INTRODUCTION
The United States came out of World War II as the most powerful nation on earth. As soldiers began returning home and families were reuniting there was an urge to return to their previous normal lifestyle. Following the end of World War II, the Cold War began . The nuclear age began and the United States was in a fierce competition with the Soviet Union in the Arms and Space Race. The Korean Wars and Vietnam Wars during the 1950s added domestic and international chaos to the country. These conflicts lasted until 1970 and were paired with the Civil Rights movement in 1960s and later the falling of the Berlin Wall.
Due to the chaos throughout the world, literature during this time was also chaotic. Writers during this time explored the use of fictional techniques to analyze real and seemingly senseless crime. This new technique caused much controversy. In addition to this controversy, World War II undercuts the assumption of life's meaning by breaking down the meta narrative. The breakdown of the meta narrative resulted in authors writing in a state of confusion as they searched for their identity. Confusion continued as people realized that language was fundamentally flawed. Language is unable to communicate a clear meaning because people thought of different things when communicating. Therefore, relativity became a primary idea during the time period as there was no object truth because everyone's thoughts were different. Lemke's ideas about relativity is continued as society decided that meaning is only agreed upon.
Literature shifted from the idea of product to process. Authors began to focus on the process it took to achieve success. This shift caused writers to express themes of absurdity, chaos, and confusion. They used dark humor and grim fantasy to help the search for identity.
Due to the chaos throughout the world, literature during this time was also chaotic. Writers during this time explored the use of fictional techniques to analyze real and seemingly senseless crime. This new technique caused much controversy. In addition to this controversy, World War II undercuts the assumption of life's meaning by breaking down the meta narrative. The breakdown of the meta narrative resulted in authors writing in a state of confusion as they searched for their identity. Confusion continued as people realized that language was fundamentally flawed. Language is unable to communicate a clear meaning because people thought of different things when communicating. Therefore, relativity became a primary idea during the time period as there was no object truth because everyone's thoughts were different. Lemke's ideas about relativity is continued as society decided that meaning is only agreed upon.
Literature shifted from the idea of product to process. Authors began to focus on the process it took to achieve success. This shift caused writers to express themes of absurdity, chaos, and confusion. They used dark humor and grim fantasy to help the search for identity.
RAY BRADBURY
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Ray Douglas Bradbury was born August 22, 1920 in Waukegan, Illinois. Bradbury lived a happy childhood with his parents Leonard Spaulding Bradbury and Esther Moberg Bradbury. He incorporated his happy childhood times into several of his short stories and novels. As a child Bradbury loved magicians and enjoyed genres of adventure and fantasy fiction. His love for these specific genres transferred over when he began writing. At age twelve, Bradbury decided he was going to become a writer. His hope was that his fiction writing could keep his hero's alive forever.
Bradbury’s family moved to Los Angeles, California in 1934. Throughout his teenage years, he was involved in drama club and was able to befriend hollywood celebrities. His first official pay as a writer occurred during high school when one of his jokes was featured in George Burns’ Burns and Allen Show. After he graduated from high school in 1938, Bradbury couldn't afford college. Rather than attending college, he went to the libraries. Bradbury said, “I believe in libraries because most students don't have any money. When I graduated from high school, it was during the Depression, and we had no money. I couldn't go to college, so I went to the library three days a week for 10 years." Therefore, he wasn't bothered that he didn't receive a normal college education when libraries taught him everything he needed to know.
Bradbury lived during the Depression so he supported himself while he was writing by selling newspapers. He published his first story in fan magazine the year he graduated from high school. The following year, he published four issues of his own fan magazine called Futuria Fantasia. Almost every piece in the magazine was written by Bradbury, therefore he used many different techniques and styles to hide the fact that he was the only contributor.
Cadbury continued his writing career and sold his first professional piece, the story “Pendulum” in 1941. This story was published in November, a month before the United States entered World War II. Bradbury was ineligible for military service due to his bad eye sight. Therefore, Bradbury became a fulltime writer in 1943 and his first collection of short stories called Dark Carnivals, was published in 1947.
Bradbury married his wife, Marguerite "Maggie" McClure, in 1947. He met her while she was working as a clerk in a bookstore. McClure was the primary financial support to their family, which included their four daughters, as Bradbury continued his writing career on little to no pay.
