Yelp! answers “Did anyone else think this book was...”

A Goodreads user asked this question about Fahrenheit 451:

Did anyone else think this book was INCREDIBLY weird? It's not bad, but it's too strange to be a book I like.

Yelp! Dear Raevyn, your question and subsequent comment intrigue me and I'd like to comment on them. Saying that something is "too strange" is much like (or…moreDear Raevyn, your question and subsequent comment intrigue me and I'd like to comment on them. Saying that something is "too strange" is much like (or possible the same as) saying its "very unfamiliar" or something we are not accustomed to. My first encounter with the story of Fahrenheit 451 was at age 15 through the 1966 motion picture (which I highly recommend), and I only read the book years later. When I first saw the movie, it did indeed seem "too strange", but I couldn't get it out of my head for days. It was "too strange" to be a film I'd like, but its impact on me was both immediate and lasting - now I believe it was "too strange" NOT to be a film I'd like!

Now, I believe this change in my opinion occurred as I started noticing instances and details from Fahrenheit's plot in my own reality. Not all of them, and not always (or necessarily) disturbing, but there nonetheless.

Ultimately, the story is about an awakening (of Montag), and is meant to have an awakening impact on the reader. In lieu of that, perhaps we might say that if it was anything but "incredibly weird", it would be useless, or worse, boring.

So in a sense, I agree with you, it is incredibly weird.

Please tell me, now that it's been a year since posting your question, has your opinion changed in any way?(less)

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