Classics Without All the Class discussion

Please keep discussion and spoilers to this chapter.

Did anyone catch what happened to Clarisse besides the assumptions Guy made?

It's never known for sure.

Mildred, who is far from a reliable source of info, says Clarisse got run over by a car. At least, she thinks so but she's not sure - she forgot. The only thing she's sure of is the family left.

(In the play and one of the movies, Clarisse is living with the Book People, and Guy meets up with her again at the end. I don't think that's necessarily what is meant to have happened in the book though.)

Melanti wrote: "It's never known for sure.

Mildred, who is far from a reliable source of info, says Clarisse got run over by a car. At least, she thinks so but she's not sure - she forgot. The only thing she's ..."

You know, I completed the audiobook later on and it says the author really liked her character and therefore let the question be answered in his play because he wanted a happy ending for her because she was the one who started it all.

I guess that answers it, thanks. :)

I just keep wondering how much pressure it when trying to remember a book, alone. I would be so bad! I guess that one line idea where they ended in the begining would be my cup of tea.. Yeah.. I would end up burning books in that world and talking to the walls. I wonder what he would like our all time online world?

I'm feeling really self conscious about having the TV running the whole time I was reading this..........

I listened to the audiobook and it follows along with my paper copy of the book, containing an afterward and a coda. In the afterward, he talks about reviving Clarisse in the play and expounding on the characters a bit. In the coda, he talks about various "edits" his book and some of his short stories have gone through, often without his permission, where certain words or phrases were cut out to abridge the book or make it more suitable for teaching, which is the height of irony. He says "There is more than one way to burn a book," which is eerie prophetic, both for his own books and those of others. Very, very interesting.

Anyone have any views as to why Beatty just stood there and burned? Was he in agreement with the woman who set fire to her house and herself (he is often quoting books and must be well read despite being a fireman) Or was he simply giving himself up as a martyr against books and learning. Its clear the government always want the best outcome as we see with the fake Montage being killed. Maybe this was planned to?