Flowers for Algernon

1. Flowers for Algernon By: Daniel Keyes

2. Daniel Keyes • Born in 1927 in Brooklyn, New York. • Joined U.S. Maritime Service at 17 years old. • Completed a B.A. degree in Psychology at Brooklyn College. • Employed as a fiction editor and later entered the fashion photography business.

3. Teacher in New York. • Masters Degree in English and American Literature. • Became a professor of English and Creative Writing at Ohio University in 1966.

4. Flowers for Algernon • Short Story “Flowers for Algernon” 1959 • Hugo Award • Novel published in 1966 • Nebula Award

5. Adaptations • Feature Film “CHARLY” 1968 • Cliff Robertson wins Best Actor for role as Charlie Gordon

6. Stage play by David Rogers 1969 • Dramatic musical “Charlie and Algernon” first premiere 1978 • French language stage play 1982 • Irish radio monodrama 1983 • Australian stage play 1984 • Polish language stage play 1985 • Japanese language stage play 1986 and 1990 • Czechoslovak Radio Prague radio broadcast 1988-1991

7. Science Fiction • Literature of change • Futuristic • A world that differs from our own • Scientific or technological advancement • Varies from Fantasy writing because the changes are possible

8. What are some science fiction elements from Fahrenheit 451?

9. Why is Flowers for Algernon considered a science fiction novel?

10. Epistolary Writing

11. Epistolary Writing • A series of documents. • Letters • Diary entries • Progress Reports • Recently, it has evolved to include electronic documents such as blogs, text messages, and emails.

12. Why might the novel be written through a series of progress reports?

13. How does this first person narration affect our reading of the text?

14. Thematic Apperception Test • Make up a dramatic story about the picture below: