Colegiul Național „Ienăchiță Văcărescu”

Frank Herbert’s Fantasy

Prof. coord. Marcu-Popescu Mădălina Maia Mihălăchioiu

Maia Mihalachioiu

Târgoviște, 2023
Contents

Contents....................................................................................................4

Introduction...............................................................................................4

Chapter I - Author......................................................................................6

Chapter II - Themes and motives................................................................10

Chapter III - Historical dimension (between fiction and history)...................15

Chapter IV - Impact..................................................................................17

Bibliography............................................................................................20
 Introduction

Throughout the pandemic, while rediscovering myself as most of my peers have, I

came across the Dune series, which I have read and associated with every part of my life.
The litany against fear that Bene Gesserit use in order to keep their mind clear has
been one of my favorite remedies to cope with the ambushes and the noises of the world. I
have immersed myself in the life of Arrakis so much that I have started to learn by heart the
little passages found at the beginning of each chapter. The detailed and encyclopedic way that
information was curated through those introductions, helped me in my quest of understanding
the universe of Frank Herbert's chronicles.
My father’s passion for this series played a great role in my interest in the chronicles.
I have had countless discussions with him on topics like the advantages and disadvantages of
the power of Paul Atreides or the reasons behind some of his actions. Having pursued in
depth analysis on each one of them, I have considered that sharing my view through this
paper, might be of interest to some as it has been to me.
The goal of my presentation was to offer a view beyond the superficial, to ensure that
Dune becomes a tridimensional concept for each person that reads my perspective. My paper
is structured in four chapters that cover the author, the themes and motives, the historical
dimension of the Dune universe and the chronicles’ impact. The order of the themes is
carefully chosen as to gradually accustom the reader to the peculiar world that is presented.
The fist chapter revolves around the writer of the book, his life and views on the world. It
becomes obvious that his values and his personality are reflected in the books’ main themes.
The second chapter analyses the symbols, the motives and the characters, offering a holistic
view on the homo fictus. In order to bring out the authenticity of the world of Arrakis, the
hystorical dimension and the connection between myth and fiction will be explored in the
third chapter. Last but not least, the fourth chapter creates a link between the present and the
past, between real and imaginary. The last part of the my paper deals with the impact of the
book in the world of science fiction, a conflict between mentalities and the screen adaptations
and their success. It was important for me to include detailed descriptions of events and
characters in order to create a whole image of the inhabitants of this fictional world. The
relation between humans and history is highlighted in the book, and for the purpose of
following the values of Frank Herbert, I found it necessary to exploit that relationship myself.
Therefore, a brief description of how time might have affected the view on Dune can be
found in the last chapter.
I have nothing but admiration for the author that has created this enchanting
ecosystem. The catharsis process that the book generates is unworldly , I might say, as the
reader has the opportunity to cleanse himself through knowledge and understanding. The
book can be a guide through the modern world, as the concepts that it promotes are timeless.
This paper is to be seen as a dialogue, and it would be a great pleasure to know that I
have been a good conversation partner. I have aimed to have a certain flow to my writing, to
have even the most factual of information be delivered in a critical way, filtered and
commented by myself.
To conclude with, I've chosen to write about Dune because I can see the potential that
Frank Herbert saw in the human mind and I strongly believe that there is more to life than the
first layers of reality.
 Chapter I - Author

Frank Herbert is a figure almost as interesting as the world-wide famous series Dune.
His genius and passion for the building of fictional worlds were passed on to his son who
continued the journey, writing the history of the main Houses Major: Atreides, Corrino and
Harkonnen based on his father’s notes.
After completing six years of research, Frank Herbert was able to create a monad out
of his books, an indivisible entity that is self sufficient. Inspired by a type of mushroom, the
psilocybin, that produces hallucinations similar to the LSD induced ones, the spice is the fuel
of the fictional world. Therefore, he created an economy based on this life prolonging and
mentally enhancing substance that kept the world going without the support of machines.
Despite the lack of support from the publishing houses at that time, Frank Herbert
succeeded in bringing his book to life thanks to a car repair manual printing company. At
first, the book was not well received, neither by the public, nor by the critics. The readers
were used to a standardized type of science fiction, abundant in spaceships, aliens and such
other elements. Although the space guild might be considered an alien species, and the
spaceships are definitely present in the universe of the book, the ecological, political and
religious depths of the story seemed to push back its success. The critics did not understand
the book in the 1950s and the science fiction masterpiece of the Pacific coast raised and born
author gained its prestige throughout the 60s and 70s. The fanbase built this way was a
community of people for whom the idea of global transformation seemed attractive.
At first, the 400 pages book started as two short SF novels published in the Analog
Science Fact & Fiction. Inclined to ecology and being a critic of gouvernements in general,
Frank Herbert researched a magazine story about a US Department of Agriculture
programme to stabilize the shifting sands by introducing European beach grass. That was
where it all started. With his second wife supporting him financially, he accomplished his
goals of creating a timeless world where humans become metahumans through being in touch
with their inner power.
 The author grew up taking up simple passions like fishing or sailing, surrounded by
water in this regard. The contrast between the environment of the Pacific Coast and the
peculiar ecosystem of Dune is remarkable. As opposed to its abundance on Caladan, water is
a privilege on Arrakis. The shift from all to nothing in Paul Atreides' journey might,
therefore, be connected with some changes in the author’s life. Could it be possible that the
proximity to the desert to have generated a new perspective for Herbert like it did for his
characters?
In order to be able to write in such a detailed and accurate way about a culture of the desert,
he must have developed some kind of connection with the sand, the sun and the lands ruled
by them.
The creator of Dune served briefly in the military, as a photographer, only for six
months before he injured himself. He also wrote speeches for a Republican senator for a
while and then proceeded to the spiraling journey of writing the Dune series. Herbert was a
quintessential product of the libertarian culture of the Pacific coast, self-reliant and distrustful
of centralized authority, yet with a mile-wide streak of utopian futurism and a concomitant
willingness to experiment. His attitude towards gouvernements is obviously reflected in the
series, which became the theater scene for well orchestrated power games that show the
consequences of power abuse. In ‘Chapterhouse: Dune’ Frank Herbert wrote: All
governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts pathological personalities. It is not
that power corrupts but that it is magnetic to the corruptible. Such people have a tendency to
become drunk on violence, a condition to which they are quickly addicted.
Though he is best remembered for Dune, Frank Herbert was the author of more than
twenty books at the time of his tragic death in 1986, including such classic novels as The
Green Brain, The Santaroga Barrier, The White Plague and Dosadi Experiment. Brian
Herbert, Frank Herbert's eldest son, tells the provocative story of his father's extraordinary
life in Dreamer of Dune: The Biography of Frank Herbert. He also brought to light all the
events in Herbert's life that would find their way into speculative fiction's greatest epic.
 Chapter II - Themes and motives

