Scott Apel
Encyclopedia
D. Scott Apel is an American
author
and media critic
. He is famous for his analyses of the work of science fiction author Philip K. Dick
and the television series The Prisoner
.
Apel hosted a rebroadcast of The Prisoner on San Jose
public television station KTEH
in the mid 1980s. He compiled a new order of progression for the series' episodes based on extensive analysis, one which is considered by many to be definitive. He likens the series' structure to that of a three-act play
. Apel's commentary on the themes of The Prisoner notes the show's possible interpretations from Jungian psychology, Platonic philosophy, and Joseph Campbell
's "journey of the hero
".
Apel was friends with science fiction author Philip K. Dick. He was editor of The Dream Connection, a book which contained transcripts of an interview Apel held with Dick, as well as a letter written to from Dick to Apel. Apel was also interviewed for the documentary film The Gospel According to Philip K. Dick.
Apel has published some works of fiction, and was formerly a movie columnist for the San Jose Mercury News
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and media critic
Critic
A critic is anyone who expresses a value judgement. Informally, criticism is a common aspect of all human expression and need not necessarily imply skilled or accurate expressions of judgement. Critical judgements, good or bad, may be positive , negative , or balanced...
. He is famous for his analyses of the work of science fiction author Philip K. Dick
Philip K. Dick
Philip Kindred Dick was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist whose published work is almost entirely in the science fiction genre. Dick explored sociological, political and metaphysical themes in novels dominated by monopolistic corporations, authoritarian governments and altered...
and the television series The Prisoner
The Prisoner
The Prisoner is a 17-episode British television series first broadcast in the UK from 29 September 1967 to 1 February 1968. Starring and co-created by Patrick McGoohan, it combined spy fiction with elements of science fiction, allegory and psychological drama.The series follows a British former...
.
Apel hosted a rebroadcast of The Prisoner on San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
public television station KTEH
KTEH
KQEH is a public television station in San Jose, California, serving the San Francisco Bay Area as a PBS member station on channel 54. The station is owned by Northern California Public Broadcasting with sister-stations KQED in San Francisco and KQET in Watsonville, the latter mirroring KQED.Until...
in the mid 1980s. He compiled a new order of progression for the series' episodes based on extensive analysis, one which is considered by many to be definitive. He likens the series' structure to that of a three-act play
Dramatic structure
Dramatic structure is the structure of a dramatic work such as a play or film. Many scholars have analyzed dramatic structure, beginning with Aristotle in his Poetics...
. Apel's commentary on the themes of The Prisoner notes the show's possible interpretations from Jungian psychology, Platonic philosophy, and Joseph Campbell
Joseph Campbell
Joseph John Campbell was an American mythologist, writer and lecturer, best known for his work in comparative mythology and comparative religion. His work is vast, covering many aspects of the human experience...
's "journey of the hero
Monomyth
Joseph Campbell's term monomyth, also referred to as the hero's journey, is a basic pattern that its proponents argue is found in many narratives from around the world. This widely distributed pattern was described by Campbell in The Hero with a Thousand Faces...
".
Apel was friends with science fiction author Philip K. Dick. He was editor of The Dream Connection, a book which contained transcripts of an interview Apel held with Dick, as well as a letter written to from Dick to Apel. Apel was also interviewed for the documentary film The Gospel According to Philip K. Dick.
Apel has published some works of fiction, and was formerly a movie columnist for the San Jose Mercury News
San Jose Mercury News
The San Jose Mercury News is a daily newspaper in San Jose, California. On its web site, however, it calls itself Silicon Valley Mercury News. The paper is owned by MediaNews Group...
.
Partial bibliography
- Philip K. Dick: The Dream Connection, edited by D. Scott Apel. 2000
- Killer B's: The 237 Best Movies On Video You've (Probably) Never Seen (The Impermanent Press, 1997).
- Silicon Valley Night Beat December 1990, R & E Publishers
- The Films of Philip K. Dick by D. Scott Apel http://www.deepleafproductions.com/wilsonlibrary/texts/apel-dick.html
- The Complete works of D. Scott Apel Copyright 1982
- Daughter of the Wind Copyright 1981
- Approaching Science Fiction Writers by D. Scott Apel and Kevin C. Briggs. Copyright 1980
- E Attraction by D. Scott Apel. Illustrations by Yasha Haas. 1977 The Permanent Press.