DON'T PANIC: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy


This week I listened to the original radio version of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy which I found to be more enjoyable than anticipated. Read by Stephen Moore, there was a wide variety of strong voices within the novel, which he articulated well. The story follows Arthur Dent, quintessential and rather bland British man, as he is thrust into a galactic journey upon Earth's demise. This novel felt like an authentic experience because of the nature of its characters. There is no macho action hero here, just realistic beings trying to figure things out step by step, not handling incredible life changes well, and dealing with these big problems. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy does a great job of making everything seem “big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly hugely mind-bogglingly big it is”.
By placing common characters in extraordinary circumstances, Douglas Adams helps us explore issues of the present by placing them in the context of an imagined future. Adams does this best by using comedy. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is massively funny, mostly because of how absurd the situations are, but also by being aware of itself. I wouldn’t call it a parody, but it has a quality of using pop culture and common knowledge to aid in its humor. By keeping the tone of an otherwise disastrous situation light, Addams helps the reader explore issues they relate to in today's world.

Comments

  1. Abby FitzgeraldDecember 5, 2017 at 4:26 PM

    I listened to this too, and your review is spot-on! I agree; it's not so much parody as it is satire, and it's that satirical tone that really makes it shine.

    ReplyDelete

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