The very essence of the story is the spice. And as the spice must flow, so do the
ulterior significations of each Dune scenery. Constructed in detail, vivid and authentic, the
universe of Dune is constructed following the patterns of the Byzantine Empire, with an
emperor to control an entire system of planets and hierarchised houses. From Leto to Paul
Muad'dib and Leto II, the story unfolds as it presents the Atreides heirs in their perpetual
evolution.
Leto II represents the peak of House Atreides power, as his sacrifices and his genius
transform him into a divinity like figure for the people of Arrakis and not only. He will take
the responsibility that his father could not bear, that of accepting to desert his human form in
order to maintain the universal order. Having foreseen the upcoming crisis concerning the
extinction of sandworms, the creators of the spice, he fused his own genres with the ones of a
worm in order to preserve the species over time. This fusion granted him abilities that
humans could only dream of, but took away his fertility and ability to procreate. His body
metamorphosed to the shape of a worm and towards the end of his life he traveled in a special
chariot. Although Leto was thought to be indestructible, he, as all great heroes do, had an
Achiles’s calf: water. He died falling from a bridge in the Idaho river and, in dying, he
released the dormant sandtrout from his body. These began to reverse the terraforming on
Arrakis. The planet began to revert into a desert world from the realized Fremen dream of a
lush paradise.
Similar to the magus’ abilities in the John Fowles novel, Paul and his children are
capable of trespassing time with their minds, of accessing knowledge and experiences from
either the past or the future. Once exposed to significant quantities of spice, the extraordinary
abilities of Paul start to develop and he rises to the prophetic titles of Muad’dib and Kwisatz
Haderach. Kwisatz Haderach was a term used primarily by the Bene Gesserit. It was an old
Chakobsa term that translated literally as "Shortening of the Way". The sisterhood of the
Bene Gesserit controlled, up to a point, the whole empire, ensuring alliances and genetic
combinations that would allow the creation of a man capable of accessing a part of the
collective unconscious that women could not. Despite the fact that the circumstances of
Paul’s birth were not planned by the order of Bene Gesserit, he proved himself to be even
more powerful than expected. Faced with a test designed to discern between animals and
humans, the Gom Jabbar, he overcame the first challenge of his sinous journey. The love
story between Chani and Paul represents Paul’s connection to the interior wisdom of the
planet. Chani, a fremen girl, is his guide through a world that evokes the archaic, following
the rules of nature, of life and death alike. The union between Paul and Chani is a powerful
one due to the fusion
of both ration and instinct, a harmony that emerges from the depths of their beings.
Accepted by the Fremen tribes as their leader, Paul will reclaim the rulership of Arrakis,
proving that he is both an extraordinary warrior and an excellent strategist.
A particularly interesting character in the Dune universe is the second born of Lady
Jessica, Alia. Undergoing a dangerous ritual in order to become High Priestess and to gain a
secure position in the fremen community, Jessica overlooks the fact that she is pregnant
despite the risks that were involved. The girl will thus be born with precognitive abilities, a
circumstance that will cause a major personality disorder that will eventually lead to her
being vulnerable in the face of Baron Harkonnen’s promises. Overwhelmed with the
tremendous power that she carried, she will make a faustian pact with her grandfather in
order to silence the other voices of the ancestral chorus. The consequences will be tragic, as
she will throw herself off the balcony, deserted by any hope of regaining control. Her story
becomes, therefore, a sermon depicting the dangers of power and how one can be consumed
by it.
Her husband, the second Duncan Idaho is living an interior conflict almost as intense
as Alia’s. The author exploits the ideas of resurrection and of genetic memory through the
storyline of Duncan Idaho. Great swordsman and loyal to the House of Atreides, Duncan
Idaho is one of Paul’s pedagogues next to Gurney. He dies holding off a group of the
specially trained imperial soldiers, the sardaukar, in order to ensure Paul and Jessica enough
time to escape. As heroic as his death was, it did not last long. He was brought back to life as
a Tleilaxu ghola incarnation with the purpose of killing Paul. He did not complete the goal
he was created for as he managed to transcend the commands enforced on his mind by the
Tleilaxu, regaining his free will. The second death of Duncan Idaho will be as heroic and
meaningful as the first: he will kill a priest that was conspiring against the Atreides and that
was having an affair with his wife and the crime will bring his death upon him.
Duncan is a fascinating figure in the books because he will be the only constant
element throughout the book, he is a pillar, a symbol of stability as he englobes humanity in
its most raw form. Even when artificially brought back to life, he succeeds in finding his
authentic self and in shattering any constraints burdening him. The swordsman also has
access to a form of precognitive set of abilities, as he is able to remember his past lives. This
ability is similar to the power of Alia, Paul, Leto II and his sister, Ghanima, but it manifests
on a narrower level.
A fundamental scene that affects Paul Atreides destiny to a tremendous extent is the
one in which he loses his sight. And when we speak of sight we speak only of the physical
ability to see, not the inner vision. Due to his condition, despite the fact that he could still
fulfill his obligations as a warrior and as a leader, the ruler of Arrakis will choose the way of
the desert, as the Fremen tradition dictates. He will later return as a prophet, manipulating the
masses and ensuring that his image will not be twisted by the church or by his grandfather,
Baron Harkonnen. Led by a young fremen boy as an usual blind man, Paul plays the part of
the prophet exceptionally. This hypostasis, of the mystical blind man that seems to possess
eternal wisdom, a divine gift that he shares with the masses through his preaching, is almost
biblically inspired. We can see that beyond the way of the fremens, there are also fragments
of christian mythology in the world of Arrakis. Religion and politics are fused as Paul has
constructed an entire religion based on his abilities and on the stories and myths that the Bene
Gesserit have planted in the local Arrakis community throughout the centuries.
The political games that Frank Herbert has constructed are a work of art themselves,
sewn together as a web that unravels itself if the right string is pulled. Each character is
somehow linked to the others, and the political life in the Empire is similar to a Domino
game, especially for someone like Paul that truly unlocked a holistic vision on the society that
he controls. All the moves of both his enemies and his allies are easily predicted by
Muad’dib. His dreams are glimpses of the future, of the past and of alternative realities.
Frank Herbert has combined hard science fiction with soft science fiction by creating
a masterpiece that is beyond the established standards of this literature genre. Some will
argue that the author's view is not as applicable in our times as it once was, but the chronicles
are timeless, tackling themes that cannot be overlooked as they capture the man in its purest
form. The book shows different stages of human evolution cohabitating the same universe. It
shows how power changes men and how venal political systems can be. True power is found
through knowledge and consciousness and there is a lesson to be learned from the sacrifices
of the Atreides house.
Princess Irulan, the daughter of the former Emperor, of the Corrino, Paul's legitimate
wife, has described him as both the fox and the innocent. A personality that embodies human
duality, Paul symbolizes the resignation of even the strongest in face of his destiny. His
motives and his thoughts could not be translated to the basic language as they had far more
meaning to them that the usual language could portray. He saw the Engadget and the
beginning in the same place on the time axis and lived the same life’s twice, as he had
already seen the future before him.
The world of Dune is esoteric, cryptic and contains subterfuges that allow the story to
develop itself beyond the immediate meaning of words. The choice of words of the author
amplifies the atmosphere of the Dune universe, as the reader is drawn into the complex plot
as through a maze.
 Chapter III - Historical dimension (between fiction and history)

