Skeleton
by Ray Bradbury
Podcast Introduction
A man’s obsessive fear of his own bones spirals into paranoia, leading to a grotesque conclusion. Bradbury’s chilling tale explores the uncanny and the terror of the body’s fragility.
Socratica Reads Podcast
Skeleton
by Ray Bradbury
Bradbury’s Skeleton tells the unsettling story of a man who becomes increasingly obsessed with the bones inside his own body. As his fixation grows, he seeks out a mysterious doctor, leading to a macabre conclusion that blurs the lines between paranoia and reality. The tale is a chilling examination of the fragility of the human body and the fear of what lies beneath the skin.
“I of course associate Ray Bradbury with Hallowe’en, what with his brilliant “The Hallowe’en Tree” and “Something Wicked This Way Comes,” but there are so many stories from Bradbury that remind us of our human body, our frailties that come from being incarnate. These are things that many people are afraid to look square at.”
Kimberly Hatch Harrison
The Machine Stops
In a distant future, humanity lives underground in isolated cells, relying on a vast Machine to supply all their needs. When Kuno, a rebellious young man, questions the omnipotence of the Machine and ventures to the Earth's surface, he discovers the fragility of their artificial world. Forster's story, a prescient critique of technological dependence, portrays a dystopia where human connection and autonomy have withered.
