The Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy When first creating the universe that contained the characters and situations in “The Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” Douglas Adams did not predict the impact that it would have not only on fans of the science fiction genre but society in general. This book caused everyone to want to know more about Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect. “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” is so significant because it created an impact on pop culture, combined elements of both science fiction and comedy, and created a community of dedicated fans to its universe. This book is special because of its influence on the pop culture of the time it was published. According to writer Andrew Webster, “The Hitchhiker's Guide to the …show more content…
The tale became a somewhat personal thing for the reader, “it is also as though Douglas Adams is speaking to you personally, gently, as he guides you through a perplexing world, assuring you ‘Don’t panic’” (Scribbler para. 3). By immersing oneself into the universe, one enjoys themselves for a minute but also taking the advice in the story and comparing it to real life, which is what most think is what Adams intended for his books. “As Stephen Fry, one of the series' most noted fans, told the South Bank Show, he was first attracted to Hitchhiker's because, in contrast to most science fiction, ‘it was absolutely on a human scale’” (O’Dair para. 6). This story not only appealed to fans of science fiction but to people who have never even dwelled in this genre because it was essentially a asocial commentary of life at the time and even today. Many of its fans and readers said that “The Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”, “was an early but vital instruction in how the English language could be made to do amazing things and defy all rules while still making hilarious sense” (Scribbler para. 10). Many of the witty phrases and uses of the English language appealed to the fans, but also the general message made them think about life and how humans work. Fans of this series contributed greatly to its success, and what makes this book so significant. “The Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” is so significant because of its influence of pop culture, its innovative combination of comedy and science fiction, and its ability to develop a strong fan base that reveres the series to this day. Many books are special because they were the first to do something or they were published because of the time period, but books that are the most significant are those that reach all audiences because of its
There are many times in which a reader will interpret a piece of literature in a way that was completely unintended by the author. In her article, “In the Canon, for All the Wrong Reasons”, Amy Tan discusses people telling her the meaning behind her own stories, her experiences with criticism, and how this has affected her approach to writing moving forward. While this may seem ironic, considering the topic, I have my own interpretations of this article. Firstly, Amy Tan addresses how people will often tell her what her own work means and the symbolism in her writing.
While Robbins’s work was at first ill received, by the mid-1970s the public had started to warm up to this quirky and thought provoking writer. Even today, his work invites inquiry about what prompted him to write this controversial novel. That is, who and what influenced this line of thought? What was happening in America and with Christianity during the period, in which he wrote and researched this piece of fiction? And, finally, why did he write in this sporadic, nonlinear fashion, inserting seemingly non-related details and encrypting an official report within the structure of a novel? And how does this relate to the influences mentioned above? All of these questions and more offer themselves up from the pages of this funny and whimsical, yet philosophical and wise novel, Another Roadside Attraction.
...e insight to life or contain certain meanings that the reader must reconstruct in order to evaluate the text fully. Other novels are considered to be noteworthy because they exist within a specific literary movement, or because they reflect cultural change. However much one might argue that Erskine Caldwell’s God’s Little Acre and Chester Himes’ If He Hollers Let Him Go belong at the bottom of the literary ‘stack,’ they nevertheless employ the same concepts and exhibit the same characteristics that turn many other novels into works of ideal greatness.
Literary works are always affected by the times and places in which they are written. Those crafted in Western America often reflect conflicts that occurred between advancing civilization and the free spirited individual. The 1970’s was a particularly popular time for authors to introduce new ideas for living in the modern world. There are few authors who captured the essence and feeling of culture quite like Tom Robbins. Robbins comments on the differences and similarities between Western civilization and Eastern philosophies. His text offers philosophical and cultural meaning that is completely original. Certain beliefs are threaded through out the content of the story. He includes significant content reflecting the laws of physics; how motion and force affect the life process. Through the dialogue and action of his characters, Robbins illustrates how two very different ideals can coexist. Robbins intentions are to expand cultural perspectives and awareness through his novels. His use of metaphors and stylistic diction emphasizes further how thoughtful and awesome his work is. Tom Robbins writing offers an insightful perspective into cultural themes of our modern world.
Wood, Karen and Charles. “The Vonnegut Effect: Science Fiction and Beyond.” The Vonnegut Statement. Vol. 5. 1937. 133-57. The GaleGroup. Web. 10 March. 2014.
