Weeks 7 and 8
Science fiction - PKD
1) What is the difference in emphasis between the terms science fiction and speculative fiction? Which is The Man in the High Castle?
2) According to Mountfort (2006), what role does the I Ching have as an organisational device in the structure of Man in the High Castle? How does the use of this device illuminate the character of the novel’s protagonists?
3What does Brown (2001) identify as the central themes and concerns of the novel? What elements conform to the wider generic features of science fiction?
4) What does Dick(1995) himself theorise about the I Ching?
5) A Scanner Darkly is not really Science Fiction but a thinly disguised autobiography.
A Scanner Darkly is true Science Fiction in that it takes a trend in society, in this case surveillance, and takes it to its logical extreme.
Comment on these two different views with reference to the film and/or the novel and what you can discover about the author's life.
Genre studies itself has elicited an expansive area of debate both intertextually but also within the authors of such coined works themselves. The speculative fiction and science fiction debate is no different. At first glance one would assume science fiction to come under the umbrella term of speculative fiction. As Thomas (2013) states, “both are genres that move readers to imagine alternative ways of being alive” and are equally both “powerful genres for building critical literacy”, therefore there are definite similarities and they are not necessarily mutually exclusive.
ReplyDeleteHowever, “the term “genre” itself is perplexing”, (Thomas, 2013) where so many blend and become intricately intertwined that a piece of work can no longer purely be of a single genre, science fiction is particularly culprit to this. “[Science fiction is] such a porous genre, [it] can bend and stretch and absorb other genres so easily that sometimes it goes beyond simple genre hybridization into a loose collection of generic texts” (Dawe, 2015).
Take the Atwood/Le Guin debate over the definition of the science fiction terminology. Le Guin (2009) claims that Atwood’s novels are science fiction in the sense that science fiction extrapolates imaginatively from current trends and events to a near-future. Atwood however conversely claims that everything that happens in her novels is possible and may have already happened, so they can’t be science fiction which she terms as “fiction in which things happen that are not possible today” (Mancuso, 2016), in other words she aligns her pieces with speculative fiction. “This arbitrarily restrictive definition seems designed to protect her novels from being relegated to a genre still shunned by hidebound readers, reviewers and prize-awarders. She doesn't want the literary bigots to shove her into the literary ghetto.” “The widespread acceptance of the term “speculative fiction,” as Atwood has defined it, would spell the end for continuing efforts to legitimize science fiction as a genre” (Le Guin, 2009).
Therefore as we can see the debate lies not only within genres but also between distinguishing genres. However “naming things is innately human” (Thomas, 2013) and “a genre arises out of some deeper social need… [it] is not some independent floating construct… genres gratify people… [and] a particular mindset” (Thomas, 2013) therefore this debate is unavoidable in the sense that individuals have different needs.
The basis of both speculative and science fiction is that they both speculate. “Curiosity is the essential quality of any scientist. A scientist always wonders, “Why are things the way they are? Why can’t they be some other way?”, and in that sentiment is the spirit of science fiction.”(Dawe, 2015). “But doesn’t that make all fiction speculative? Fiction, by definition, is untrue, so all of it involves some degree of speculation” (Neugebauer, 2014). Speculative fiction on the other hand focuses on the “what if?” which the author speculates upon the results of changing what’s real or possible, not how a character would react to a certain event. Speculative fiction is any fiction in which the “laws” of that world (explicit or implied) are different than ours (Neugebauer, 2014). From what I have determined, the defining emphasis however would have to be that speculative fiction focuses more on an alternate setting to that of our real perceived world whereas science fiction seeks to extrapolate current trends and scientific discoveries into a futuristic phenomenon of our own world.
A thoughtful post. Note that novelist David Mitchell has taken this genre blending to a new level with his 'transficion'.
