The Million-Year Picnic
E472935
"The Million-Year Picnic" is a short story by Ray Bradbury that serves as the poignant, reflective finale to his science fiction collection *The Martian Chronicles*, depicting a family's escape from Earth to begin a new life on Mars.
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
literary work
ⓘ
science fiction short story ⓘ short story ⓘ |
| author | Ray Bradbury NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| centralConflict | survival versus complicity in Earth’s destruction ⓘ |
| conclusionType | open-ended but hopeful ending ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| depicts |
abandoned Martian cities
ⓘ
family fleeing Earth ⓘ nuclear war on Earth ⓘ |
| firstPublicationYear | 1946 ⓘ |
| firstPublishedIn | Planet Stories NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| genre |
science fiction
ⓘ
speculative fiction ⓘ |
| hasAdaptation |
The Martian Chronicles (1980 television miniseries)
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
radio dramatizations ⓘ |
| hasIllustrationsInSomeEditions | yes ⓘ |
| hasTitleCharacterAction | family chooses to become the new Martians ⓘ |
| intendedAudience | adult readers ⓘ |
| language | English ⓘ |
| laterCollectedIn | The Martian Chronicles NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| literaryMovement | Golden Age of Science Fiction NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| mainCharacter |
Alice Thomas
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Michael Thomas NERFINISHED ⓘ Robert Thomas NERFINISHED ⓘ Timothy Thomas NERFINISHED ⓘ William Thomas NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| motif |
canals on Mars
ⓘ
mirrors and reflections ⓘ |
| narrativePerspective | third-person narration ⓘ |
| notableFor |
poignant, reflective tone
ⓘ
serving as the finale of The Martian Chronicles ⓘ |
| partOf | The Martian Chronicles NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| positionInCollection | final story in The Martian Chronicles ⓘ |
| publisherOfFirstMagazineAppearance | Fiction House NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| setting |
Mars
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
future ⓘ |
| symbolism |
Mars as a chance for moral rebirth
ⓘ
the river as cleansing and renewal ⓘ |
| theme |
colonization of Mars
ⓘ
destruction of Earth ⓘ escape from war ⓘ family ⓘ hope ⓘ identity ⓘ new beginnings ⓘ responsibility for the future ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.