In order to understand the foundational theme in Dune: that humans need to be

prioritized over machines or other technologies, it is important to understand the fictional
historical context. The action presented in the Dune chronicles takes place after the Butlerian
Jihad, a war against artificial intelligence that resulted in an edict against their creation.
Subsequently, in a universe that lacks advanced computing, it makes sense that
humans would have tried to step up to the task of piloting ships through space. Enter the
Spacing Guild and its Navigators. Mohiam describes it as a “secretive” group that
“emphasizes pure mathematics” and maintains a “monopoly on interstellar transport” (Dune,
p. 12, 23). The Guild seized the opportunity to replace machines for interstellar travel and
trained its pilots to use the spice to accomplish extraordinary feats. By doing this, though,
they became addicted to the spice and have to ensure a steady supply to be able to continue to
hold a political grip on the various factions.
The idea that a drug could give someone access to new levels of consciousness aligns
with the heightened interest and experimentation in drugs that was emerging in the 1960s in
the U.S. College students were experimenting with hallucinogens, psychologists were
studying them, and the CIA was hoping to use them to outsmart foreign enemies. Even
Herbert had some run-ins with them, although he did not advocate that people use them.
Another group is the Mentats, who fill the role of a ‘computer’ and process data
within their minds, rather than needing a piece of technology to run computations. We see
both the Atreides and Harkonnen families relying on their Mentats to analyze large amounts
of data and make predictions about their finances and enemy’s plans. Paul is also being
trained as a Mentat, and his Mentat abilities cross over into his prescient ones to make him
even more of a superhuman. The Mentats’ abilities can be viewed within the context of the
“cognitive revolution” that began in the 1950s and involved an increasing amount of interest
in studying the workings and capabilities of the human mind. Psychologists who were tired of
looking for a purely behavioral explanation for humans’ actions looked instead into areas
such as perception and memory.
This paralleled the development of computers, which were being programmed to
process and display information in new ways. There was growing recognition that the human
mind was more complex than it had previously been given credit for. But in Dune, rather than
outsourcing information processed by a machine, humans have taken the opposite track and
developed themselves so they can solve logical problems. Even so, the Mentats are not
perfect and have human biases since they are still human. Herbert shows us this most clearly
through the character of Thufir Hawat, who mistakenly believes for most of the novel that he
knows the identity of the traitor to the Atreides, only to find out at the very end that he was
entirely wrong.
The medieval, feudal-like setting of Dune also helps to make the lack of focus on
advanced technology more believable. There are castles, great houses, and emperors. A class
system and rules for feuds are mentioned. These remind us of the Middle Ages, or perhaps
the so-called Dark Ages, where the popular image, even if not historically accurate, is that
this was a time when civilizations sat stagnant. Because Herbert places his creations in this
setting, he draws a link with institutions that actually existed and reminds us of the past,
rather than a futuristic, high-tech world that other science fiction writers envisioned. Even
when Paul uses the advanced technology of atomic weapons at the novel’s close, this is
quickly passed over to focus on the charging Fremen on their sandworms.
Time and time again, Dune emphasizes that what is valuable is humans’ development
and strengthening of their abilities, more so than technology. The new orders we encounter in
the Spacing Guild, Mentats, and Bene Gesserit are examples of this potential, and may make
us wonder what other capabilities we might have, waiting to be unlocked.
 Chapter IV - Impact