Bradbury slowly became recognized when he published his first major work The Martian Chronicles in 1950. Bradbury considered it to be fantasy although audiences thought it was science fiction. He gained a larger following from the publication because televisions and comics adopted his short stories. Following three years later, Bradbury published his most well known piece, Fahrenheit 451. This became a classic for the generation of McCarthyism because of its themes of censorship and conformity. His main goal of Fahrenheit 451 is to make readers aware that television drives people away from reading.
Despite his dislike for television, Bradbury approved film advocations for his works. He wrote many screenplays and treatments including a take on Moby Dick. He developed his own HBO television series which allowed him to produce adaptations of his short stories. He wrote for several hours everyday throughout his life. His dedication to writing allowed him to publish many books, short stories, poems, essays, screenplays, and plays.
Bradbury lived a life full of writing. He was named the “ideas consulted” in the United States. He wrote well into his 80s even though he could not technically write. One of his daughters would come and write what he would say. Ray Bradbury died in Los Angeles June 5, 2012 and is remembered by his many science fiction works.
Bradbury’s family moved to Los Angeles, California in 1934. Throughout his teenage years, he was involved in drama club and was able to befriend hollywood celebrities. His first official pay as a writer occurred during high school when one of his jokes was featured in George Burns’ Burns and Allen Show. After he graduated from high school in 1938, Bradbury couldn't afford college. Rather than attending college, he went to the libraries. Bradbury said, “I believe in libraries because most students don't have any money. When I graduated from high school, it was during the Depression, and we had no money. I couldn't go to college, so I went to the library three days a week for 10 years." Therefore, he wasn't bothered that he didn't receive a normal college education when libraries taught him everything he needed to know.
Bradbury lived during the Depression so he supported himself while he was writing by selling newspapers. He published his first story in fan magazine the year he graduated from high school. The following year, he published four issues of his own fan magazine called Futuria Fantasia. Almost every piece in the magazine was written by Bradbury, therefore he used many different techniques and styles to hide the fact that he was the only contributor.
Cadbury continued his writing career and sold his first professional piece, the story “Pendulum” in 1941. This story was published in November, a month before the United States entered World War II. Bradbury was ineligible for military service due to his bad eye sight. Therefore, Bradbury became a fulltime writer in 1943 and his first collection of short stories called Dark Carnivals, was published in 1947.
Bradbury married his wife, Marguerite "Maggie" McClure, in 1947. He met her while she was working as a clerk in a bookstore. McClure was the primary financial support to their family, which included their four daughters, as Bradbury continued his writing career on little to no pay.
Bradbury slowly became recognized when he published his first major work The Martian Chronicles in 1950. Bradbury considered it to be fantasy although audiences thought it was science fiction. He gained a larger following from the publication because televisions and comics adopted his short stories. Following three years later, Bradbury published his most well known piece, Fahrenheit 451. This became a classic for the generation of McCarthyism because of its themes of censorship and conformity. His main goal of Fahrenheit 451 is to make readers aware that television drives people away from reading.
Despite his dislike for television, Bradbury approved film advocations for his works. He wrote many screenplays and treatments including a take on Moby Dick. He developed his own HBO television series which allowed him to produce adaptations of his short stories. He wrote for several hours everyday throughout his life. His dedication to writing allowed him to publish many books, short stories, poems, essays, screenplays, and plays.
Bradbury lived a life full of writing. He was named the “ideas consulted” in the United States. He wrote well into his 80s even though he could not technically write. One of his daughters would come and write what he would say. Ray Bradbury died in Los Angeles June 5, 2012 and is remembered by his many science fiction works.
KEY AUTHORS
TIMELINE
Watch a summary of Fahrenheit 451
THEMES
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During the Postmodernism Era, also known as the Contemporary period, everyone was trying to return to their normal lifestyle. The country was filled with chaos and confusion because of the search for identity. Authors during this time period wrote about the struggles society was facing. Many authors wrote about confused grotesque characters who were trying to find their identity in a chaotic atmosphere. For example, Ray Bradbury wrote about Montag, an average man trying to rediscover his identity in a distorted world where books were not allowed. Flannery O'Connor was another author during this postmodern era who used dark humor and grim fantasy to showcase American society. The grim fantasy was that daughter would be loved but ultimately she was abandoned. This struggle for identity security was a common theme throughout all Postmodern work.
"Ray Bradbury." Biography.com. A&E Networks Television, 31 July 2015. Web. 07 May 2017