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Race, Redemption, and the Black Other in the Life and Works of Philip

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Race, Redemption, and the Black Other in the Life and Works of Philip Embracing the Other : Race, Redemption, and the Black Other in Title the Life and Works of Philip K. Dick( 本文(Fulltext) ) Author(s) RUSSELL, John G. Citation [岐阜大学地域科学部研究報告] no.[23] p.[43]-[65] Issue Date 2008-08 Rights 岐阜大学地域科学部 (Faculty of Regional Studies, Gifu Version University) URL http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12099/23946 ※この資料の著作権は、各資料の著者・学協会・出版社等に帰属します。 岐阜大学地域科学部研究報告第23号:43-65(2008) 43 EmbraclngtheOther:RaceIRedemptionIandtheBlack OtherintheLifbandWorksofPhilipK･Dick JohnG.Russell (ReceiγdJqne30,2(X膚) Therelssomeofmeinyou･ EldonTyre11,Bkz(おRunYW Whenthewhitesfbelthattheyhavebecomemechanizedtheytumtomenof COlorandaskthemforalittlehumansustenance. uopoldSenghorl Ifyoudenyanya爪nitywithanotherpersonorkindofperson,ifyou declareittobewhollydiffbrenth)myOurSelf-aSmenhavedonetwomen, andclasshasdonetoclass,andnationhasdonetonation一-yOumayhateit Ordeifyit;butineithercaseyouhavedemieditsspiritualequalityandits humanreality･Youhavemadeitintoathing,tOWhichtheonlypossible relationshipisapowerrelationship･Andthusyouhavefatal1yimpove丘shed yourownreality･Youhave,infact,alienatedyourself. UtsulaK.LeGuin2 I Beforehisdeathin1982,PhilipK･Dickproducedanimpressivebodyofliterature thatinterrogatedquestionsofwhatitmeanstobehumaninalonely,depersonalizingand dehumanlZlngWOrld,thesuqectivenatureofreality,therelativityofdeviance,andthe Laingeanknotsofexistentialdespalr･Virtuallyunknownoutsideofthesciencenction genreduringhislifetime,manyOfDick-sgenreworkshavesincebeenreissuedbym句Or AmericanandBritishpublishers:aCOmPlete丘ve-VOlumecollectionofhisshortstoriesand 1LiopoldSenghor,CitedinFrantzFanon,BhzckSkinⅥ勃iteA血sks.NewYork:Grove P托SS,1!裕7,129. 2ursulaK･LeGuin,一tAmericanSFandTheOther."InTheLanguageqftheNight.New York:HarperCollins,1989,95. 44 JohnG.Russell anve-VOlumeco11ectionofhislettershavefbundprint･In20uytheLibraryofAmerica publishedacollectionofDick,sscience丘ctionnovels,addinghisworktoprevious collectionsbysuchAmerican1iteraryluminariesasHemlngWay,Faulkner,Hawth0rne･and Poe. In addition to Bladb Runner(1982),based on Dick's Do AndfoiゐDream QF ElectronicSheqp(1968),SeVeralofhisscience丘ctionworkshavebeenadapted(albeit loosely)forthescreenbymqiordirectors,includingStephenSpielberg'sMinorityR甲Ort (2002;Shortstory,1956),PaulVe血oeven'sTbtalRecall(1990;"WeCanRememberItfbr YouWholesale,,,1966),JohnWoo,sPqycheck(2003;Short story,1953)andRichard Linklater,sAScannerDark身(2007;nOVel1977)tonamebutafbw,aSWe11asinspired numerouscinematichomages:GaryWalkow'sTheTToublewithDick(1986),Alqiandro's Amenabar,sAbrelosqos(OpenYourEYeS､1997;remadein2001byCameronCroweas 侮nilhzS砂),PeterWeir,sme77･umanShow(1998),DavidCronenberg'sexistenZ(1999), Linklater,s勒kingL昨(2001)andmostrecentlyRichardKelly'sSouthklndTbおs(2007)･ CoJ密SSLionsQfaCJ甲Artist(1975),theonlymainstreamnovelbyDicktobepublished duringhislifbtime,WaSnlmedasBadobyJ6r6meBoivinin1993･Twosciencenction novels,meThreeStigmataQFPalmerElhitch(1964)andVdlis(1981),havebeenadapted fbrthestage.Dick'slifthasalsobecomethes叫ectofnumerousbiographies(Williams 1986,Rickman1989;Sutin1989;and Dick1995).His