The huge impact that Dune has had over science fiction is undeniable. The Star Wars
movies were greatly influenced by Frank Herbert’s book. George Lucas took the liberty to
metamorphose the universe of Arrakis into one of his own.
To begin with, Tatooine and Dune have similar ecosystems, analogous methods of
making the most of the poor water reserve of the planet and, of course, a hero that transcends
the ordinary. Anakin and Paul share a great deal of characteristics: their maneuvering of The
Force and, respectively, The Voice, their tragic love stories and the death of their beloved
during the birth of their twins. Furthermore, Frank Helberg himself has stated that he is
“abstaining” from sueing Lucas for the tremendous amounts of Dune inspired elements in his
franchise.
To continue with, the success of Dune can also be measured through the impact of its
movie adaptation. From the first film that had premiered in 1984 to the one that features
Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya, the films seemed to move entire generations, to alter the
overall perspective on science fiction. The theme of the chronicles is even more relevant
today than it was forty years ago as the world faces phenomena such as the rapid
development of artificial intelligence and climate change.
How can the man better discover himself if not through art, knowledge and vision?
The movies offer a fraction of the wisdom radiated by the book's pages at the price of two
hours and thirty five minutes. For some, it might be a life changing experience, awakening a
part of the spectator as the spice awakens the senses of Dune’s characters. The 2021
adaptation of the first volume of Frank Herbert's chronicles has been rated 8/10 on IMDb,
which qualifies it as one of the best movies of the last few years.
For the fans of the books it became obvious that the movie producers decided to
slightly alter the plot in order to be politically correct. As the changes are not substantial, it
does not affect the plot in any way and is, therefore, a great way to ensure the continuation of
the Dune universe in our days. List-Keynes, the father of Paul's concubine, Chani, was a
prominent imperial planetologist of Arrakis, known, outside the Fremen community as Dr.
Keynes. In the latest film, he will be gender and race swapped. The screenplay writer, Jon
Spaiths has explained his decision by stating: “Herbert’s novel is, to some extent, an artifact
of its time and it definitely skews male in ways that don’t feel completely contemporary
now.”. Spaiths felt
 the need to connect the modern messages that the ecologist was promoting to the
modern world and, as a result, the swap that would cause controversy happened.
As to the marketing that skyrocketed the movie to its infamous success, the two main
actors, Zendaya and Timothee Chalamet have played a huge role in attracting the younger
generations. Both stars have impacted Internet culture, quickly becoming sex symbols
through their careers. Their personal accomplishments were an input to the general success of
the film. Consequently, the second part of Denis Vilvenue's Dune will be premiered in 2023
and is intensely anticipated by thousands of people.
Nowadays, literature and cinematography complement each other. People turn to
hyper reality as to a compass guiding them through life. We depend on those alternative
realities to fuel our ordinary existence. The fictional world that is becoming more and more
realistic has changed the general outlook on life. For example, films are no longer inspired
by real life, but by other movies or books. Hyper reality impacts us as if the events presented
by the book or by the film are our own experiences. In Dune’s case, the emotional
implication that its universe generates is impressive. Hence, the plot, which is meant to alter
the perspective on life, leads the spectator/ reader to question the conditions of his existence.
This push that the Dune experience offers is an opportunity to reevaluate one's priorities in
life and to surpass one's condition, to evolve intellectually and spiritually.
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