Fahrenheit 451

by SparkNotes, Ray Bradbury

In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury's classic, frightening vision of the future, firemen don't put out fires--they start them in order to burn books. Bradbury's vividly painted society holds up the appearance of happiness as the highest goal--a place where trivial information is good, and knowledge and ideas are bad. Fire Captain Beatty explains it this way, "Give the people contests they win by remembering the words to more popular songs.... Don't give them slippery stuff like philosophy or sociology to tie things up with. That way lies melancholy."

Guy Montag is a book-burning fireman undergoing a crisis of faith. His wife spends all day with her television "family," imploring Montag to work harder so that they can afford a fourth TV wall. Their dull, empty life sharply contrasts with that of his next-door neighbor Clarisse, a young girl thrilled by the ideas in books, and more interested in what she can see in the world around her than in the mindless chatter of the tube. When Clarisse disappears mysteriously, Montag is moved to make some changes, and starts hiding books in his home. Eventually, his wife turns him in, and he must answer the call to burn his secret cache of books. After fleeing to avoid arrest, Montag winds up joining an outlaw band of scholars who keep the contents of books in their heads, waiting for the time society will once again need the wisdom of literature.

Bradbury--the author of more than 500 short stories, novels, plays, and poems, including The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man--is the winner of many awards, including the Grand Master Award from the Science Fiction Writers of America. Readers ages 13 to 93 will be swept up in the harrowing suspense of Fahrenheit 451, and no doubt will join the hordes of Bradbury fans worldwide. --Neil Roseman

Genres: Classics, Reference

72 pages, Paperback

First published January 10, 2002

About the author

Many of the editions by this group of authors are actually guides to books rather than the works.

If the author of the SparkNotes is known, they should be the first author. Please leave these SparkNotes Editors as the second author and the author of the original work as the last author. Do not combine with the original work. Do not put the author of the ORIGINAL work first.

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Reviews

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I read Fahrenheit 451, there were some details I wanted to check and remember. I've never read a set of SparkNotes for any book except for occasional extracts, so figured what the heck, I'd give it a try just out of curiosity. (I bought a Kindle edition.)

It was certainly useful. The level of difficulty seems to be aimed at about a sophomore in high school (for when I was in school), although these days I suppose it's probably closer to college level.

That's ironic given that the novel it's about concerns people who have turned against reading in favor of easy entertainment such as TV.

But I plowed through the SparkNotes, found what I wanted, and concluded the book is a good refresher. I don't anticipate I'll be buying any more, but now that I know what they're like, I may have occasion to check one from the library now and then.

[Jill Taraskiewicz Lyon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great review book - helpful when you're speeding through required reading to point out the main points and significant quotes. Love SparkNotes on their website, but sometimes too distracting with ads and cute articles and such. Having it in book-form was great.

[Tim Vandenberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sparks Notes too often seem very Lacking to me. Buy Cliffs....you'll be glad you did!