science nction wo血s and posthumouslypublishedmainstreamnovelshavebeensuqectedtoagrowlngbodyof criticalinqulry,muChofitcenteredonDick.sobsessions:ParanOidschizophrenia,the shiftingboundariesbetweenrealityandillusion,artandarti丘ce,theambiguousinterface his between human authenticity and mechanicalmimesis,and Gnostic/Su丘-inspired cosmologleS-Obsessions,Withtheexceptionofthelast,thatnowdennepostmodernangSt･ Astheacademicandliterarywoddsdrawtheirbattlelinesintheso-Calledculturewars･ DickmaybeoneofthefbwviableIIDeadWhiteMales't(thelateKurtVonnegutbeing perhapsaclosesecond)ofthepostmodemmoment,hissurreal,iconoclasticvisionsofloss humanityandcosmicconsplraCyhavingfoundanappreciativeaudienceinanincreaslngly EmbraclngtheOther: 45 Race,Redemption,andtheBlackOtherintheLifeandWorksofPhilipK.Dick ParanOidwoddthatevenbefore9/11hadcometoassumeanuncannyreSemblancetothose limnedinDick,s丘ction. Yetdespitetheacademicandliterarygravedigglng,theresurrectionofDick･soeuvre asbothscholadyandpopculturalfbdderandtheexpansivescopeofcriticalinqulry,Critics andcommentatorshavelargelyoverlookedthedepictionofblacksandracerelationsin theirreadingsand(re)presentationsofhisworks･3Thisisasurprisingomissionsinceboth 丘gure heavilyin Dick's nction･Indeed,Dick,s work consistently o鮎rsinsightfu1 COmmentariesonAmericanracialrelationsandawelcomerespite丘omthetraditionof StereOtypedportrayalsofblacksinsciencenction･Dickfsfictionisrichlypopulatedwith blackcharacters,from BobbyDaniels,一.thelittle blackkid一･nextdoorin･･TheFather Thing''(1954);Groves,thespaceshipcaptaininSohzrLotteTy(1955),hisdebutnovel;Bi11 Laws(EyeintheS砂,1957),theBleekmen(肋rtianTime-S触1964);SttnrtMcConchie (Dr･Bloodhonq:Or Hbw勒GotAk)ng4Per the Bomb,1965);Jim Briskin,the PreSidentialcandidate(meChckin伽ce,1966);PercyX(乃eGa7Vme虎Tbkeover, 1967);RayRobertsandtheAnarch托ake(Cbunter-Clockl伽ki,1967);MontgomeryL. Hopkins(Flow喝′Tbars,thePolicemanSdid,1974);andfniiah(TheDivine血v鮎ion, 1982)to,inhismainstreamnction,Mrs･Lane(肋〝甲tyDumptyinOakhznd,Written1960; Published1986)andCarletonTweaney(肋TyandtheGiant,Written1953-55;Published 1987)･Particulady factthatin his noteworthyis the meditations on alterity,Dick COnSistentlycasthisblackcharaCterSintheroleofredeemerandbydoingsowasableto SubvertbothmainstreamandSFconventionsintheirdepictionsofblacks. Unlikemanyofhiscontemporaries,Dick.srepresentationofblacksseldomadhered tothestereotypessoprevalentinthegenreinwhichhewroteandtheliterarymainstream 3Blacksarevirtual1yabsentftomⅢmadaptationsofDick,swo血,ironicglVentheir ubiquitouspresenceinhisnction･Blacksappearinonlystereotyped(Benny,thecoonish, jive-talkingmutanttaxidriverin7btalRecall),One-dimensional(thestreet-SmartreSistance 茄ghterinhTPOSter(2002)),Orminor(theblackpolicecaptaininMnorityRq,Ort)rolesin theseadaptations･Indeed,adaptationsofthosewo止sinwhichblacksandracerelations formamqiorsubtext(e･g･,Crackin伽ce,Eyeinthe勒,Counter-ClockWbr域and GanymedkThkeover)haveyettobe丘1med. 46 JohnG.Russell hedesperatelystruggledtoenter･Indeed,Dickseemstohavetakenasmuchpleasurein subvertlngCOntemPOraryStereOtypeSOfblacksashedidinblumngthelinebetweenreality anddelusion･Moreover,inagenrethattraditionallycelebratedbourgeoissocialvaluesand thesquare｣aWedheroicsofstalwart,WhiteNietzcheanSupermen,Dickempathizedwith