- The Mold of Yancy
The Mold of Yancy is a
science fiction short story byPhilip K. Dick , first published in 1955.The Mold of Yancy follows an investigation into an off-earth colony where a seemingly benign totalitarian society has emerged. The eponymous Yancy is a popular public figure who is actually a virtual person, created by teams of 'Yance-men'. All aspects of day to day life are commentated on by Yancy through adverts and broadcast shows, from breakfast cereal to music to politics. The populace of the society are essentially being de-politicized and homogenicized by the messages of Yancy. All of Yancy's opinions are the least controversial possible; the way his speech is written appears to be profound, yet the content is such that very little is in fact being said.
In the author's notes for this short story, it is mentioned that the Yancy character was roughly based on President Eisenhower.
It is published in "
The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick , Vol. Four: The Days of Perky Pat" (Underwood-Miller, ISBN 0-88733-053-3) [Publication data from [http://www.locusmag.com/index/t57.html#A6681 Locus magazine's index] ]See also
* "
The Penultimate Truth "References
* [http://www.philipkdickfans.com/pkdweb/The%20Mold%20Of%20Yancy.htm Notes on the Philip K. Dick fansite]
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