Worlds and selves falling apart - The science fiction of Philip K. Dick

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Introduction
• IRIDESCENT WORLDS: UBIK
• TIME AND HISTORICITY: TIME OUT OF JOINT
• METAFICTION AND THE REAL WORLD: "SMALL TOWN," THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE AND A MAZE OF DEATH
• FLUID SELVES: EYE IN THE SKY AND A SCANNER DARKLY
• SCHIZOPHRENIA: MARTIAN TIME-SLIP
• PARANOIA: "IMPOSTOR"
• CONCLUSION

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This paper examines the science fiction of Philip K. Dick within the context of postmodernism. It explores how postmodernist theory, with its focus on technology, society, and the individual subject, aligns with the themes of science fiction.

• The relationship between technology and its effects on society and the individual subject
• The nature of reality and the instability of perception
• The construction of selfhood and the fluidity of identity
• The use of metafiction and allegory in Dick's works
• The impact of science fiction on the contemporary cultural moment

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

• Introduction: This chapter introduces the main themes and objectives of the paper, focusing on Dick's fascination with the nature of reality and the human condition. It also establishes the connection between science fiction and postmodernism, highlighting the historical and thematic parallels between the two genres.
• IRIDESCENT WORLDS: UBIK: This chapter examines Dick's novel Ubik, analyzing how the text deliberately undermines the stability of the fictional world. It explores the concept of "Dickian space" and its implications for understanding reality.
• TIME AND HISTORICITY: TIME OUT OF JOINT: This chapter delves into Dick's use of historicity in texts like Time Out of Joint, examining his manipulation of time and its impact on the characters and their perceptions.
• METAFICTION AND THE REAL WORLD: "SMALL TOWN," THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE AND A MAZE OF DEATH: This chapter focuses on Dick's preference for allegory and metafiction, analyzing his storytelling techniques in "Small Town," The Man in the High Castle, and A Maze of Death. It explores the relationship between Dick's fictional worlds and the real world, highlighting his use of metafiction as a means of exploring the nature of meaning-production.
• FLUID SELVES: EYE IN THE SKY AND A SCANNER DARKLY: This chapter examines Dick's exploration of identity and selfhood in Eye in the Sky and A Scanner Darkly, showcasing how his characters grapple with the fluidity of their selves in unstable and unpredictable worlds.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

This paper focuses on the themes of postmodernism, science fiction, reality, identity, technology, society, metafiction, allegory, and the works of Philip K. Dick.