1. Ray Bradbury and Fahrenheit 451
By Sean Foley

2. Ray Bradbury

3. Ray Bradbury: Early Life
Born in 1920 in Waukegan, Illinois
Moved to Los Angeles at age 13
Self taught: never went to college
Went to the library everyday after school
Ray Bradbury: Early Life

4. Start of Career Started writing at age 13, emulating Edgar Allen Poe
First writing appeared in Mademoiselle
First novel: The Martian Chronicles
Married Marguerite McClure and had four daughters
Start of Career

5. Science Fiction Moralists Realm of possible
Symbolic way to write of our huge problems
Fiction of ideas
Science Fiction

6. Fahrenheit 451

7. General Info Written in 1954 Second novel by Ray Bradbury
Written on public typewriter in UCLA library
Later turned into a film by Francois Truffaut in 1966
General Info

8. Ray’s Influences McCarthy Era Attack on “thought-destroying” force
Comment on defiance of literature for new technologies
Technology causing alienation
Ray’s Influences

9. “If it could happen in Alexandria, if it could happen in Berlin, maybe it could happen somewhere up ahead, and my heroes would be killed.”
Hitler
Alexandria
Educators in danger
Destruction of knowledge
Book Burning

10. Dystopia Opposite of Utopia
Often characterized by dehumanization, totalitarian governments, etc.
Thought crime
Dystopia

11. Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Del Rey Books, 1953. Print
Eller, Jonathan R. Becoming Ray Bradbury. USA: Library of Congress, Print
Aggelis, Steven L. Conversations with Ray Bradbury. USA: University Press of Mississippi, Print
Bradbury, Ray. “An Interview with Ray Bradbury”. Web. 12 March 2013.
Bradbury, Ray. “The Art of Fiction No. 203”. Weller, Sam. The Paris Review.Web. 12 March 2013.
Sources