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.