19 Minutes And Fahrenheit 451 Comparison

Few would expect the suspense of a thriller novel and the imagination of a science fiction novel to hold many similarities. The difference in plot is obvious, however, the contrasts run deeper than the two genres simply having different plots, with the basic elements of the novels being different. Through the genre seminar, the opportunity to read phenomenal novels from both genres, Fahrenheit 451 and 19 Minutes, providing an excellent example of both the sci-fi and thriller genre. Despite both of these novels telling fascinating stories, there are distinctive aspects that separate them. The bases of the two genres are different, with the fundamentals aspects of both contrasting. The presentation and amount of information presented in both

are different, with a thriller withholding information, while a sci-fi has to give more. In a sci-fi, the antagonist is often unfamiliar to the reader, while the characters are used to the challenge, yet in a thriller, both the reader and the characters are in the dark about the situation. Thriller stories have a much closer connection to the real world, while a sci-fi book pushes the boundaries of the modern world. These three aspects are enough to greatly distinguish the two genres, with the primary features of the story creating colossal differences between the two genres.

A primary difference between Fahrenheit 451 and 19 minutes and their two representative genres is the quantity and quality of the information that is presented to the reader.

A key feature of all stories is a well-structured backstory. This backstory is what set up the plot of all stories, and creates more personal and believable events. Yet as stories began to separate into separate genres, the way the backstory is presented is twisted. In sci-fi, a critical amount of imagination is needed, as a major technology advances change environmental and social situations. With this imaginative world that the author creates, the reader can become blind-sided without extensive knowledge of this unfamiliar world. To compensate for this unknowingness, a more detailed backstory, an explanation is required. With Fahrenheit 451 being a prime example of the science fiction genre, it also faced the struggle of dealing with unfamiliar technology. While discussing the mechanical hound tracking machine with Faber, Guy stated: “Nose so sensitive it can remember ten thousand order indexes on ten thousand men without needed resetting!” (Bradbury 127). This ability of the hound was commonly known by society during Guy’s time, yet it was unknown to the reader. Still, this piece of information is critical to the reader's comprehension of the threat and added into the novel as background information on the hound. While sci-fi novels are required to add in further information to assists the reader, a

thriller will attempt to detain information to build suspense. Generall, a thriller novel is built on the reader anxiety of the unknown, keeping them on the edge of their seat, and enjoying the book. With an extraordinary novel with such a tie to the thriller genre, 19 minutes is an elite example of the suspense held within a thriller novel. This excitement from the suspense comes at the cost of excluding information from the novel. This is evident in the novel, specifically at the begin, when officer Patrick was first viewing the scene of the school shooting. At the scene, Patrick is processing the events unfolding around him. After arresting a teenage boy presumed to be the shooter the line “Patrick didn’t know if there were booby traps or bombs in the school; he didn’t know how many casualties there were; [...] the target had been taken out but at what irreplaceable cost?” (Picoult 24). With the quick paced action taking place in the first chapter many crucial questions are left unanswered, creating a sense of unknowing for the reader. All of these important pieces of information that are not shared with the reader until the end of the book, hooks the reader into the story. Thriller and sci-fi novels differ greatly in the amount of information presented to the reader. With both genres creating a unique atmosphere as information is presented in different amounts, the wedge separating the two genres grows wider.

Well written characters are a staple component of any novel.

As a key attribute to any novel, strong characters are critical to create a compelling story. Nothing make a character more than their viewpoint and ideas, as this is directly related to how the character behaviour. Both novels, Fahrenheit 451 and 19 minutes, along with their representative genre, are shaped by the characters they custruct. As a character faces challenges there attitude will change according to the problem. This is where the two novels diverge, as science fiction characters generally face problems with more familiarity, while in thriller novels the dilemma is often foreign. Fahrenheit 451 is a classic science fiction novel, and paved the way for many novels in the future to follow. As a fundamental science fiction book, the characters faced many problems, yet they were partially aware of the issue before it emerged. In the novel, even when faced with a threat, the characters had some prior knowledge of the hazard. A featured issue throughout the novel is the misery that many of the characters were facing. In despair Guy states “I don’t know. We have everything we need to be happy, but we aren’t happy” (Bradbury 78). Previous to the crisis of the novel, Guy had already felt unhappiness and saw it consuming those around him. As the novel progresses and this sadness became more of a featured issue, Guy was already familiar with it since he was previously exposed. Science fiction novels requires

characters to have a minimal amount of knowledge of the events unfolding around them. This is the adverse of the characters knowledge in thriller novels, as within a thriller, characters are facing unfamiliar dangerous. 19 Minutes is a quick paced novel telling the story of a school shooting. The rapid pace and original threat, the characters in this story are left completely unaware of how to resolve the conflict. After news of the shooting was publicized, parents rushed to the high school to find out if their children were safe. When Peter’s mother arrived at the school she overheard another student say her son name. In alarm, she asked the girl “My son… I’m trying to find him. I heard you mention his name, Peter Houghton” (Picoult 51) to which the girl replied “He’s the one who’s shooting” (Picoult 52). This new was abrupt and startling as Mrs. Houghton’s life was destroyed. Her son was now the accused of a mass shooting. This was an inconceivable idea, and the thought that he son could ever do something this horrible was impossible. This impossibility is common in thriller novels, as the characters face unpredict challenges. All character faces challenges, as this makes the story interesting, yet how they approach the challenges changes. The formulary in science fiction and the foreign in thriller further divide the two genres.