In this blog post, I will be discussing Philip K Dicks and his use of the I Ching and how his views on the oracle and its role in the novel shift over time.
In writing the novel the man on the high castle Philip K Dicks used the I Ching to create and advance the plot for his character (Mountfort, 2020). In doing so he placed an importance on the I Ching that was unlike anyone else had when using other oracle typed mechanisms in their work (Mountfort, 2020). Unlike people like Sylvia Plath used this oracle, the I Ching in his case as oppose to the more western taro cards, as an engine to create a story rather than a plot device (Mountfort, 2020). In Dicks own words “I used [the I Ching] in The Man in the High Castle because a number of characters used it. In each case when they asked a question, I threw the coins and wrote the hexagram lines they got…” (Mountfort, 2020). Through this quote and through the information on how Philip K Dicks used the I Ching one can reasonably state that Dicks viewed of the oracle, the I Ching, as important and revolutionary in the context of storytelling.
In regards to Dicks shifting view of the oracle, I Ching, and its role as part of his novel one can note that while individual like Paul Williams describes the oracles contributions and “not extensive,” (Mountfort, 2016) it does seem that Dicks himself had a differing opinion on this. Writing later in Schizophrenia & the Book of Changes “I speak from experience. The Oracle—the I Ching—told me to write this piece” (Mountfort, 2020). So we can see that while before the oracle, I Ching, had a role of service to Dicks in creating storyline he now seemed to place the oracle even before his control in general. Whereas before he described it as taking some creative control from himself as it randomized these playthrough of his characters’ stories stating “I’ve used it to develop the direction of a novel”, the man in the high castle being the said novel(Mountfort, 2020), he now seemed to imply that it had influence over him the writer.
Now Philip K Dicks wrote and won the 1962 Hugo award, though science fiction as a genre had not yet garnered large respect and was still seen as low brow works (Mountfort, 2020). Despite this Dicks won awards and recognition in a time of this view of science fiction as the pulp fiction of the 1940s to ’60s. It still holds large respect from the writing community and is seen as a pioneer in the area of alternat history fiction (Mountfort, 2020). It kind of makes sense that as a writer his view of the I Ching did evolve as there was a benefit in him using this oracle in a way that in his own words to developed plot (Mountfort, 2020). It cannot be confirmed if it truly told him to write it but the prediction of its success (Mountfort, 2020) even after he passed holds. In any case, it’s clear that Philip K Dicks view of the oracle shifted to one of more dependence on it as time progressed.
Reference
Mountfort, P (Lec). (2020). The man in the high castle, uchronie and the I ching [Lecture powerpoint]. Retrieved from https://blackboard.aut.ac.nz/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_96250_1&content_id=_5273101_1&mode=reset
Mountfort, P (Lec). (2020). The man in the high castle, uchronie and the I ching [Lecture recording]. Retrieved from https://blackboard.aut.ac.nz/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_96250_1&content_id=_5273101_1&mode=reset
Mountfort, P. (2016). The I ching and philip k. dick’s the man in the high castle. Science Fiction Studies, 43(2), 287-309. https://blackboard.aut.ac.nz/bbcswebdav/pid-5348349-dt-content-rid-13108728_4/institution/Papers/ENGL602/Publish/Mountfort%202016_High%20Castle%281%29.pdf
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