That Which Submits Rules

""'what senses do we lack that we cannot see and cannot hear
another world all around us?'" (64).
Frank Herbert's Dune (1965)

Points for Reflection

Frank Herbert's Dune (1965), pp. 3-132 / Part 1 of Week 1

1. of the various factions wielding influence throughout the galaxy, does one appear to hold more power than all the others?
2. do House Atreides and House Harkonnen appear to be opposite sides of the same coin, or does one appear more morally upstanding than the other?
3. what challenges does Arrakis present to its inhabitants, both the indigenous population and the imperial forces who attempt to control its resources?
4. to what secret purpose does the Emperor put the planet Salusa Secundus, a planet widely understood to be the Emperor’s prison planet?
5. what is the Bene Gesserit endgame, and how do they go about achieving it?
6. we barely meet the Fremen in the opening chapters, yet our sense of their uniqueness is already palpable.  What distinguishes them from others?
7. does the Emperor, whom we’ve not yet met, seem high-minded, petty, or something in between?
8. does Herbert grant much personal agency to Jessica compared w/ the other Bene Gesserit?
9. what qualities make Duke Leto Atreides such a successful leader?
10. does fifteen seem a good age at which to push a young protagonist with a unique destiny into the thick of things?
11. what happened to Paul’s deceased sister?
12. do the roles of musician and fighter, united in the person of Gurney Halleck, seem incongruous—better kept separate?  Or, do these professional domains overlap in important ways?
13. how does Thufir Hawat, the Atreides master assassin—and a mentat to boot—get things done?
14. why might Herbert immediately reveal that Dr. Yueh will betray the Atreides family, instead of waiting to surprise us with this revelation when the trespass actually occurs?
15. what appears to motivate the Harkonnen House?
16. by what covert means do the Benne Gesserit support one another?
17. why introduce the Fremen to us through the person of Shadout Mapes?
18. what does the Reverend Mother appear to mean by the distinction she makes between “animals” and “humans”?
19. does the faufreluches class system which regulates power and privilege throughout the known universe flex and bend in some locations more than others?
20. can you answer Jessica’s silent question about why she might have unpacked, first, the painting of Duke Leto’s father and the bull with blood still on its horns (78)?
21. does this novel reify any essential differences between femininity and masculinity?
22. is the bawdy song sung by Gurney Halleck more demeaning to, or celebratory of, women (53)?
23. does this novel rely on, or question, physiognomic principles that assign virtue to beauty?
24. does this novel appear atavistic, or ahead of its time, in its approach to ecological concerns?
25. does Frank Herbert’s novel validate emotional transparency and expression?
26. which appears more difficult to regulate and control for our heroes, the mind or the body?
27. what elements of our world religions have made into the future envisioned by Herbert?
28. what does it take be a successful leader in this future era?
29. do growth and maturation appear more contingent on safety and protection, or risk and suffering?
30. what forms of technology have been abandoned in this futuristic era, and why?  Do opposing political factions share the same attitude towards such technologies?
31. does Jessica wish to be married to Duke Leto?
32. which of the methods used by characters to store information anticipate technology that exists in the twenty-first century?

Frank Herbert's Dune (1965), pp. 133-262 / Part 2 of Week 1

1. the Duke and his family regret the loss of beauty and abundant water on Caladin when they leave their home planet.  Do they find Arrakis a wasteland, or does it rival Caladin in surprising ways?
2. do the differences hinted at between Harkonnen and Atreides deepen over time, or do the two families appear increasingly similar in their values and behavior?
3. why does the Bene Gesserit not openly use their incredible powers to achieve to achieve, overtly, the goals they seek?
4. do the Fremen use shields like everyone else?
5. British biologist Arthur Tansley apparently codified the concept of an ecosystem in the 1920s. How does Frank Herbert set about elaborating the importance of ecological systems?
6. which characters thus far has successfully kept their feet in two separate cultures without antagonizing either?
7. how does Jessica compare with the other women who attend the party hosted by the Atreides?
8. does the novel implicitly support, or challenge, the Reverend Mother’s early distinction between “animals” and “humans”?
9. why might it be so important for a successful ruler to have a strong sense of the sardonic (205), to be cynical towards the very power s/he wields?
10. how does Duke Leto respond to evidence, recovered by Thufir Hawat, that Jessica is a traitor?
11. which of those who attend the dinner party hosted by House Atreides appear sympathetic to their host’s politically vulnerable position during this transition from Harkonnon rule?
12. why does Stilgar spit on the table before Duke Leto?
13. how does Duke Leto’s approach to water on Arrakis differ from the approach of the Harkonnens?
14. which of Duke Leto’s two halves, identified by Jessica earlier (78, 104), prevails in later chapters?
15. does Jessica prove to be as weak a Bene Gesserit as Dr. Yueh had earlier concluded?
16. Paul’s education has equipped him with what sorts of scientific and political knowhow?
17. why does Duncan get drunk following the dinner party?
18. which of our characters is most prone to quote the O. C. Bible, and does this familiarity with scripture translate into a strong moral sensibility?
19. the aging Thufir Hawat wields both an impressive intellect and a keen suspicion that has served the Atreides for three generations.  What liabilities come along with these skills?
20. what circumstances and revelations alter Dr. Kynes’ assumptions about House Atreides?
21. do the Fremen, represented by Stilgar, appear either more or less politically acute than the Atreides and Harkonnen?  Do they hold fast to any identifiable ethical codes?
22. can you find it within yourself to sympathize with Dr. Yueh’s act of treachery?  Why, or why not?
23. why do the Harkonnen seek a crysknife?
24. does Duke Leto participate in kanly to the same degree as the Harkonnen?
25. what does melange (spice) do to the body—besides changing one’s eye color?
26. upon what religious source material does the novels’ O.C. Bible draw?
27. what drawbacks do force fields, so-called energy shields, bring along with their obvious benefits?
28. how does a stillsuit work?

Le Soleil (1912)
Edvard Munch

Dr. Paul Marchbanks
pmarchba@calpoly.edu