Degree Name
MA (Master of Arts)
Program
English
Date of Award
5-2023
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Scott Honeycutt
Committee Members
Mark Baumgartner, Josh Reid
Abstract
The works of Philip K. Dick act as an ideal template for readers to explore what it means to be human in a technologically dominated world. Dick’s emphasis on the usage of androids and artificial intelligence as literary monsters allows for a posthuman reading of the traditional literary monster, notably in how their uncanny nature and behavior helps reveal the synthetic tendencies of humanity. In Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, “Imposter,” and “I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon,” each narrative incorporates artificial intelligence and androids acting as others to reveal the machine-like qualities of Dick’s human characters. This approach ultimately reveals Dick’s greater commentary on the nature of humanity’s tendencies to fall into machine-like patterns and expectations within the historical world. By asking questions of what it means to be human through posthuman monsters, Dick challenges the traditional definition of what it means to be both human and alive.
Document Type
Thesis - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Davis, Gabriel, "Mankind is Machine: A Monstrous Posthuman Reading of Philip K. Dick’s Selected Works" (2023). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 4224. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/4224
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.