451 по фаренгейту
It was a pleasure to burn
Beattytookafullminutetosettlehimselfinandthinkbackforwhathewantedtosay.
"Whendiditallstart,youask,thisjobofours,howdiditcomeabout,where,when? Well,I’dsayitreallygotstartedaroundaboutathingcalledtheCivilWar.Eventhoughourrule-bookclaimsitwasfoundedearlier.Thefactiswedidn’tgetalongwelluntilphotographycameintoitsown. Then—motionpicturesintheearlytwentiethcentury.Radio.Television.Thingsbegantohavemass."
Montagsatinbed,notmoving.
"Andbecausetheyhadmass,theybecamesimpler,"saidBeatty."Once,booksappealedtoafewpeople,here,there,everywhere. Theycouldaffordtobedifferent.Theworldwasroomy.Butthentheworldgotfullofeyesandelbowsandmouths.Double,triple,quadruplepopulation. Filmsandradios,magazines,bookslevelleddowntoasortofpastepuddingnorm,doyoufollowme?"
"Ithinkso."
Beattypeeredatthesmokepatternhehadputoutontheair. "Pictureit.Nineteenth-centurymanwithhishorses,dogs,carts,slowmotion. Then,inthetwentiethcentury,speedupyourcamera.Bookscutshorter.Condensations.Digests.Tabloids.Everythingboilsdowntothegag,thesnapending."
"Snapending."Mildrednodded.
"Classicscuttofitfifteen-minuteradioshows,thencutagaintofillatwo-minutebookcolumn,windingupatlastasaten–ortwelve-linedictionaryresume.
