Week 8

According to McKnee, what relationship did Dick’s ideas have to (a) Christianity (b) religion and philosophy in general?

McKnee says that "The concept of Christ as a living word fascinated Dick, and much of his writing refers to the doctrine 'of logos'" and Dick associated the logos directly with Christ and Christianity. This shows us that many of Dicks ideas had close ties to Christianity, and many philosophical points to do with religion also.

McKnee continues to argue that "Thus... Scripture, the temporal logos that reflects Gods creative and sustaining word is a finite source from which infinite truth springs." This comes out extremely strongly in Augustine, when he tries to stop using normal words for daily purposes, and only uses his words to preach about the greatness of God.

Clearly many of Dick’s ideas had strong influences by Christianity, this comes through in many of his works. McKnee’s argument that much of Dicks works were influenced by the ‘logos’ proves this, as once this is realized it becomes clear to his readers that there are strong religious currents flowing through many of his works.

Reference List:

McKnee, G. (2004). A Scanner Darkly: Dick as A Christian Theologian. In Pink Beams of Light from God in the Gutter: the science fictional religeon of Philip K. Dick. NY: U Press of America.

Week 7

According to Mountfort (2006), what role does the I Ching have as an organisational device in the structure of High Castle? How does the use of this device illuminate the character of the novel’s protagonists?

Mountfort clearly states that the use of the I Ching helped Dick organize and structure his novel.

"There are 10 oracle consultations outlined within the covers of High Castle that Dick received from the I Ching when he posed it questions at various critical junctures in his novel regarding the situations his characters faced, how they should interpret events, what they should do next and what the result would be." (Mountfort)

This small passage stood out to me, as it clearly and obviously answers the question. It helps Dick organize when main events happen to main characters, and more importantly, how they respond. This is a helpful device and would have influenced the end result of Dicks novel immensely. The 10 oracle consultations clearly played large roles in the creation of his novel, and played as its central organizational device.

"These ten consultations also illuminate the sub terrain fate-lines that connect characters who never meet but who's decisions and actions effect each other in concrete ways." (Mountfort.) This quote answers the second part of the question, as the I Ching helped create the 'fate-lines' that connect the protagonists. That means it was directly responsible for what happened between the characters.


Reference List:

Mountfort, P. (2006) Oracle-text/Cybertext in Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle. Conference paper, popular culture association/ American culture association annual joint conference, Atlanta, 2006.

Week 6

How do it and other Miyazaki films address the humanity/nature divide, according to Wright (2005)? Could Miyazaki’s vision be described as in some sense religious (inasmuch as it conveys a sense of the
sacred)?

Interestingly enough, after having a little read through the critical reader I came across a quote from Hayao Miyazaki that i find rather fitting.

"I'm hoping i'll live another 30 years. I want to see the sea rise over Toyko, and the NTV tower become an island... Money and desire - all that is going to collapse and wild green grasses are going to take over." - Miyazaki. This quote shows us his feelings towards humanity and nature, and this viewpoint becomes apparent after watching some of his productions.
According to Wright (2005) Miyazaki's works often depict a time of nostalgia when humans lived more at one with nature. In many of his productions this can to a point be taken in a more religious or sacred sense.
For example the presence of spiritual forces, and Japanese mythology has been embedded into many of his works. In Princess Mononoke when the humans declared war on the Wild Gods, this was clearly Miyazaki's depiction of what was happening in the modern day, and is clearly addressing the divide between humanity and nature. Miyazaki is making a statement. His films are filled with spiritual and symbolic moments, many of which can be taken as having religious messages behind them also.

Reference List:

Wright, L. (2005). Nature spirits, Giant insects and World trees: The nature vision of Hayao Miyazaki. In the Journal of Religion of popular culture. Volume X. Summer 2005.

Week 5

Looking at Napier and Cavallaro (2006), discuss how anime is culturally ‘located’ – in the East or West, or somewhere else?

'Manga are conventionally regarded as the equivalent of western comics or graphic novels, yet are profoundly different from either.' (Carvello 2006). This is an interesting quotation to look at, because it shows us simply that manga may be similar to comic art forms produced in the west, but are in actual fact quite different. Carvello argues that Manga constitutes a much more influential cultural force in Japan than any comics do in the western world.

