Damn! I wish they had "Exceptional" ratings when I was a kid! Hehehehehe... Peaches n Bea...
Damn! I wish they had "Exceptional" ratings when I was a kid! Hehehehehe... Peaches n Beans is back!!!
Member since:17.02.2003
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Hi. This is Steve. I am currently taking the reigns from Lori for a day or so. She wanted me to write an opinion on Philip K. Dick, and so here I am.
Master of the Dystopian future landscape, (ala the movies, "BLADERUNNER" and "TOTAL RECALL" which were both based on Philip K. Dick stories) THE MAN WHO JAPED sees Philip K. Dick at his dark humoured best. Amongst the crowded urbanized landscape of a distant planet, in a now stellar wide commercial earth empire, THE MAN WHO JAPED sees the main protagonist cast as an almost Quizotic character tilting at the "windmills" of a sterile society that has taken politics of contemporary "gated communities" and set their petty restrictions in legislation.
In a universe where, literally, personal space is a luxury that few can afford, apartments are now computer controlled to remodel a single living area as kitchen/bedroom/living space. The ultimate accolade a citizen can achieve is permission to return to, and settle on Earth.
The stability of the social order is kept in check by the Orwellian, Block Councils where, those who infringe, are expected to confess their misdemeanors to their fellow residents with whom they share the cramped living space with.
Punishments are agreed upon, and meeted out, by a vote amongst the residents so as to afford the ruling politique an all inclusive guilt in perpetuation of society by its own members.
The main protagonist of the novel is one Allen Purcell. An almost every man figure, Purcell reaches the point in his life where the dream of returning to Earth is suddenly tantalizingly close at hand.
Purcell works for an advertising agency and is offered the promotion, that due to the mental breakdown of his predecessor, could finally be his ticket home. The only dark cloud on the horizon is, Purcell, is a man haunted by dreams that tell him, as he wakes in a cold sweat, that he has infringed against the very core ideals of the society that he lives in. In his nightmares, Purcell, defaces the statue of the founding Father and idealogical hero of the vast corporate empire. This is further complicated when Purcell watches the local news broadcasts, only to find that the very damage he had dreamt of, has actually been perpetrated on the Founder's monument.
Concisely written, with descriptive and narrative nods, to one Raymond Chandler that can be found in other of Dick's works, his prose perfectly straddles the almost kitch street terms and idioms of the dime novel, and that what is termed as "high literature".
Purcell is one of those literary characters who is easy to relate to, his fears are the fears that many of us share in today's society of increasing urban isolationism and bland media conformity.
THE MAN WHO JAPED is a fine way to ease oneself into Dicks' personal world, a world that is both frighteningly familiar, and yet at times, convincingly futuristic. Some of the technology described will bring a wry smile to the face of the early 21st century audience, as, mention of tapes in a distant future are already a quaint anachronism. Be that as it may, Dick paints a convincing canvas of a future society not that far from our own. A slim tone, pithilly written, it is as fresh and scarily yet vitally funny as it was when it was first published.Here are a few websites that offer Philip K. Dick's novel THE MAN WHO JAPED:
www.half.com - Best price is $5.00 and can go up to $11.00 www.alibris.com - Best price is $5.95 and just depends where you buy it
and at http://www.bestwebbuys.com/books/compare/isbn/0375719350/isrc/b-hdr-search
There is over 40 different websites prices for this book. Enjoy.
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I've read 'Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep', perhaps this is worth checking out.
No_name 04.02.2004 18:45
Good run down on the story though I would've liked to know more about how the novel affected you, a little more analysis. I loved the book (and Dick in general) and agree it's a great place to ease your way into his work
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