Which will be more influential/is influential when the day is done.
(deleted: Even I go confused
)
(Dammit, lack of sleep with his name!)
(deleted: Even I go confused
)(Dammit, lack of sleep with his name!)
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Philip K. Dick vs. Stepen King
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Influential in what way? I've read Stephen King. Never read Dick.
(Sometimes, I can refrain from saying the obvious line. I thought of saying, "Don't know Dick.")
(Sometimes, I can refrain from saying the obvious line. I thought of saying, "Don't know Dick.")
J. R. Tomlin
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Omen, would you consider rewriting that last sentence? It's a little too twisted for my arthritic mind.
I think they've got about the same amount of influence, just in different media.
Philip K. Dick: Wrote books. Loved by a (relative) few avid readers. He passes on. His books become blockbuster films (Total Recall, Minority Report), and in this way reach the masses far better than his books did alone. The films may inspire a few fans to seek out more of PKD's books/stories.
Stephen King: His books reach the masses, and he's a rock-star sort of writer. Everyone knows his name. His books are made into films and mini-series, and with a few exceptions, the crossover films stink in comparison to the books.
One thing to think about here is the fact that while you can critique, review or ridicule one of PKD's books, it's pointless. He's written everything he's ever going to write, and didn't get to see his stories being transferred to film.
King is still alive, still writing, and still remains a cultural influence. He's seen not one, but two incarnations of The Shining in his lifetime.
Both of them can/could spin a good story. Both of them have had a pretty large reach.
However, I'd vote for PKD in a last man standing scenario. I think King has become more of a brand name.
Philip K. Dick: Wrote books. Loved by a (relative) few avid readers. He passes on. His books become blockbuster films (Total Recall, Minority Report), and in this way reach the masses far better than his books did alone. The films may inspire a few fans to seek out more of PKD's books/stories.
Stephen King: His books reach the masses, and he's a rock-star sort of writer. Everyone knows his name. His books are made into films and mini-series, and with a few exceptions, the crossover films stink in comparison to the books.
One thing to think about here is the fact that while you can critique, review or ridicule one of PKD's books, it's pointless. He's written everything he's ever going to write, and didn't get to see his stories being transferred to film.
King is still alive, still writing, and still remains a cultural influence. He's seen not one, but two incarnations of The Shining in his lifetime.
Both of them can/could spin a good story. Both of them have had a pretty large reach.
However, I'd vote for PKD in a last man standing scenario. I think King has become more of a brand name.
And I also think while King does use fantasy and sci-fi, I think the two are very different writers with different target audiences.
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No contest. King is by far the more influential. In fact, he's one of the most influential writers there have ever been! Dick's up there too, but not nearly as high. (Oops.)
JBI
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Influential in what sense? I would say Dick is far more influential when it comes to setting new bars, and altering the field of writing in general. King is far more read, that is for sure, but how many books of his are actually going to be read in 50 years? how many books of his will change the way people see writing. How many books of his are new or innovative is an even better question.
If you want to compare King to someone, try James Joyce; Dick isn't as influential as he was popular.
If you want to compare King to someone, try James Joyce; Dick isn't as influential as he was popular.
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I would disagree. I don't think King is innovative at all -- quite the opposite. He's rooted in a grand old tradition of storytelling.
He also happens to be better at it than almost anyone alive.
Philip Dick was nowhere near as accomplished a writer or story teller, but he was a pretty good writer and ideas were phenomenal -- philosophically challenging and way ahead of his time. The Three Stigmata Of Palmer Eldritch for example. is about the very nature of reality and the mysteries of religious experience, among other things.
But we're talking apples and oranges here -- they were writing very different types of books. As to who ultimately is more influential, I would say King in writing, but Dick, or at least his vision, in popular culture. Can you say Blade Runner?
Blade Runner is my all-time favorite movie, but I found the Dick book it was based on to be average, at best. And I would disagree with any argument that would say that King wasn't innovative. He was so innovative, he rewrote a lot of the rules. Still, people seem either to adore King or to disdain him. I'm one of the adoring people.