DeleteConsidering Dick himself avoided the mainstream story and character arcs by Vogler, this trend can be seen in the definition of his novels’ genres. The Man in the High Castle is exemplary of this debate. This alternate history novel cannot singularly be branded a science fiction novel despite its scientific themes of parallel universes (Tagomi sliding out of his quasi-reality where the axis powers had won into one where they had lost) and rocket ships (simply an alternative mode of travel between countries). Therefore, it’s not so much the presence of scientific phenomena that classify a novel to the genre but inasmuch as how they are used. Tagomi’s time slip simply highlights the overarching idea of perceived realities and multiple, parallel universes, and the scientific advancements of the Nazi’s rocket ships so much as fully flesh out the constructed world by emphasising the scientific advancements important to Nazi Germany who now hold the reign outside of a depression. Therefore, these scientific phenomena were not so much the main forces of plot driving inasmuch they were used for different agendas to support the overarching idea that was being speculated i.e. the alternate result to the history of WWII as we perceive it to be true.
ReplyDeleteAt the same time, the inclusion and importance of the I Ching as an oracle contests scientific notions. “The novel is deeply rooted of religion and philosophy… where the I Ching is central to all of the characters’ lives” (McKee, 2005). Not only this but “the very plot of the novel was determined by I Ching readings” (McKee, 2004). Therefore the main driving external force of the novel is rooted in religion, consequently one cannot coin the novel to be entirely science fiction as scientific notions were not the basis of the novel’s construction.
Accordingly, despite the debate surrounding the classification of genres themselves, I believe The Man in the High Castle to be a piece of speculative fiction rather than science fiction. This is due to the general nature of its speculation “what if the Axis powers had won WWII?” therein creating with that speculation an alternate setting and how that affects characters rather than how scientific advancements and phenomena affect the characters.
References
Dawe, I. (2015). Man in the High Castle and The Flexibility of
the Science Fiction Genre. [blog]. Retrieved from
http://sequart.org/magazine/61770/man-in-the-high-castle-and-
the-flexibility-of-the-science-fiction-genre/
Le Guin, U. (2009). The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood.
Retrieved from
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/aug/29/margaret-
atwood-year-of-flood
Mancuso, C. (2016). Speculative or science fiction? As Margaret
Atwood shows, there isn't much distinction. Retrieved from
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/aug/10/speculative-or-
science-fiction-as-margaret-atwood-shows-there-isnt-much-
distinction
McKee, G. (2004). A Scanner Darkly: Dick as a Christian
theologian. In Pink Beams of Light from the God in the
Gutter: the science-fictional religion of Phillip K. Dick.
NY: U Press of America.
Neugebauer, A. (2015). What is Speculative Fiction? [blog].
Retrieved from http://annieneugebauer.com/2014/03/24/what-is-
speculative-fiction/
Thomas, P. (Ed.). (2013). Science fiction and speculative
fiction. In Critical Literacy Teaching Series: Challenging
Authors and Genre (Vol. 3). https://doi.org/10.1007/ 978-94-
6209-380-5
A nice continuation of the argument. To my mind, The Man in the High Castle could equally be seen as an avant-guard or experimental novel.
Delete
ReplyDeleteThe I Ching, also known as the Book of Changes, serves as The Oracle in Philip K. Dicks Man in the High Castle. Dick creates his story based on an alternate history where the Nazis won World War 2. Within this setting, he relates many of his characters to the I Ching. For example, in Chapter 4 Frank asks the I Ching whether or not he should get involved with Ed in business. After discovering his hexagram, he goes back to the I Ching to understand what it meant. With each character basing their decisions heavily on the I Ching, Dick uses this as an organizational device to tie together fate and history (Brown, 2001).
Ideally, we can break down the story into sub-stories involving each individual character. Unlike most stories, there isn’t just one protagonist. With that being said, Frank, Juliana, Tagomi and Childan can all be viewed as the protagonist of the story in its entirety. By focusing on individuals as opposed to a greater character scale, Dick makes the story more relatable to the audience. He puts each character in situations that, we as humans, probably also experience, making the story much more captivating. By adding the I Ching as a tool for decisions, Dick creates an environment where one might question whether or not there is a free will or if everything is left up to fate. He does this by creating characters who look towards The Oracle and others who don’t. This offers two stances of decisions thus illuminating the protagonist by how and why they chose what they did.