ordinarypeople-thettlittlepeople,Mtheproletariatanditslumpenbrethren-Whostrove, ofteninisolation,tOSaVetheumiverseagainstthespirituallydebilitatingfbrcesofentropy, loneliness,Chaos,andtechnologicaldehumanization･Commentingonascenein眈rtian 77me-Sl*lnWhichManfredSteiner,anautistic,Whiteschizophrenicyouthlivinglna Martiancolony,1SOfferedaclgarette丘omaBleekmanwoman,adark-Skinnedindigeneof Mars,UrsulaLeGuinwrites: The shy offbrofaclgaretteis athorough1yDickian gestureofsalvation･ EmpirefromtheTentacledAndromedans･ Nobody eversavestheGalactic Somethingindeedhasbeensaved,butonlyahumansoul･Weareaboutasね･r 丘omthepanOPlyofspaceoperasaswecanget(LeGuin1995,180)･ Ifthereisam句OrWeaknessinDickfsdepictionofblackcharactersitisthattheyare alltooofteninterchangeable,StanPed丘omthesamearchetypaltemplate,afaulttheyshare withmanyofhisotherliterarycreations(e･g･,theDafk-hairedGid,thebitchywifb,the stinedbureaucratandthestrugglingartisan).WhileDickmayromanticizethestatusof blacks as outsider,he nonetheless a1lows them to retain afundamentalhumanity,a characteristictheysharewithhisAlienOthers:COmPaSSionateGanymedeanslimemolds, existentialMartianwubs,andartisanalglimmungs･ Dick･sphenomenologyenvisionedthewoddasanarenaofcompetingrealities,SOme morehegemomicthanOthers,Whereprivate,isolatedrealities(theidioskosmos)co11ide withthoseofothers,eVentuallyallowlngaglimpseofthesubstruCtureOfreality,thekoinos kosmos(socialreality)inwhichalllivesareinextricablyinterconnected･Itshouldthus comeasnosurpnsethatinDickts丘ctionmanyoftheseencountersoccuratintersections, bothphysicalandmetaphysical,Wherehischaracters,atOnetimesafblyensconcedintheir ownprivatewodds,arealmostinevitablybroughtintocontactwithindividualsonits EmbracingtheOther: 47 Race,Redemption,andtheBlackOtherintheLifeandWorksofPhilipK.Dick marglnS･Asoccupantsofdifftrentrealities,individualsremainessentiallystrangers,until PerSOnalorcosmiccatastropheshatterstheirold,StenOphremicwoddview･Thethemeof SeParaterealitiesisapersistentoneinDick-ssciencenction,butitalsohdsexpressionin hismainstreamnovels,Wheretheseparationislessmetaphysicalthantheresultofsocial forcesthatcircumscribeterritoriesofraceandclass;thepotentialforhuman1iberationis released when those separate realities are broughtinto alignment and solitary souls rediscoverthemselves andare transfbrmedthroughtheirencounterwith apreviously unknownOther･AsWagnerhasputit‥ To survive,theweakbutresourcefulhumanSmuStlose theirfaithinsurfhce appearances;aSeaChlayerofrealityispeeledoff,theymustcomealittlecloser todiscovenngtheTruth,theactualbasisoftheircondition.Thenatureofthe deceptionmayvary:SOmetimesthefbrcesresponsibleliespurelyinthepolitical SPhere;SOmetimestheyreachintothetranscendent,and doubtandfaithare imbuedwithreligiousmeanlng･Consistently,however,inordertosucceedthe humansareforcedtoupholdtheiressentialhumanness,thekeyqualityofwhich isapropensitytowardkindnessandempathy(Wagner1985,69-70). TheredemptiveencounterwiththeOtherisarecumngtropeinbothDicklsSFand mainstreamWO血･IndepictingencounterswiththeBlackOther,Dickeschewedstandard StereOtypeSOfblacksassex-Obsessedpredators,COmicbuffbons,andcardboardda血ies, PreSentingtheminsteadasarchetypeSOfanauthentichumanitythatwhiteshadsomehow lostintheirquestfbrpower,maStery,andauthority･Itistheseveryqualitiesofcompassion, empathy,andagqpethatde血etheOtherinDicklsfiction,anditisthroughtheencounter
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