American Writers (One Hundred Pages at a Time)

Part one of my series on James Fenimore Cooper's "The Pioneers," the first of the Leatherstocking Tales to be written. It shows Natty Bummpo as an old trapper in Templetown, a growing frontier community. What is the place of a man like Natty in a place like this?

"The Minority Report" is a bit of a Rorschach test for us. We will invariably see it as a story on police powers and survelliance, but maybe all Dick was doing was writing a tale of Cold War institutions at war.

My final look at James Fenimore Cooper's The Pathfinder. We say goodbye to Natty for a while, but he will be back as old man Leatherstocking in The Pioneers.

Part 4 of my review of James Fenimore Cooper's "The Pathfinder".

The finale of my series on Philip K. Dick's novel "The Man Who Japed".

Part five of my series on Philip K. Dick's novel "The Man Who Japed".

Part four of my series on Philip K. Dick's novel "The Man Who Japed".

Part three of my series on Philip K. Dick's "The Man Who Japed".

Part two of my series on Philip K. Dick's novel, "The Man Who Japed."

Part one of a series on Philip K. Dick's novel "The Man Who Japed."

Finally we come to Philip K. Dick's clearest expression of one of his long running concepts, the "Autofac", as important today as it ever was.

"Human Is" brings an end to an informal series of Philip K. Dick short stories on adultery, beginning with "Out in the Garden", "Beyond the Door," and "Of Withered Apples".

In "The Mold of Yancy", Dick examines how the media can shape public perception and figures that the best way to create ideological conformity is to plague the world with banality and charming folk wisdom. A fascinating idea.

Part 3 of my comments on James Fenimore Cooper's "The Pathfinder". This is the section where Natty (Pathfinder) has his heart broken.

In the story "The Chromium Fence", Philip K. Dick explores technology and the debate over transhumanism. Are we forced to particpate in the updates of consumer goods? Windows updates for everyone.

Part 2 of my series on James Fenimore Cooper's "The Pathfinder." We end up where we began, but we have lots of fun doing it.

In "Surface Raid," Philip K. Dick explores posthumanism in ways similiar to that of "Planet for Transients," but with deeper themes and emotional punch. Who is going to reclaim the earth after a war? What role will technology play? Will war divide humanity into different species?

In "The Pathfinder", James Fenimore Cooper picks up just a few months after the events of "The Last of the Mohicans". We see Natty Bummpo up to his old games, helping guide people to forts in the midst of war.

In this story, Philip K. Dick comes close to presenting a general theory of the post-human. Are they a threat? Are they the future? Are they are comrades? Are they outsiders? 

And now, the finale of James Fenimore Cooper's "The Last of the Mohicans".

Part 3 of my review of James Fenimore Cooper's "The Last of the Mohicans".

Do consumer goods control our minds? How does mass media, radio, or just the products in your hope affect your ideology? These are some of the questions explored in Philp K Dick's story, "Service Call".

Part two of my review of James Fenimore Cooper's "The Last of the Mohicans". In this episode we learn more about one of the best villans in early U.S. history, the Huron warrior Magua.

Just in time for the U.S. release of the episode of "Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams" comes my thoughts on the 1955 story. (Plus a few words on the episode.)

In thie episode we begin out look at the second of James Fenimore Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales, the epic adventure story "The Last of the Mohicans."