Today, every person has unlimited access to all literary works. Despite this, in recent years, interest in reading has begun to fade away, and now very few people are interested in the novelties of the literary world. To restore interest in books, their electronic format was first created, and then audio books, which are the most popular among young people.
In schools, information is still presented on paper, but every day more and more modern educational institutions are switching to learning on electronic media, all textbooks, extra-curricular literature and other books needed for study are stored on tablets or laptops. Do not you think that the history of the development of modern society more and more resembles the plot of the book "451 degrees Fahrenheit"? If you do not know what it is about, then read the article and you will understand everything.
Dystopia in modern times
In the modern world, the dystopian genre is gaining popularity among writers and readers. This genre reflects the events of an unfavorable and wretched future. In most cases, writers are presented with a story taking place in a post-apocalyptic world. The American writer Ray Bradbury ("451 degrees Fahrenheit") leads the anti-utopians, according to critics and readers, and this opinion is difficult to contradict.
Dystopian
Ray Bradbury is recognized as the most recognized and beloved dystopian writer. Almost all of his work is based on the ideas of the most terrible and disgusting future. He wrote about 700 stories in this genre. His works are small in volume, but all of them are worthy of attention.
Even in childhood, the dream of becoming a writer did not leave him. At 12, he decided to create his creation. After some time, Ray burned all his works, since he did not like them. It was at that moment that the idea of a new novel came to him, later called “451 degrees Fahrenheit”. Where did this name come from? It is at a temperature of 451 degrees that the paper begins to ignite.
Book Summary
The scene is the United States of America, where totalitarianism reigns. The lives of people, their actions and deeds are under the full control of the government. The main character, Montag is a firefighter. But in this world the fire is not extinguished, they burn all the books that can only be found. Literary works are strictly prohibited.
At first, the main character does his job properly - he goes to calls, burns books (and sometimes entire buildings with them), and then returns home. So it lasts until meeting with a girl Clarissa, who completely turns the world of a fireman and makes him look at life from a different angle.
Clarissa received little attention in the book, but she, having met him only a few times and having said a few words, was able to become a key character. This girl was very different from the rest of the population: she did not watch television programs, did not dissolve gossip, and did not spend her time on meaningless activities. She was one of those who dared to read books and enjoy the world around her.
After meeting her, Montag begins to think about his life, about the future and why books are being burned. After some time, he contacts Professor Faber, who dreamed of a revival of printing, which supplies him with literature. Later, Montag's wife finds a book in his things and reports to the authorities. The house is burned, and the firefighter takes to flight.
It is worth saying a few words about the wife of the protagonist. She spends all day looking at the walls, which are huge televisions. Three of four walls are occupied by them, but she plans to occupy the last, fourth wall in the near future with a new TV. She watches mostly melodramas, and it sometimes lasts for days on end. I must say that the first time Montague tried to persuade his wife to his side, tried to tell her about the leaves or nature, but his attempts did not bring any result.
He escapes from the city, adjoins a group of outcasts who love books, they transfer the content of famous works to each other, not allowing them to be forgotten. The future fate of Montag is unknown, since at this point the plot of the work ends. However, we can see what happened to the city in which he lived. Apart from the ruins, there was nothing left.
This is what the summary of 451 degrees Fahrenheit looks like.
General attitude to the book
The work can not be attributed to entertainment literature, it is more likely to make you think about life than to amuse. The novel "451 degrees Fahrenheit" was enthusiastically received by both critics and readers. The last book was to their liking, almost all the readers' reviews about the book “451 degrees Fahrenheit” are positive, the average rating put by the same readers varies from 9 to 10 on a 10-point scale. For many, the book has become a favorite. This can be understood from the reviews of "451 degrees Fahrenheit." But in any situation, the opinion of critics is still the key.
However, the novel was able to hit even the most picky and sophisticated of them, and their reviews of the book 451 degrees Fahrenheit are also mostly positive. In the world of literature there are not many works that make you feel so strong emotions and arouse such deep and important thoughts in people's heads, as did the book of Ray Bradbury. Although the author has written and published other books, reviews of “451 degrees Fahrenheit” are more enthusiastic than his other works. However, other anti-utopian works were also appreciated by readers and critics.
