LITR 4632: Literature of
the Future
Student Future-Visions Presentation 2009
Veronica Nadalin
June 18th, 2009
A Future We’ll Live to See?
A Look into “A Boy and His Dog”
1975
Objective 1—Narratives of the Future
a. Apocalyptic- after society blows itself to bits, there is virtually nothing left
b. Evolutionary- Humans “devolving” and animals, like dogs, are evolving to the point than mankind learns about history and vocabulary from animals.
Objective 2—Visions of the Future
2. To identify, describe, and criticize typical visions or scenarios of the future
a. Low tech; actual reality- rough, messy, hot, real, power hungry
b. Dystopia; opposite of a utopia
c. Re-exploring what has been lost
Objective 3—Narrative & Symbol
3. To comprehend basic theories of narrative, plot, or story with narrative's relation to symbol.
a. atomic war- apocalypse
Summary
A post-apocalyptic tale, filmed in the near future, based on a novella by Harlan Ellison, who also assisted with the screenplay.
The film is about a boy, Viv, who communicates telepathically with his dog. The dog is a “Rover”--dogs bred with telepathic capabilities for war for World War IV.
The two discover an underground society where the old American culture is preserved. Quilla June, a daughter of one of the leaders, seduces and lures him below, where people have become unable to reproduce because of being underground so long. They plan to use him for essentially as a sperm donor before getting rid of him.
Vic escapes with Johnson and Quilla June follows. The end reinforces the concepts of “true love” and “friendship.” (Giving away the end would be a crime.)
Discussion Questions
1) As the poster reads, do you really think something like this could happen, just not in our lifetime?
2) Both the novella and the film have been considered “Exploitative” and “raw.” Thinking about these descriptions, do you feel as if some of this could be justifiable if the world did end up like it did in the film?
Prof's follow-up question: How do such qualities make SF a "guy genre?"
3) The setting is the year 2024, the same as the Parable of the Sower. In what ways are these two stories similar? How are they different?
Prof's follow-up question: Post-apocalyptic genre?--compare Mad Max trilogy
4) Just for fun, how do you think the film ends?
LINKS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfE1Mi_4u7o (movie clip)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9ermq_-jog&feature=related (trailer)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLyMNpu4F3w (clip)