The I Ching is the central device that the story is built on. In addition to relating to the characters, it contradicts fascism. The I Ching may be seen as a device that tells you to pay attention to the signs of the universe, whereas fascism “advocates excessive action” (Campbell, 1992). This is parallel to the characters. Fascism versus the I Ching (and fate), parallel to decisions made by characters through the I Ching and Fascist Germans. All in all, Dick does a great job interconnecting the characters, the I Ching, and history all in one novel.
Campbell, Laura E. 1992. "Dickian Time in The Man in the High Castle", Extrapolation, 33: 3, pp. 190–201.
Brown, E. (2001). Introduction. In Dick, P.K., The Man in the High Castle (p.v-xii). London: Penguin.
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ReplyDeleteWhat does dick (1995) himself theorise about the I ching?
ReplyDeletePART 1
Phillip K. Dick(1995) talks about the I Ching in relation to schizophrenia and synchronicity. PKD distinguishes schizophrenic 'existence' from the ordinary person's existence as "having it all in the now", in other words unavoidably experiencing every possible outcome as reality and truth. This is an idea that is hard to grasp for ordinary minds as we typically believe in the causality of events. (i.e an action leads to a chain reaction of events based a blend of conscious decision making and some coincidence). A helpful metaphor that PKD uses to describe this difference is "the whole can of film has descended on him [the schizophrenic], whereas we [the ordinary person] watch it progress frame by frame" (Dick, 1995 . P.176).
This type of existence is one that is wholly concerned with the idea of synchronicity. This is theory conceptualized by well known psychologist Carl Jung. To keep it brief and simple (and not do your head in with the complexity of his theory), Jung (1952) defines synchronicity as "meaningful coincidences" (as cited by Casement,2007 " who owns Jung"). In short this means that any series of events can be related to each other but have no causal relationship. PKD relates this to schizophrenic existence, stating that schizophrenic people are fully aware of synchronicity and that it is only "news to us that such coincidences can happen" (Dick, 1995. p. 179). As you, like I have realized, the idea of synchronicity is a complex concept as it shows us an alternate form of reality (or rather baffles us with the true reality that we have never grasped before).
PKD introduces the I Ching as a coping device for the daunting realizations of synchronicity. Against popular belief, PKD states that the I Ching is "not a fortune telling device" (p. 179) rather it is an "analytical and diagnostic" (p. 179) approach to current existence and all of its outcomes. PKD states that this is actually a theme that occurs in SF constantly, that a character's effective actions are destroyed because the idea of a future is non existent. PKD's theories on the I Ching or the Oracle to developed the direction of his novel 'The Man in the high Castle' ( 1962) which I will use birefly as an example. The novel deals directly with the concept of synchronicity, centering around the lives of Frank Fink, his ex-wife Juliana, Japanese official Mr. Tagomi and salesman Robert Childan. All of the characters live separate lives and consult the I Ching based on their situation and yet somehow there are points in the novel where they intersect each other in 'meaningful coincidences'....
PART 2
ReplyDelete...The most obvious realization of synchronicity in the novel is at the final chapter when Juliana Frink consults the oracle and asks it why it wrote the book "The grasshopper lies heavy". The book is a story that depicts the world as it currently is (in the real life reader's reality where the axis powers won world war 2). It is an alternate reality to 'The man in the high castle' where the exact opposite has happened. The hexagram that the I Ching produces is "inner truth" (Chapter 15) and at this moment the author of 'the grasshopper lies heavy' and Juliana realise that the novel is in fact true and has happened/is happening. (A big nod by PKD to the ideas of synchronicity).
One chapter back in 'The man in the high castle" Mr. Tagomi casts the exact same hexagram " inner truth, pigs and fishes…" (chapter 14) which we read after he has shot two government officials and is now having a heart attack. Tagomi is also responsible for releasing Frank Fink (Juliana's ex husband) from jail and so we get a sense that their lives are interconnected through the I Ching hexagrams that PKD used to direct the novel but not at all causal.
To conclude PKD's complex research on the I Ching and his genuine interest in it's mechanisms to write his novel and further explore the reality of the world itself have created profound works that extend their publishing date. PKD and his use of the I Ching resonate beyond his texts, because maybe in some alternate but totally possible reality, they are true and will be true.