further the plot.
I GO HARD

@philnic
I am going to have to disagree with you philnic. Ray does not write in a movie style. I believe he writes in a mystery type of style or a You piece it together type of style.Screenwriters do have you fill in some of the blanks yourselves but all the answers are usually in the movie. Ray gives you no answers in his books. He is a Respectable writer but i am not a fan of his work. He isn't alluring to younger readers at all i think. I can respect his views and his books but I can't say i like them.
#realtalk

quote:

Originally posted by A Pink Orange:
@philnic
I am going to have to disagree with you philnic. Ray does not write in a movie style.

Ray himself has said that his characters develop in his mind upon waking and then tell him their stories, just like a movie. He writes down what he sees in this movie. The fact is he in one of the most cinematic-styled writers working!

quote:

Originally posted by A Pink Orange:
...Ray gives you no answers in his books...

Can you give me an example of something that Ray doesn't answer?

On the matter of cinematic/screenwriting style, screenwriters describe events which we will see on the screen. They generally don't tell us a characters background, except by using specific techniques such as flashbacks.

A novelist may (1) describe a character when he first appears, then (2) tell us the character's life story, and then (3) describe what the character does in a scene.

A screenwriter can do (1) and (3), but can't do (2) (except by using a flashback or other specific technique).

So when I said Ray was cinematic, I meant that in his novels and short stories he writes like a screenwriter (much of the time).

@philnic
I don't think Ray explains much about Guy or clarisse. He never really explained how the world in F451 became the way it did. I don't know maybe i missed something. Please fill me in on anything i missed.
#realtalk

Dear, Limegreen & flower03
I totally agree with both of you! Ray's book were pretty confusing and hard to follow. I did not care much for the book as i am into more of the guessing book's and Ray's book's focus on the future. Why would someone put there time into thinking about the future, when really nobody knows what is held for us in the later generation? I'm not really saying they were bad book's just the book's are confusing and hard to follow.

quote:

Originally posted by A Pink Orange:
...He never really explained how the world in F451 became the way it did...

You're right, he doesn't really explain this. I think the closest he gets is when he has Beatty explain how book burning came about.

My own view is that Bradbury's non-explanation of the world of F451 is linked to the fact that we experience the story through the point of view of Montag. Montag doesn't know how this world came into being. Why doesn't he know? Because there are no books to tell him about history, and because all the other media (TV in particular) don't tell him anything useful or interesting.

Montag's quest to re-connect to literature is also about his attempt to re-connect to history.

Isn't there a line where Montag can't remember how he met his wife? All the clues are there in the novel:

The authorities have removed books...
People have no way of knowing about the past...
People have a shallow understanding of the present...
People isolate themselves from each other...
...all of which leads to a subdued populace who are so easy to manipulate

@schoolkid and others: You have reminded me that I first read a Ray Bradbury book when I too was a 15-year-old high school sophomore - way back in the "ancient" year of 1960!

Though my teacher had assigned Fahrenheit 451, and though I was a straight A student in English, I resisted the assigned reading (sorry English teachers on the board) and decided to read Dandelion Wine instead. I was not yet interested in either science fiction or fantasy but had been reading Hemingway, Faulkner and Steinbeck in those days, trying, not very successfully, to understand what life was like for characters such as the ones they had written about.

I had never heard of this Bradbury guy before but suburban kid that I was, ex-Cub Scout, Boy Scout and lover of the outdoors, I thought that Bradbury had nailed the life experience of youth - at least the kind of youth I'd had in my hometown.

I never forgot his book but it was another 15 or 16 years before I read anything else he had written - and that by chance, but that second chance hooked me on Bradbury. I was out jogging early one morning when I came upon a paperback book of Ray's short stories laying on the ground. I picked it up, saw there was no name on it and no one else in sight, so I stuck it in my back pocket and read it later. This will be too long of a post if I go into detail, but I'll summarize by saying that I found magic in his stories and had so many synchronistic (serendipitous, coincidental) experiences while reading those stories that I felt I just had to write to Mr. Bradbury, tell him about them and thank him. I felt he would understand - and I could tell by his reply that he did.