Reader Feedback on 451 Degrees Fahrenheit
In many reviews, you can see that readers consider the book one of the possible options for the development of the future. What happens if, instead of reading, people are busy endlessly watching stupid TV shows or videos? But you can still tolerate the fact that residents will not read books because of reluctance, but what happens if literary works are banned? Ultimately, people will turn from a higher being on this planet into a degrading and dulling crowd that will not notice the beauty of nature, the joys of life, or even each other.
Also, in many reviews, readers regret not only the lost society, but also the books. In most cases, they are not sorry for the injured and dead people, burnt books cause more emotions and sympathy. After all, they are symbols of knowledge, the wisdom of generations. Today, people themselves refuse to read books and prefer watching meaningless videos or television programs. Wasn't this how it all began in Montag's world? It is precisely such people, with imposed stereotypes and cluttered minds, that are discussed in the novel "451 degrees Fahrenheit."
Why are book reviews so popular on the Internet? Probably because after reading this work it is very difficult to restrain thoughts and emotions within you, I want to share them with other people and find out what they think about this book. Perhaps part of the readers, thanks to numerous reviews, learned for the first time about this beautiful work.
Critical Reviews for "451 Degrees Fahrenheit"
Many critics agree that Bradbury’s novel is one of the best in the dystopian genre. They believe that the plot is interesting and thought out, this work has its own special atmosphere. It is said that Bradbury was able not only to describe the lifestyle of modern people, but also to show the world of the future, to reveal to him its secrets and secrets. The author of the book describes and predicts the future towards which a person is moving so rapidly. On the way to comfort, one should not forget what all this led to in Bradbury’s novel.
Reviews from popular critics say the book is written specifically about modern humanity. The work will not only give answers to many questions, but also make you think about the future, about relationships and about your lifestyle in general. What do we spend our time on? Someone spends it on stupid and meaningless entertainments, someone tries to realize the meaning of life and develops. People of the second type are becoming less and less, more and more representatives of society are focused on the fulfillment of only their desires. People change, they only care about themselves, and to fulfill their desires, they lie and betray not only others, but also themselves, their values.
Reviews on the main characters of Bradbury "451 degrees Fahrenheit"
Most of the positive reviews have been written about Clarissa and Faber. These people cause more sympathy than other residents of the city. Readers want to get to know this smart and beautiful girl in all senses, who died so stupidly. People are interested in getting to know Faberei, a man of old age who has not given up and is able to dream of typography that will never be reborn.
Positive and warm emotions are also felt for the main character, Montague, with whom the reader experiences all the events that take place. When Montag first begins to read a book, meets and talks with Clarissa or Faber, flees the city and is forced to hide from the soulless mechanical dogs lurking in death, when he first meets People, and not embittered, busy with his useless and unnecessary anyone deeds and the crowd stupid from the endless degradation of television. All these events cannot leave anyone indifferent.
Adaptations of the novel
The book shocked humanity so much that it was decided to film the novel. The premiere took place in 1966, it was a color film. However, in the plot there were moments different from the book. For example, Clarissa in the film survives and runs away from the city with Montag, and Professor Faber, who played a huge role in Montag's life in the book, almost does not appear in the film adaptation.
However, both critics and viewers were pleased with the film. Bradbury himself was pleased with the film adaptation, noting that it turned out to be very successful. In the near future, it is planned to release a new film adaptation of the same novel, the preliminary date for the premiere is July 30, 2018.
Total
The book, of course, leaves a lasting impression, makes you think and rethink what is happening. A large number of people read it, but, of course, not all. It is hoped that many more will read the book, understand and draw some conclusions for themselves, maybe even leave positive ratings and reviews about Ray Bradbury's “451 degrees Fahrenheit,” which will subsequently force someone else to read this book. We must hope that the world will see many more great and worthy works.