![]() ![]() ![]() With this in mind, we can link ‘The Veldt’ to Sigmund Freud’s theory of the uncanny: that strange feeling we experience when we find the familiar within the unfamiliar, or the unfamiliar lurking within the familiar. And given the ‘mechanics’ of the nursery and the way in which people can telepathically alter what it displays, as well as the fact that the lions become real lions, we should probably view Bradbury’s tale as fantastical, because of this supernatural element. But is it also not a science fiction story – despite its futuristic setting with its super-house full of all mod cons – but a fantasy, because it contains a supernatural element?Ĭertainly, Ray Bradbury preferred to view his own work as ‘fantasy’ rather than hard ‘science fiction’, even if much of his work explores the impact of new science and technology on our lives. Is ‘The Veldt’, ultimately, a horror story? It certainly ends on a horrific note, albeit with the deaths of the parents happening ‘off stage’, as it were. Meanwhile, George and Lydia are positioned very much as the reactors to all this: their children think the lions into being, the nursery displays the lions, and George and Lydia react to their worryingly lifelike presence in the room. ![]()
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