Coda from Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Coda from Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Coda from Fahrenheit 451 explores themes of censorship and the consequences of societal control over literature. Ray Bradbury reflects on the impact of editing and censorship on his works, emphasizing the importance of preserving the integrity of literature. This piece serves as a commentary on the ongoing struggle against the suppression of ideas and the role of minorities in shaping literary discourse. Readers interested in the implications of censorship in literature and its relevance in contemporary society will find this analysis compelling.

Key Points

  • Examines the role of censorship in literature through Bradbury's experiences
  • Highlights the impact of societal pressures on literary integrity
  • Discusses the importance of preserving original language and themes in writing
  • Reflects on the consequences of editing and the loss of artistic expression
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Coda from Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
About two years ago, a letter arrived from a solemn young Vassar lady telling me how much she enjoyed
reading my experiment in space mythology, The Martian Chronicles. But, she added, wouldn't it be a good
idea, this late in time, to rewrite the book inserting more women's characters and roles?
A few years before that I got a certain amount of mail concerning the same Martian book complaining that the
blacks in the book were Uncle Toms and why didn't I "do them over"?
Along about then came a note from a Southern white suggesting that I was prejudiced in favor of the blacks and
the entire story should be dropped.
Two weeks ago my mountain of mail delivered forth a pipsqueak mouse of a letter from a well-known
publishing house that wanted to reprint my story "The Fog Horn" in a high school reader.
In my story, I had described a lighthouse as having, late at night, an illumination coming from it that was a
"God-Light." Looking up at it from the viewpoint of any sea-creature one would have felt that one was in "the
Presence."
The editors had deleted "God-Light" and "in the Presence."
Some five years back, the editors of yet another anthology for school readers put together a volume with some
400 (count 'em) short stories in it. How do you cram 400 short stories by Twain, Irving, Poe, Maupassant and
Bierce into one book?
Simplicity itself. Skin, debone, demarrow, scarify, melt, render down and destroy. Every adjective that counted,
every verb that moved, every metaphor that weighed more than a mosquito--out! Every simile that would have
made a sub-moron's mouth twitch--gone! Any aside that explained the two-bit philosophy of a first-rate writer--
lost!
Every story, slenderized, starved, bluepencilled, leeched and bled white, resembled every other story. Twain
read like Poe read like Shakespeare read like Dostoevsky read like--in the finale--Edgar Guest. Every word of
more than three syllables had been razored. Every image that demanded so much as one instant's attention--shot
dead.
Do you begin to get the damned and incredible picture?
How did I react to all of the above?
By "firing" the whole lot.
By sending rejection slips to each and every one.
By ticketing the assembly of idiots to the far reaches of hell.
The point is obvious. There is more than one way to burn a book. And the world is full of people running about
with lit matches. Every minority, be it Baptist/Unitarian, Irish/Italian/Octogenarian/Zen Buddhist,
Zionist/Seventh-Day Adventist, Women's Lib/Republican, Mattachine/FourSquareGospel feels it has the will,
the right, the duty to douse the kerosene, light the fuse. Every dimwit editor who sees himself as the source of
all dreary blanc-mange plain porridge unleavened literature, licks his guillotine and eyes the neck of any author
who dares to speak above a whisper or write above a nursery rhyme.
Fire-Captain Beatty, in my novel Fahrenheit 451, described how the books were burned first by minorities,
each ripping a page or a paragraph from this book, then that, until the day came when the books were empty and
the minds shut and the libraries closed forever.
"Shut the door, they're coming through the window, shut the window, they're coming through the door," are the
words to an old song. They fit my life-style with newly arriving butcher/censors every month. Only six weeks
ago, I discovered that, over the years, some cubby-hole editors at Ballantine Books, fearful of contaminating the
young, had, bit by bit, censored some 75 separate sections from the novel. Students, reading the novel which,
after all, deals with censorship and book-burning in the future, wrote to tell me of this exquisite irony. Judy-
Lynn Del Rey, one of the new Ballantine editors, is having the entire book reset and republished this summer
with all the damns and hells back in place.
A final test for old Job II here: I sent a play, Leviathan 99, off to a university theatre a month ago. My play is
based on the Moby Dick mythology, dedicated to Melville, and concerns a rocket crew and a blind space
captain who venture forth to encounter a Great White Comet and destroy the destroyer. My drama premiers as
an opera in Paris this autumn. But, for now, the university wrote back that they hardly dared do my play--it had
no women in it! And the ERA ladies on campus would descend with ballbats if the drama department even
tried!
Grinding my bicuspids into powder, I suggested that would mean, from now on, no more productions of Boys in
the Band (no women), or The Women (no men). OR, counting heads, male and female, a good lot of
Shakespeare that would never be seen again, especially if you count lines and find that all the good stuff went to
the males!
I wrote back maybe they should do my play one week, and The Women the next. They probably thought I was
joking, and I'm not sure that I wasn't.
For it is a mad world and it will get madder if we allow the minorities, be they dwarf or giant, orangutan or
dolphin, nuclear-head or water-conversationalist, pro-computerologist or Neo-Luddite, simpleton or sage, to
interfere with aesthetics. The real world is the playing ground for each and every group, to make or unmake
laws. But the tip of the nose of my book or stories or poems is where their rights end and my territorial
imperatives begin, run and rule. If Mormons like not my plays, let them write their own. If the Irish hate my
Dublin stories, let them rent typewriters. If teachers and grammar school editors find my jawbreaker sentences
shatter their mushmilk teeth, let them eat stale cake dunked in weak tea of their own ungodly manufacture. If
the Chicano intellectuals wish to re-cut my "Wonderful Ice Cream Suit" so it shapes "Zoot," may the belt
unravel and the pants fall.
For, let's face it, digression in the soul of wit. Take philosophic asides away from Dante, Milton or Hamlet's
father's ghost and what stays is dry bones. Laurence Sterne said it once: Digressions, incontestably, are the
sunshine, the life, the soul of reading! Take them out and one cold eternal winter would reign in every page.
Restore them to the writer--he steps forth like a bridegroom, bits them all-hail, brings in variety and forbids the
appetite to fail.
In sum, do not insult me with the beheadings, finger-choppings or the lung-deflations you plan for my works. I
need my head to shake or nod, my hand to wave or make into a fist, my lungs to shout or whisper with. I will
not go gently onto a shelf, degutted, to become a non-book.
All you umpires, back to the bleachers. Referees, hit the showers. It's my game. I pitch, I hit, I catch. I run the
bases. At sunset I've won or lost. At sunrise, I'm out again, giving it the old try.
And no one can help me. Not even you.
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FAQs of Coda from Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

