Title: Fahrenheit 451
Genre: Science Fiction
Publication Date: 1953
Number of Pages: 158
Geographical Setting: America, Midwest
Time Period: After 1990
Plot Summary: In a dystopian future in which books are outlawed, Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to burn any books that are found. He does his job without asking a question, until one fateful day. When the fireman come the occupants of the house are usually gone, having been removed by the police. This night the house with the books had an occupant: a woman who chose to be burned with her books. This event is the catalyst for a change in Montag. His whole world begins to unravel once he seeks the information that is within books.
Subject Headings: Totalitarianism - Fiction
Book burning - Fiction
Censorship - Fiction
Science Fiction Appeals
Story Line: "Story is central in [Science Fiction]. The works in this genre contain an almost overwhelming richness of concepts as well as difficult questions that unfold on multiple planes" (Wyatt & Saricks, 2019, p. 121).
The story of this book is the thing that really gripped me into reading it. The story of a man who was forced to burn books coming to understand the importance of them is a compelling narrative. The story is also a big metaphor for censorship. It works on both a literal and metaphorical level.
Frame: "The otherness of time, place, or reality is crucial to the attraction of Science Fiction" (Wyatt & Saricks, 2019, p. 122)
The time period is almost immediately alien to us. The fireman burning books is the one aspect that has aged well in this sense. The majority of the other futuristic/alien technologies that are presented just exist. The opening of a door with a hand print, room sized televisions, tailored content, mindless content, in-ear radios, etc. These were accurate predictions of the future, so they lessen the feeling of otherness from the setting.
Characterization: "Although attention is paid to characterizations at the more literary end of the genre, generally the issues, story, and frame are given greater attention than the creation of dimensional, fully realized characters" (Wyatt & Saricks, 2019, p. 124)
The characters of this book are flat and archetypical. The story more focuses on its obvious messaging rather than fleshing out any of the characters. There are hints to more depth, like the suicide scene at the beginning of the book, that do not amount to anything. That scene more or less served the purpose of showing the hopelessness of society and the lack of autonomy in this totalitarian state.
Three Terms to Describe this Book:
Thought Provoking
Prescient
Timeless
Science Fiction Read-Alikes
Mockingbird by Walter Tevis
A story that is set in a future in which reading is forbidden and robots have control over humans. The story follows two humans who teach themselves how to read.
Common Appeal: Similar themes around censorship and a general disdain for the new technology of the era. Both are dystopian/science fiction novels.
1984 by George Orwell
A story that is a cautionary tale of when the government is given to much power. The story deals with totalitarianism, thought control, and mass surveillance.
Common Appeal: They are both cautionary tales that are meant to warn the public. They are both dystopian/science fiction novels.
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
A story about a dystopian, fascist America now know as Gilead. It is set in the near future after the patriarchal, totalitarian uprising overthrew the United States Government.
Common Appeal: This is a cautionary tale meant to show what can happen if a fascist government took power. They are both dystopian/science fiction novels.
Non Fiction Read-Alikes
README.txt by Chelsea Manning
A memoir about her experience leaking documents that showed the American public the truth of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Common Appeal: This book deals with the government control of the population through the media and control of information. That is a major theme within Fahrenheit 451.
How Fascism Works by Jason Stanley
A nonfiction book explaining how fascism works and the tactics that are employed to gain power.
Common Appeal: This book shows how a fascist, totalitarian government could come to be. This is a more realistic look at the themes of fascism presented in the novel.
Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick
A book that follows six different people who escaped from North Korea. It offers us a look into one of the most oppressive societies that exists today.
Common Appeal: This book shows the lived experiences of people who lived under a totalitarian regime.
References
Wyatt, N., & Saricks, J. G. (2019). The readers' advisory guide to genre fiction (3rd ed.). ALA Editions.
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