The use of suspense in “The Hitchhiker,” keeps the audience in a state of panic, wondering what the outcome will be. The protagonist looks back upon the torturous six days, remembering his protective mother, and the commonplace traveler. Fear mixed with suspicion, he identifies the hitchhiker on the most inappropriate hitchhiking roads, set on terminating the foreboding individual. Leaving the audience at the climax, Adams believes the hitchhiker must be mortal, and therefore able to hinder, yet the fact of Adams’ unknown identity and his total isolation, prevent his ability to take
The Andromeda Strain, by Michael Crichton, is a science fiction novel about the struggle of mankind’s intelligence, and the dangers it may pose. The author has an extensive background in medicine and the sciences, which are incorporated into his writing and film production. This novel is noted for the use of literary devices, theme, and writing style, which will be covered in this paper.
He interviews people such as George Saunders, Kathryn Schulz, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and several more well-known experts about topics ranging from books to music to the theory of gravity. These interviews give the points Klosterman is making credibility as he jumps from topic to topic. He also cites historical examples of the future being completely unpredictable during the present; for example, the novel Moby Dick by Herman Melville went from being a total flop at the time of publishing to being known as the greatest novel of all time. Nothing in Melville’s time indicated the success of that book, and there is no particular reason that the order of events couldn’t have led to another unknown brilliant novel’s success. While citing these historical examples and interviews with great thinkers, Klosterman maintains a conversational, humorous, and engaging tone that keeps the reader wanting more. There were times where I found myself laughing out loud while reading, a very rare occurrence for me. One of my favorite lines in the book was when Klosterman was speaking about how people’s perceptions of presidents change over time. He writes about how the “worst US president of all-time” has changed throughout the years from Grant while he was in college to Buchanan. Along with this,
The protagonist of the story “ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” by Douglas Adams, is Arthur Dent. Arthur Dent is one of the only two humans that are still alive from planet Earth. Mr. Dent is a dynamic character. He is a dynamic character because, when Arthur loses his home planet Earth, he quickly learns to adjust to life as a hitchhiker with the help of his friend Ford Prefect, and the book that he is currently helping to update “ The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy”. Arthur has a couple traits about him that are good and some that are bad. A couple examples of the traits are, that he is brave, at the beginning of the book he decides to lay down in front of a bulldozer that
What makes a book a true classic? Is it in its age, the distinction of its author, the number of copies it sells? I believe it is none of these things. A true classic is a book that can make you feel, emoting with all of its characters, even the ones you don’t expect to empathize with. Its characters cannot be without faults—they must be as human as the book’s readers, or they will be forgotten as just another character in an endless line of too-perfect protagonists.
“Common Sense.” The American Tradition in Literature, 12th ed. New York: McGraw Hill , 2009. Print
and Other Greats : Lessons from the All-star Writer's Workshop. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2006. Print.
This turns the story darker, gives a motion of both fear and surprise. This also gives the motion that Ronald Adams is not completely sane. “hitchhikers? Here?” “A guy would be a fool to hitch a ride on these roads.” (pages 1002, 1003 The Hitchhiker) This is just the beginning of the audience thinking that perhaps the hitchhiker isn't actually real. Then Adams actually gets told himself that he’s seeing things “did you see him that time?” “No, I didn't see him that time and I don’t expect never to see him!” (page 1008 of The Hitchhiker)
Isaac Asimov's Foundation and the trilogy named after it represent a pinnacle in science fiction. Science fiction lovers from every walk of life have joined together to praise Asimov and Foundation. Furthermore, this series has been awarded the first Hugo Award for Best Science Fiction Series. Not before or since the publication of Foundation has this award been given. Despite this recognition, the mainstream literary critics ignore works of science fiction as candidates for more prestigious awards. Instead, science fiction is often dismissed as technology-dependent literature, immature in character development, theme, and structure. A large portion of the literary world still levels a sniff and a scoff toward Foundation and indeed the entire genre of science fiction.
Throughout time, genres have had their era of popularity. One genre that has stayed strong is science fiction. Jules Verne has entertained multiple generations with his fantasizing vision of the future and technology. Jules Verne should be studied because modern influence and creation of science fiction.