mhull wrote:Adam Hair wrote: I have not read The Hitchhiker's Guide yet, but I will do so.
IMO, for Adams to work, you have to put your mind into 1970s England because the jokes and social commentary really only resonate in that specific milieu. It's exactly the same situation for "Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy". If you've never been immersed in issues of that time (from either having lived through it or from studying it in depth), it will be difficult to fully grok (or otherwise escape into) the story's atmosphere.
While I completely agree that having a feel for the Cold War fears and paranoia is crucial to getting into to Tinker Taylor (the movie is a mess IMHO - though the BBC miniseries is very true to the book), I don't for Hitchhikers.
It is worth mentioning it was born as a radio play, and is absolutely hysterical. Up until ... I think it is part of book two, the narrator is one of the best voice actors I ever heard. the sense of understated irony smacks of genius IMHO. In any case, I read these books as a teenager the first time round, loved them, and knew nothing of 70s English social issues.
Granted some of the jokes are *very* British, such as the Sunday bath references, but much of it can be taken as is, such as the question to life, the universe and everything, or the numerous short bits like the Pangalactic Gargle blaster, the most useful item in the universe (towel), the sccne with Marvin and the ultra tank, and many others.