Years later, when I myself was teaching Freshman English at American University in Cairo (Egypt) I was so moved by one of his newly published stories that I wrote to him again and we resumed our correspondence. The more you learn about Ray, the more you'll realize that he has personally encouraged 100s of people in their creativity. He befriended and wrote to many of the people who post on this board. Through his writing he has touched the lives of countless 1,000s worldwide.

When my wife and I were visiting Paris, France, during the years we worked in Egypt, once again, by "chance," I encountered Ray - this time in person, in the W. H. Smith English-language bookstore. I was so dumbfounded that all I could think of to say was "Ray?" He said "Yeah?" I stuck out my hand and said "Walt Gottesman." He said "You're supposed to be in Egypt." We talked briefly and then he left. Two days later I met him again, at a sidewalk cafe. He then invited me to join him and we sat and talked - I mostly listened, for quite a long time. I couldn't have dreamed such a scenario. Almost every time he has written to me since then, he has ended his letter with a phrase from the movie Casablanca: "We will always have Paris." Thankfully, through his books, his generosity, his wisdom, his sheer love of life, we will always have Ray Bradbury.

There is magic in his works. Read some of his short stories. Try "Any Friend of Nicholas Nickelby's Is A Friend of Mine" or any other story in I Sing the Body Electric. You just might find some of the Bradbury magic for yourself. I hope you do.

A beautiful post, Walt. Many thanks!

Walt in reading your post, you are striking the exact cords that are found at the heart of why RB means so much to so many of his fans:

"Many of us have met with, written to, or sent a special gift to Mr. Bradbury. He is a person who has never let one of his "fans" down. In all of my personal exchanges (including countless times with HS students), he always returned a very generous response - beyond anything you would imagine from a famous, superstar writer! He never had to do so, but always did!"

This from something I offered elsewhere on the board just before opening and reading your fine narration! Thanks.
f

Ray Bradbury is a good author in my opionion, no author can be perfect in ones mind when it comes to exactly what they are looking for in ideas from a person in a peice of writing. Ray Bradbury isn't my favorite author but his ideas and beilives get you to think, which is a great thing when reading a book. I have read two of Bradbury's books, F451 and The pedestrian, both of these are excellent books but what disapointed me is the lack of details he used to describe the setting, characters, and plot. The books did have some good details but I wish they had more. F451 I think didnt give good details about the story because I wanted to know what started the book burning process, who the characters were as people, and visual details about the setting, although there were a decent amount, I think the book would have been way more interesting and enjoyable with some more details. In The Pedestrain it gave alot of details about the setting and that pleased me, but readers didn't know much about the main character. I'm not completely negitive about the books and details aren't the only thing that make a good book but these books were very good even with minimal details but I still enjoyed them.

Phil, fjp: Thank you both for your good words and for helping sustain Ray's legacy, here on this board and elsewhere.


Walt Gottesman

I really enjoyed the books I read that Ray wrote. I think I am going to read more by him as well and see what else has happened that he has predicted. I believe that is the coolest aspect of his work. Also his details in explaining the setting are amazing aswell, talk about painting a picture in your mind. I have not read many books, therefore I do not know many authors, but Ray has a way that is truely unique. One of my favorite authors his Mitch Albom. Our class read a book that he wrote and then I also went and read another one of his on my own. I like how he really touches on your feelings and makes you think about life. Ray Bradbury has this same thing in his writing. They maybe two of my new favorite authors. I would like to thank my teacher for introducing them to me, they both do great work.

quote:

Originally posted by WoodMann22:
...One of my favorite authors his Mitch Albom...

Hi WoodMann22. I hadn't heard of Mitch Albom before (perhaps because I live in England, where I don't think his work is very well known). I just looked him up, and he sounds an interesting author. I will try to find some of his books!