Here's my talk's outline (with page numbers keyed to the 50th Anniversary Edition):
I. Where It Comes From
- A. History: Fascism, McCarthyism, The Great Depression (132, 150-154), the Bomb (158-162)
- B. Literature: Dystopias, American Pastoralism (140-145, 157), World Literature (150-153), The Martian Chronicles (Grand Master Edition 31, 108, 180)
II. How It Is Relevant Today
- A. Postmodernism and New Media: Entertainment (81-82, 84, 87), Information (61), Knowledge (105-108), Wisdom (75, 82-86, 163-165)
- B. Democracy and Capitalism: Mass Culture (54-55, 89, 108), Diversity (57-60), War (73-74, 87, 158-162)
Here are some suggestions for further reading. First, a few novels:
- Samuel R. Delany, The Einstein Intersection (1967)
- William Gibson, Neuromancer (1984)
- Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale (1985)
- Leslie Marmon Silko, Almanac of the Dead (1991)
- Octavia Butler, Parable of the Sower (1993)
Then, a few links:
- Paul Brians from Washington State University on Bradbury and the dystopian tradition;
- Amy E. Boyle Johnston in LA Weekly on misinterpretations of Fahrenheit 451;
- Cory Doctorow responds to Bradbury's comments on winning the Pulitzer, as reported by Johnston;
- Anthony Lappe reports on a tough question he asked Bradbury at a recent Comic-Con;
- Bradbury biographer Sam Weller weighs in on the controversy;
- Robert Blechman looks at Bradbury's statements from another angle;
- Karen Stearns explains why she and a colleague at SUNY Cortland organized their Big Read event around Fahrenheit 451;
- My colleague Chris Taverna is planning to blog Fahrenheit 451, at least when his newborn allows him to [Update: like today!];
- And of course check out The Big Read Blog.
5 comments:
My community did this! It was way interesting to see what people came up to do with students and community members.
Good luck!
Thanks, B!
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