Futuristic Dystopia in Philip Dick’s A Scanner Darkly (1977)

Abstract

Philip Dick is a renowned science fiction writer. His novels depict dystopian futuristic societies and discuss a reoccurring theme of the dangers of over reliance on technology. Dick‟s masterful exploration of the theme inspired the selection of the topic. Previous attempts at probing the topic focused on the postmodern aspects of the novel. This dissertation attempts instead to lay emphasis on the pessimistic futuristic interest of the novel. This study aims to answer two core questions: What indicates that Philip Dick‟s A Scanner Darkly is a futuristic novel, and most importantly how do the dystopian elements of the narrative make it futuristic? An eclectic approach of both a qualitative and analytical methods is employed to contextualize the analysis of the novel and answer the aforementioned questions