“History and Historical Effect in Frank Herbert's ‘Dune’”
The article “History and Historical
Effect in Frank Herbert's ‘Dune’” by Lorenzo DiTommaso makes a very interesting
observation of Frank Herbert’s perspective on humans. In the article, Lorenzo
focuses primarily on Frank Herbert’s belief that not all humans are equal and
that Frank expressed this believe in his Dune saga using the hierarchy system.
According to Lorenzo, Frank arrived at that vision of the future because
Herbert believes that “the persistence of certain ideas and events in history
is indicative of the sporadic maturation of the race rather than an endless
cycle of devolution and evolution” (DiTommaso). This means that events from the
past are going to shape the future and this will in turn amplify the
differences between humans. One example of this amplification is Lorenzo’s
mention of the Bene Gesseritts. He mentions how they breed beings to create “the
human” and how Paul responds that they do so but they fail to see the human
race as a whole. The Bene Gesseritt are abviously “superior humans” in the Dune
Saga thus proving the point that “humans are not equal.” This kind of thinking
is crucial to Dune because it’s a big part of its hierarchy system.
“The Monomyth as Fractal Pattern in Frank Herbert's Dune Novels”
In this article written by Donald
Palumbo, the universe of Dune is viewed through a very interesting perspective.
Palumbo believes that the Dune saga is based on the power of the environment. This
power is definitely emphasized in the planet of Arrakis where a single sandstorm
can destroy any kind of technology that a human can built. In a sense we can
say that the planet is the ultimate power of Dune. Donald Palumbo mentions how
this power is so delicate because it can change drastically with one factor:
water. Water is something that the Fremen want but it is also something that
they can’t have because it will mean the end of the ultimate source of power:
Melange. Palumbo goes on to explain how the planet’s environment remains the
same through all the books. It is very ironic that the Dune desert is like a rite
of passage for all of those who are going to come in to power in Dune. I guess
one can say that no matter how many generations the power passes by, the test
to obtain that power will be constant.
Asimov's Foundation Trilogy and Herbert's Dune Trilogy: A Vision
Reversed
This article was written by John
L. Grigsby and it is a very interesting article because it compares two of the
greatest novels ever to be written in the science fiction world. Grigsby begins
by expressing how successful they both were upon their release, then he moves
in to talk about some controversial similarities and some hidden history
between these two giants. He first mentions that he believes Frank Herbert “adapted”
some of the techniques use by the author of Foundation. This includes using
structures from the past to shape the future. One critic, for example, said
that Foundation was based too much on the Roman Empire. Another critic said
that it is too dependent on technology. Both books, however, use religion as a
source of power. Although I haven’t read Foundation, it is no surprise that a
science fiction tale would have religion as a source of power. Grigsby also
points out that another similar source of power in both books is the advanced
psychology. In science fiction something like this can be important to stretch
the mind of readers. He then concludes by saying that weather some things may
seem too close and similar, both books are still an important piece in science
fiction history.
Citations
History and Historical Effect in Frank Herbert's
"Dune"
Lorenzo DiTommaso
Science Fiction Studies , Vol. 19, No. 3 (Nov., 1992), pp.
311-325
Published by: SF-TH Inc
Asimov's "Foundation" Trilogy and Herbert's
"Dune" Trilogy: A Vision Reversed (La Trilogie de
"Fondation" chez Asimov et la trilogie de "Dune" chez
Herbert: une vision inversée)
John L. Grigsby
Science Fiction Studies , Vol. 8, No. 2 (Jul., 1981), pp.
149-155
Published by: SF-TH Inc
The Monomyth as Fractal Pattern in Frank Herbert's Dune
Novels
Donald Palumbo
Science Fiction Studies , Vol. 25, No. 3 (Nov., 1998), pp.
433-458
Published by: SF-TH Inc
Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4240724
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