This shows us that Anima/Manga is culturally located in the East. The western societies take pride in comic making as well, but they aren't making the same product as the Japanese/Chinese, and what they make can in no way be called Anime/Manga.

'Manga exhibit a specific visual style based on conventions and codes that differ profoundly to those producing mainstream American cartoons' (Carvello 2006). This quote further verifies my argument that Anima/Manga is culturally located in the East, and the East alone. Western cartoonists lack certain style and use a differing technique to produce material that could be called Manga. In western society comics aren't viewed as seriously or read as widely as Manga is in Japan. It is a smaller market. Japan has culturally accepted Manga on so many levels, and as a result of this people of all ages in Japan read and buy Manga constantly. They draw messages from the cartoons, and gain a deeper meaning and understanding once they have read the story. Western society in no way holds comics with such a high regard.

Reference List:

Carvello, D. (2006).  The Anime Art of Hayao Miyazaki. London: McFarland and Company.

Week 8

Research the films that have been adapted from Philip K. Dick novels or short stories. Which have generally been acclaimed as the most successful? Why?

Philip K. Dick novels have paved the way for some successful films ranging from “Blade Runner” in 1982, “Total Recall” in 1990, to “A Scanner Darkly” in 2006 to name a few. These films raked in over 1 billion dollars in combined sales according to Philip K. Dick Trust (2010), but the ones with the most success during the Box Office weekend and ranked in the following order: “The Minority Report” in 2002, “Total Recall” in 1990 and “The Adjustment Bureau” in 2011. “Blade Runner”, released in 1982, managed to receive many nominations with quite a bit of success at awards ceremonies and has ranked well in several recognition categories. Movie adaptations of Dick’s texts became a major success, which were possibly due to involvement of A-List cast and directors at the times of production. For instance, Steven Spielberg, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Harrison Ford and Keanu Reeves were some of many Actors involved (Philip K. Dick Trust, 2010).

Dick, P. K. (2010). Philip K. Dick: The official site. Retrieved September 27, 2011 from http://www.philipkdick.com/films_intro.html

Week 7

What is the difference in emphasis between the terms science fiction and speculative fiction?

The difference between science fiction and speculative fiction is quite clear. Science fiction places emphasis on the newly created worlds, objects, technology which have not yet been invented. Whereas, speculative fiction visualises a story in a parallel or alternate universe, still respecting the limitations of the current world we live in. ‘The Man in the High Castle’ is a perfect example of a speculative fiction, as it is set in a time in the past without the addition of newer technologies. On top of that, this primary text is speculative of the likely events that would’ve taken place, would a world be run by the ‘Axis Powers’; upon a victorious result in World War 2. It focuses on situations revolving around a book written where the author “imagines how the world would be if the Axis had lost” (Dick, 2001; 1962); its popularity in turn turning many heads and escalating situations.

Dick, P.K. (2001; 1962). The Man in the High Castle. London: Penguin

Week 8

How does Dick’s essay (1999; 1964) illuminate his use of Nazism as a motif in High Castle?

A dominant idea, or motif, within ‘The Man in the High Castle’ (Dick, 1962) is that of ‘Nazism’. Nazism refers to the acts carried out by the Nazis, and as Harry Warner highlights, the acts carried out by the Nazis, Italians and Japanese with his novel provide a personal connection to the topics at hand. This is because ‘we might identify with the war guilt of the Germans because they’re so similar to us’ (Dick, 1964), and thus Dick has managed to take advantage of said relation and used Nazism as a motif in High Castle. Using the Nazi reference throughout The Man in the High Castle, Dick was able to use ideas and beliefs similar to the Nazi regime to display their capabilities in a future-noir novel. The essay he wrote helps to highlight these aspects and provide a clearer view on the matter that many readers may have looked over.

Dick, P.K. (1962). The Man in the High Castle. New York City, New York: Penguin Publishing

Dick, P.K. (1964). Nazism and the High Castle. In Sutin, L. (Ed.), The Shifting Realities of Philip K. Dick (pp.112-117). New York: Vintage.