What themes are explored in the Coda from Fahrenheit 451?
The Coda from Fahrenheit 451 delves into themes of censorship, artistic integrity, and the societal implications of controlling literature. Ray Bradbury discusses how various groups attempt to influence or censor his works, reflecting on the broader consequences of such actions. He emphasizes the importance of preserving original language and ideas in literature, warning against the dangers of editing that strips away meaning. This commentary serves as a reminder of the ongoing battle for freedom of expression in the literary world.
How does Ray Bradbury respond to censorship in his works?
In the Coda, Ray Bradbury expresses strong opposition to censorship, sharing personal anecdotes about how his works have been altered or censored over time. He argues that every act of censorship diminishes the richness of literature and the author's voice. Bradbury's response is one of defiance, as he insists on the importance of maintaining the integrity of his writing. He believes that allowing censorship to prevail would lead to a homogenization of literature, where unique perspectives are lost.
What does Bradbury mean by 'more than one way to burn a book'?
Bradbury's phrase 'more than one way to burn a book' encapsulates the various forms of censorship that exist beyond physical book burning. He highlights how editing, altering language, and suppressing ideas can be equally destructive to literature. This metaphor serves to illustrate the insidious nature of censorship, where the intent to protect or conform can lead to the erasure of essential themes and messages. Bradbury warns that such actions ultimately impoverish the literary landscape.
What is the significance of the phrase 'God-Light' in Bradbury's writing?
The phrase 'God-Light' in Bradbury's writing symbolizes the profound and transcendent experiences that literature can evoke. In the Coda, he recounts how editors removed this phrase from his story 'The Fog Horn,' reflecting a broader trend of sanitizing literature to make it more palatable. This removal signifies a loss of depth and meaning, as such language often conveys complex emotions and ideas. Bradbury's emphasis on 'God-Light' underscores his belief in the power of language to inspire and provoke thought.
How does the Coda reflect on the future of literature?
The Coda from Fahrenheit 451 serves as a cautionary tale about the future of literature in the face of censorship and societal pressures. Bradbury warns that if minority groups continue to impose their views on literary works, the diversity of voices and ideas will diminish. He advocates for the preservation of artistic expression, arguing that literature should remain a space for exploration and challenge. The Coda ultimately calls for vigilance against censorship to ensure that literature continues to thrive in its full complexity.

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