Pay for the Printer
"Pay for the Printer" is a science fiction short story by American writer Philip K. Dick. It was first published in Satellite Science Fiction, in October 1956.
Plot[]
In a war-ravaged future, humanity has come to depend on an alien species known as the Biltongs, possessed of the ability to replicate items identically – although the copies only last for a short time. When the Biltongs become decrepit, the humans are forced to rediscover the skill of building.
Interpretation[]
Bradley Robert Arthur Congdon makes the case that "Pay for the Printer" is a critique "of the culture of consumerism and mass production."[1] Congdon connects Dick's story to a left wing analysis of the failings of capitalism, writing that, "it is not much of a stretch to see that a Marxian idea of alienation is at work, where mankind is so alienated from its labour that the possibility of survival is hamstrung."[2]
References[]
- ^ Congdon, Bradley Robert Arthur. "Prophet of the Postmodern: The Problem of Authenticity in the Works of Philip K. Dick" Thesis. University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, 2008. Available at http://library2.usask.ca/theses/available/etd-08072008-112806/. pg 10
- ^ Congdon, Bradley Robert Arthur. "Prophet of the Postmodern: The Problem of Authenticity in the Works of Philip K. Dick" Thesis. University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, 2008. Available at http://library2.usask.ca/theses/available/etd-08072008-112806/. pg 10-11
 | This article about a science fiction short story (or stories) published in the 1950s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by . |
- Short stories by Philip K. Dick
- 1956 short stories
- Works originally published in Satellite Science Fiction
- 1950s science fiction short story stubs