PKD Final Post

This class has been quite an experience for me. I grew up with a dad absolutely fascinated with science fiction, particularly Star Trek and Batman. In fact, my father has a room dedicated to his Batman collection. Needless to say, I was doomed to a science fiction love affair from the time I was born.

I had never read any Philip K. Dick books before I took this class. In all honesty, I was weary about taking this class not knowing anything about him! But after a lot of weeding through emotions and thoughts that didn’t always make sense, I do not regret taking this class for one second.

Did I love every book that we read for this class? No. But I am taking away knowledge not only about PKD and his texts but about myself as well. Through his religious themes and look at human character, I’ve been reaffirmed in my beliefs and life goals.

I really want to thank Dr. Murphy and the class for challenging me to explore these texts and WHY I felt a particular way about them. Discussions are one of my favorite things – probably has to do with my English Education Major – and I feel they are the best way to delve into a text.

Thank you all for pushing me! J

Valis Part II

This novel really intrigued me. I went through several emotions while reading this, often not knowing exactly how PKD wanted me to react to what he was saying. The idea of one character being multiple characters seems relevant in several of his stories and it makes me wonder if he was questioning who he really was - as if he had many different "masks" he wore.

I have to wonder after reading multiple PKD works what exactly he was working through in his life. It seems like he had several problems and concerns he was working through. I’ll admit that he’s not my favorite author, but I was very intrigued by his works.

Valis - Part I

I think this novel is very interesting, but I’m also not sure exactly how to feel. The element that really catches me the most so far is the idea of being two people in two different times at the same time. What a trippy thought! The idea that it is not reincarnation but two separate beings living in the same person and the same time really made my head spin.

The other idea that really struck me while listening to this novel was the disconnect between characters and reality. How much of what is going on is based on reality? It seems to tie in a bit to “A Scanner Darkly” in those terms. Characters don’t always seem to connect together or to the society they are a part of in PKD’s works.

A Scanner Darkly - Part 2

I really felt that "A Scanner Darkly" had a lot of interesting things to say when it came to society and the battle many face with the use of drugs. Although I have never used drugs, I have some friends who can relate to some of the things that happened in the novel in relation to the use of drugs. It really made me wonder what people go through in these circumstances.

The story really spoke to me in regards of thinking we know ourselves but realizing that there are other components to our personalities that we do not truly understand. Knowing that you have other components to yourself can sometimes be hard – you often view yourself one way and don’t want to accept the other pieces of the puzzle.

I’d have to say that this story really made me think about how I view things and I’m left to wonder how many things I miss.

A Scanner Darkly - Part 1

So - I'm really not sure what to say about this novel. I've been listening to it on Audible.com - I love it because Paul Giamatti is the narrator - but I'm really just not "getting into it." I'm not sure if it's the drug use, the sexual aspects or the repetitive nature that PKD seems to have, but I guess I don't know how to feel about this novel.

With that said, I would have to say that the drug use is still prevalent today. Even though the types of drugs may be slightly different today, I'd say that there are plenty of people still suffering from addictions. In a world that seems to be all about feeling good and doing what you want, drug use / substance abuse is often a popular form to escape.

The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch : Part 2

I downloaded this novel onto my Kindle Fire and was thrilled to learn that it had narration. I listened through the second half of the novel and felt that I retained more information than when I read it to myself! With that said, I absolutely loved this novel – it is by far my favorite of those we have read so far!

What really caught me about this novel were the religious aspects and the idea of escapism. This novel really dealt with some unhappy characters that were simply trying to find some happiness in unwanted circumstances. Anne’s character really intrigued me because of her religious views that seem to be somewhat dismissed once she moves to Mars. It’s ironic that she wanted to go to the colonies to try and convert people and ends up using CAN-D and CHEW-Z.

While I would never go so far as to take a substance to escape from reality, I do understand the allure of wanting to get away from unpleasant circumstances. Whenever I feel down, I read or listen to music that puts me in a better mood – it’s a way to escape from the world that is not treating me well.

Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch - Part 1

I feel like I say this every time, but this is by far my favorite novel so far. There is something about the characters and the setting that really make this novel stand out for me. Maybe the idea of escapism is what truly interests me – although I do not feel the need to escape from my life, there are always ways to distract ourselves from the sometimes unpleasant nature of life.

I guess if I were to have a similar layout to colonists using Can-D who then escape to a different world, it would be The Sims. I was first introduced to The Sims when I was in middle school and it is actually a game that I still play when I have some free time. What really made me love the game was the idea that I could create myself in a separate world and create a new persona for myself. It is still a good way to create a persona that allows me to do things I wouldn’t necessarily be able to do in my own life.