The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

• Genre: Science fiction; comedy
• Originally Published: 1979
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 930: young adult/adult
• Structure/Length: Novel divided into 35 chapters with an introduction; approx. 193 pages; approx. 5 hours and 51 minutes on audiobook
• Protagonist/Central Conflict: The Hitchhiker‘s Guide to the Galaxy is a comedic science fiction novel that follows the misadventures of Arthur Dent, an unwitting Earthman who is rescued by a researcher named Ford Prefect just before the Earth‘s destruction. The central conflict revolves around Arthur‘s sudden and bewildering journey through space, guided by the electronic book The Hitchhiker‘s Guide, as he encounters a series of bizarre characters and humorous situations. The novel explores themes of absurdity, the meaning of life, and the vastness of the universe, all with Douglas Adams’s trademark wit and satire.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Themes of absurdity, humor, and science fiction concepts; profanity; references to depression and death by suicide

Douglas Adams, Author

• Bio: Born 1952, deceased 2001; British author and humorist known for his contributions to science fiction and comedy; Adams’s Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series has become a cult classic in the realm of humorous science fiction.
• Other Works: The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (1980); Life, the Universe and Everything (1982); So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish (1984)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:

• The Absurdity of Modern Bureaucracy
• The Emptiness of Authority
• Meaning Versus Meaninglessness in Existence

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Teaching Guide, students will:

• Gain an understanding of science fiction in the twentieth century to analyze the literary and cultural background of the novel.
• Discuss paired texts and other brief resources to make connections via the text’s themes of The Absurdity of Modern Bureaucracy, The Emptiness of Authority, and Meaning Versus Meaninglessness in Existence.
• Think critically about the continued relevance of the novel by watching and discussing the 2005 film adaptation.
• Evaluate the novel in structured essay responses on the role of technology, power, bureaucracy, character, and other topics.