Ray Bradbury
In studying short stories, collections, and novels with the different authors of American literature, critics tend to point out such writers as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and Poe. Some could forget Ray Bradbury whom Douglas J. McReynolds calls " A genius as well as his gladness affirmation of the world is made manifest . . . " (2043), probably because they are familiar only with Bradbury's popular novels, like Fahrenheit 451 and Something wicked comes this way. Still little known are the many aspiring short stories that Bradbury has written, several of which, such as A Medicine for Melancholy, The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit, the Skeleton, The Dwarf, and All Summer in a Day, explore his feeling of the people, places, and culture of other countries. Not all critics, however, have ignored Bradbury's particular skill at committing his dreams to paper and in so doing, making them live for others. In "Sun and Shadow," for example, a poor Mexican, tired of being treated as a "local," deliberately exposes himself to keep from carrying out a North American fashion photographer attempts to take a picture, the Mexican appears and drops his pants. Bradbury writes science fiction, in fact,
story. He writes short stories like no other author, just like his science fiction. Its safe to say that Ray Bradbury has influenced American literature in the way of science fiction story telling. Bradbury's uniqueness was sculptured by his influences growing up. Born in Waukegan, Illinois, in 1920 his family had to move westward because of the depression. His mother Esther Bradbury was a great film buff and she Growing up, Bradbury, only at age six had seen a number of horror movies and had developed a morbid fear of the dark. Nine years later, he began submitting short stories to major magazines and wrote for school publication. Bradbury began to show interest in science fiction and the future when he discovered the pulp magazine Amazing Stories & visit with his aunt Neva to the Century of Progress exposition at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair. But Bradbury's first real connection with the world of science fiction was when he joined the Los Angles Science Fiction League. There Bradbury met Henry Kuttner who became a mentor to Bradbury. Finally Bradbury began his own mimeographed publication called Futuria Fantasia and broke into professional markets in 1941 with "Pendulum." The activities that Bradbury participated in, and the places and people he visited helped him immensely. His traveling shows as a youth, trips to Mexico, and the interest in Irishmen, Mexicans, and Chicanos gave him many ideas for stories. Bradbury has always been a resourceful artist, and any conclusions about the value or direction of his later work would be premature. His earlier work, however, there can be little doubt, for all its eclecticism and occasional stylistic exc
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Approximate Word count = 1131
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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