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As I said, I believe it's Dicks ideas that are so compelling more than his writing, although I actually enjoy his writing.
I'm a huge fan of Stephen King. I just don't see him as an innovator.
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I dispute that King is all that influential. Simply being prolific, doesn't mean one is influential. Unless you think quantity alone is influential.
I have to agree with the apples and oranges comment. I have read King, and the stories have stuck with me for various reasons. I think he has a good imagination and is an adequate storyteller. His goals seem to be different than Dick's, however, and also I would say that Dick was a far more talented writer, and was able to wield his tools with more panache.
Personally, I am very moved by Dick's writing in a way I will never be by King. And that's important to me.
Personally, I am very moved by Dick's writing in a way I will never be by King. And that's important to me.
PKD resonates in other places more than King does (a la Hollywood; youth circles) and keeps himself alive much longer than way. In that sense, King just feels "older" and more worn by corporate suits.
Almost every PKD book that's been made cinema has had a ripple effect on the industry and the moviegoer. For instance, Blade Runner. As noted by someone else, it's in my top 5. A Scanner Darkly may not have made big waves, but it did give filmmakers an opportunity to experiment. And that's another nugget of PKD: the unknown and what's beyond the beyond.
There's also the idea that PKD was way out on the edge, with drug use and so on. Hard to stop that sort of mythology within the entertainment universe. Stephen King is tame by those standards. Sure, he can define fear, but the first two Saw movies made more than every movie ever based on King's books.
Finally, there's the writing itself. My sense is that PKD had more Kerouac in him them Dickens. Certainly more Poe in him. Darker. More daring. King clings to things he knows work. He clings to fear. He's a fantastic, brilliant storyteller, King is. However, on any day and twice on Sunday, I want PKD at my campfire spinning his tale than King. It would just be more interesting.
PKD wins.
Almost every PKD book that's been made cinema has had a ripple effect on the industry and the moviegoer. For instance, Blade Runner. As noted by someone else, it's in my top 5. A Scanner Darkly may not have made big waves, but it did give filmmakers an opportunity to experiment. And that's another nugget of PKD: the unknown and what's beyond the beyond.
There's also the idea that PKD was way out on the edge, with drug use and so on. Hard to stop that sort of mythology within the entertainment universe. Stephen King is tame by those standards. Sure, he can define fear, but the first two Saw movies made more than every movie ever based on King's books.
Finally, there's the writing itself. My sense is that PKD had more Kerouac in him them Dickens. Certainly more Poe in him. Darker. More daring. King clings to things he knows work. He clings to fear. He's a fantastic, brilliant storyteller, King is. However, on any day and twice on Sunday, I want PKD at my campfire spinning his tale than King. It would just be more interesting.
PKD wins.
You're all making good points, I can't deny it. My viewpoint comes from being a King fan, not just for his storytelling but for his brilliance in all areas. I believe that his enormous commercial success has overshadowed his literary triumphs, and that he is underrated in that regard. Also, I've read every one of King's books, but only three of Dick's that I can remember, so I'm not really speaking from a position of authority in terms of judging his work.
Stephen King made a big impression with me growing up. He is a master writer, master storyteller. He can write any genre, any pov, and ensnare you despite whatever reservation you or prejudice you had before you read his first page.
By teh way, the Mist movie coming out was one of my favorite short stories growing up, can't wait to get it on DVD.
By teh way, the Mist movie coming out was one of my favorite short stories growing up, can't wait to get it on DVD.
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I didn't know they were competing. In fact, they aren't. They appeal to different audience shiftings entirely, and measuring their influence is an exercise best left to alcoholics and college professors.
Oh, are you guys either alcoholics or college professors? Then, nevermind. Carry-on.
*wanders off chasing wine*
Oh, are you guys either alcoholics or college professors? Then, nevermind. Carry-on.
*wanders off chasing wine*
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