The Illustrated Man
Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 10:48 am
Summary and Review:
The Illustrated Man is a collection of short stories written by the author Ray Bradbury in 1951. Most people know Ray Bradbury from his popular novel Fahrenheit 451, which is about a world with firemen who burn books. The Illustrated Man centers on a man completely covered in tattoos, except that these tattoos are so vivid and lifelike that they are described as Illustrated by the man himself. Each tattoo tells a story to anyone who watches them for long enough, something which the protagonist finds he must do. Each story discusses the state of mankind in the modern age, many exploring the interaction between technology and human psychology. One particular story, Kaleidoscope, centers on a rocket explosion in outer space with all the surviving astronauts coping with the fact that they will die either from exposure in the vastness of space or interaction with objects around them. As they are thrown from their rocket while in space suits, they must acknowledge and cope with the fact that the radio contact they have with each other will be the last time they hear human voices.
Decades before our time, readers must understand that his writings were done BEFORE the Apollo program, BEFORE satellite missions to other planets, BEFORE the many scientific concepts that form our impression of the universe. This is particularly noticeable in the story The Long Rain where a group of astronauts in a downed vessel must attempt to cross miles of faded jungle terrain in the constantly raining Venusian terrain. Known for years to be covered in clouds, many scientists theorized that Venus was a planet full of life similar to rain forests like Earth. With the advent of modern satellites, we now know that Venus is covered in greenhouse gases and may be one of the most inhospitable places in the Solar system for life.
As such, the reader should focus more on the literary aspects of each story, rather than take Science Fiction as Science Fact.
Personally I own many of Bradbury's novels and short story collections and he is one of my favorite writers, not necessarily for his writing style or storytelling ability, but more for the implications on the human condition that his writings have.
I highly recommend reading anything that Bradbury has written. Grade: 8/10
Note: 10 should never be an attainable goal and a 9 would be a perfect score.
The Illustrated Man is a collection of short stories written by the author Ray Bradbury in 1951. Most people know Ray Bradbury from his popular novel Fahrenheit 451, which is about a world with firemen who burn books. The Illustrated Man centers on a man completely covered in tattoos, except that these tattoos are so vivid and lifelike that they are described as Illustrated by the man himself. Each tattoo tells a story to anyone who watches them for long enough, something which the protagonist finds he must do. Each story discusses the state of mankind in the modern age, many exploring the interaction between technology and human psychology. One particular story, Kaleidoscope, centers on a rocket explosion in outer space with all the surviving astronauts coping with the fact that they will die either from exposure in the vastness of space or interaction with objects around them. As they are thrown from their rocket while in space suits, they must acknowledge and cope with the fact that the radio contact they have with each other will be the last time they hear human voices.
Decades before our time, readers must understand that his writings were done BEFORE the Apollo program, BEFORE satellite missions to other planets, BEFORE the many scientific concepts that form our impression of the universe. This is particularly noticeable in the story The Long Rain where a group of astronauts in a downed vessel must attempt to cross miles of faded jungle terrain in the constantly raining Venusian terrain. Known for years to be covered in clouds, many scientists theorized that Venus was a planet full of life similar to rain forests like Earth. With the advent of modern satellites, we now know that Venus is covered in greenhouse gases and may be one of the most inhospitable places in the Solar system for life.
As such, the reader should focus more on the literary aspects of each story, rather than take Science Fiction as Science Fact.
Personally I own many of Bradbury's novels and short story collections and he is one of my favorite writers, not necessarily for his writing style or storytelling ability, but more for the implications on the human condition that his writings have.
I highly recommend reading anything that Bradbury has written. Grade: 8/10
Note: 10 should never be an attainable goal and a 9 would be a perfect score.
