Fahrenheit 451: Lesson Five

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

You have been reading Fahrenheit 451, and until now, the setting of the novel has been a non-descript futuristic city.

In the novel's final section, the setting shifts from the city to the country.

• Why do you think Bradbury chose not to identify the city's name?
• How would you perceive the story differently if you knew the country and city where the action was occurring?

Setting is an important element for many genres of writing, but it plays an especially critical role in science fiction because the writer's task is to build an entire world for the reader.

This fictional world may closely resemble real society with only minor alterations or be an entirely imaginative creation that does not resemble reality.

• What would the Star Wars series look like if it had to adhere to realistic settings?

Read Setting: The Key to Science Fiction to learn about the construction of setting in science fiction. As you do, answer the following questions in the notebook or journal you have kept for this series.

• How is setting related to plot and character in science fiction?
• Why is a speculative setting more difficult to create than a mainstream setting in a novel?
• What is one advantage of a speculative setting over a mainstream setting?
• How should the senses be used in a speculative setting?
• What is the definition of a meta-setting? How do your personal preferences as a reader affect your version of a meta-setting?

You are ready to read the final portion of the novel.

Take out the copy of Fahrenheit 451 that you began reading in the first Related Lesson. Because Bradbury's work is still under copyright law, online versions can be difficult to obtain. However, you may try this version of Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.

Pick up where you left off at the end of the previous section.

"Good night, Mrs. Black, he thought."

Read until you finish the novel.

As you read, answer the questions from the Fahrenheit 451 Reading Log in your notebook or journal. (If you need another copy, find it under Downloadable Resources.)

After reading and answering the questions, check your thinking against the answers below.

Then, move on to the Got It? section to explore the use of setting in the novel.