Key Facts: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Publication Details
- Author: Douglas Adams
- First Published: 1979 (originally as a BBC radio series)
- Novel Publication: 1979
- Genre: Science fiction comedy/satire
- Part of: The five-book "trilogy" in the Hitchhiker's series
Core Elements
Main Characters
- Arthur Dent: Ordinary Englishman and reluctant space traveler
- Ford Prefect: Alien researcher for the Guide, Arthur's best friend
- Zaphod Beeblebrox: Two-headed, three-armed former President of the Galaxy
- Trillian: Human woman, astrophysicist, originally named Tricia McMillan
- Marvin: Depressed android with "a brain the size of a planet"
Pay attention to how each character represents different aspects of humanity (or lack thereof) - Arthur's bewilderment, Ford's adaptability, Zaphod's ego, Trillian's rationality, and Marvin's existential depression.
Key Plot Points
- Earth's destruction for a hyperspace bypass
- Discovery of the Ultimate Question to Life, the Universe, and Everything
- The revelation that Earth was a supercomputer
- The search for the Restaurant at the End of the Universe
The seemingly random events in the plot actually interconnect to form a larger commentary on existence and bureaucracy.
Significant Concepts
- The Guide itself as a metaphor for human knowledge
