Hogfather and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

[JustAnotherGeek]

'K.

Probably going out on a limb here, but see what you think.

(BTW, there will obviously be open spoilers. If you haven’t read both books, and you don’t want to know key details revealed near the end of the book, you shouldn’t read any further. But, to be honest, you probably know all that. This paragraph is, in fact, just mouse-over space. mouse-over space mouse-over space mouse-over space mouse-over space mouse-over space mouse-over space fnord mouse-over space mouse-over space mouse-over space mouse-over space mouse-over space mouse-over space mouse-over space)

Hogfather (by Terry Prattchet) and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (by Philip K. Dick) have a similar theme (one that is absent in Blade Runner).

In Hogfather, after Susan rescues the Hogfather from the auditors, she gets into a conversation with Death (her grandfather - if you haven’t read pterry, it’s a long story) about why it was so important to have a Hogfather at all.

[arguing about what would have happened had the Hogfather died:]
“It’s been a long night, Grandfather! I’m tired and I need a bath! I don’t need silliness!”
THE SUN WOULD NOT HAVE RISEN.
“Really? Then what would have happened, pray?”
A MERE BALL OF FLAMING GAS WOULD HAVE ILLUMINATED THE WORLD.
…
“All right,” said Susan. “I’m not stupid. You’re saying that humans need… fantasies to make life bearable?”
REALLY? AS IF IT WAS SOME KIND OF PINK PILL? NO. HUMANS NEED FANTASY TO BE HUMAN. TO BE THE PLACE WHERE THE FALLING ANGEL MEETS THE RISING APE.

In Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, after Buster’s great surprise, the chickenhead Isidore asks Mercer if it’s true that Mercer is an actor and a fraud.

“Is that why they claim you’re a fraud?”
“I am a fraud,” Mercer said. “[The androids are] sincere; their research is genuine. From their standpoint, Buster Friendly’s disclosure was convincing. They will have trouble understanding why nothing has changed. Because you are still here and I’m still here. … I lifted you from the tomb world just now and I will continue to lift you until you lose interest and want to quit. But you will have to stop searching for me because I will never stop searching for you.”

'k. So, I think that Isidore may possibly be one of the few humans in the character list. But I think that the point in the two books is that humans (even addle-pated ones like a chickenhead) are human only through the things they believe. Such things as the Auditors and the Andys may develop emotions, but never have the ability to understand such things as JUSTICE. MERCY. DUTY. THAT SORT OF THING. The big lies. [HUMANS] NEED TO BELIEVE IN THINGS THAT AREN’T TRUE. HOW ELSE CAN THEY BECOME?

(That may be the oddest paring of books I have ever done, btw.) Well, what do you think? Am I mad? Is this a trivial revelation? I am pretty certain that this was the main theme of Hogfather, but am not so certain about Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. (This may also explain Unity’s character development in Thief of Time.)

[Charlie_Tan]

It’s been a long time since I read DADOES, so I don’t want to compare. Seeing how Pterry is such an avid reader and how much he’s influenced by… well everything, it wouldn’t surprise me if he has read PKD. However…
I love Hogfather and what Pterry says and I think he’s a much more accomplished writer than PKD, who was a master of writing dystopian, paranoid science fanasy. But Pterry does something much harder, he makes us laugh and suddenly stop, thinking “waitaminite, what did he just say?”
PKD was trying to be clever in his writing about humanity. Pterry goes beyond clever and, as the best court jester ever, has written five of the most profound books about what it is to be human, ever*.
I understand why you want to compare them, but I actually think that PKD is writing suited for kids in High School and College**, whereas Pratchett is much more mature***.
*Hogfather, Jingo, Night Watch, Small Gods, The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents.

** Along with *The Master and Margarita, A Confederacy of Dunces, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance * PKD should be read by young, innocent and idealistic minds.

***Cynicism and experience improves Pratchett, elevating his writing.

[NoCoolUserName]

I can’t say if you are correct, it’s been much too long since I read Androids, but the concept is interesting as all heck. I’ll dig out my copy, read it, then read Hogfather again, then get back to you.