F451 Allusions: Pt. 1, "Hearth and the Salamander"

Part One: The Hearth and the Salamander
Note: This list is alphabetical except that quotes and numbers come first (see 1-3). 

1. “It is computed that eleven thousand persons
have at several times suffered death, rather than
submit to break their eggs at the smaller end.”:
from Gulliver’s Travels (1726) by Jonathan Swift; a satire
attacking England’s social and political problems.

2. “Play the man, Master Ridley; we shall this day
light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England, as
I trust shall never be put out.”: a quote attributed to
Hugh Latimer (1470-1555) a Protestant reformer who
was burned at the stake; Latimer reportedly spoke these
words to Bishop Nicolas Ridley immediately before their
execution.

3. 451: refers to 451 degrees Fahrenheit—the temperature
at which the paper in books burns.

4. Benjamin Franklin: (1706-1790) an American
statesman, printer, inventor, scientist, and writer;
Bradbury mentions that Ben Franklin was the first
fireman in the newly established Firemen of America;
later Beatty points out that the “rule books” have
inaccurate information. According to Beatty, the
Firemen were not organized until the Civil War, or when
“photography came into its own.”

5. condensations: “Condensed” or shortened versions of
larger texts or full-length literary works.

6. Dante: Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), an Italian poet
known for his epic poem The Divine Comedy, which is
Dante’s metaphorical trip through Hell; on his journey he
sees those who have committed evil receiving justified
torture.

7. digests: Reader’s Digest, founded in 1922, a family
magazine which eventually (1934) focused on condensed
versions of full-length novels from the 1930s to today;
has been translated into over 20 languages and is
distributed to over one million readers.

8. Faulkner: William Faulkner (1897-1962) American
novelist and poet; won the Nobel Prize for Literature in
1949; known for his complex use of literary devices and
for his discussion of racism in the South; it is also
believed that he was an alcoholic.

9. Hamlet: a tragedy by William Shakespeare (1564-1616);
Hamlet avenges his father’s murder after learning that
his uncle murdered his father.

10. hearth: a brick- or stone-lined fireplace used for
cooking and/or heating.

11. Little Black Sambo: a children’s book written by Helen
Bannerman in 1899; the story of a little boy who has to
sacrifice his clothes to tigers, but ends up outwitting
them; the story has been considered controversial
because of the word “Sambo,” which has become a racial
slur in America.

12. Marcus Aurelius: Marcus Annius Verus (AD 121-180),
a Roman Emperor and philosopher, known for his
collection of personal writings, or Meditations, which
focused on the idea of stoicism, which is surrounded by
the idea that men should be free from passion, pleasure,
or pain, and submissive to the natural laws of the
universe.

13. Mechanical Hound: the Mechanical Hound is
a machine that is “alive but not alive”; it is
programmed to seek out anyone in the way of
the firemen; it kills its prey by injecting the prey
with morphine or other lethal substances.

14. Millay: Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892-1950) an
American poet and playwright; the first woman to
receive a Pulitzer Prize for poetry, known for her
unconventional lifestyle, feminist views, and
political philosophy.

15. moonstone: a luminous blue gemstone which is
believed to be a holy, magical “dream stone,”
thought to bring good dreams and beautiful
visions.

16. phoenix: from Greek mythology, the phoenix is
said to die in its nest, which it then lights on fire;
from the ashes, a young, new phoenix is born.

17. radio shows (15 minute): fifteen minute radio
shows are radio programs lasting fifteen minutes
long; broadcast from the 1920s to 1950s, popular
before the invention of television; shows included
stories of adventure, comedy, drama, horror,
mystery, musical variety, romance, music
concerts, farm reports, news, and weather.

18. salamander: the mythological salamander is a
reptile resembling a lizard; said to live in the
depths of fire; according to mythology is able to
endure fire without burning.

19. Seashell: small radio-like devices that people
put in their ears to listen to a constant stream of
music and talking.

20. Swift: Jonathan Swift (1667-1745), an Irish
satirist known best for Gulliver’s Travels, and A
Modest Proposal, both of which attack the
political and social problems of his time.

21. tabloids: newspapers in a small format, giving
the news in a condensed, often sensationalized
way.

22. Uncle Tom’s Cabin: a novel written by
American author Harriet Beecher Stowe in 1852;
one of the best-selling books of all time, the story
is believed to have had an extremely profound
effect on the view of slavery in the 19th century.

23. wall television: wall televisions are walls made
up of television panels; these televisions take the
place of real family, and in turn, real conversation;
the television stations “fill-in-the-blank” with the
customer’s name so that they really feel like they
are a part of the action surrounding them.

24. Whitman: Walt Whitman (1819-1892) an
American poet known for his break from the
traditional poetry of his time to poetry written
with a lack of meter, rhyme, or rhythm; his lack of
conventionality and “rude” graphic depictions of
human sexuality caused several of his poems to be
banned.