Personal Mythology Addition: Dune

As the first literary addition to my personal mythology, I'd like to add Dune by Frank Herbert. Not because it’s especially meaningful to me on a personal level, but because I think it exemplifies the potential of human creativity on a level above most other literary works. I’m not exactly sure what Frank Herbert was smoking when he wrote this book but he managed to achieve something completely otherworldly. And since I value the imagination as one of the cures to what ails us, Dune has always stuck with me as a remarkable achievement. Here are a few of my more specific thoughts about this great work of art…

• Dune is, in my opinion, one of the greatest science fiction books ever written because it does what science fiction is supposed to do, which is to create a world that does not yet exist but still seems plausible. As a reader of Dune, you are immediately aware that you’re in a strange and unfamiliar world. The names of things (“the Orange Catholic Bible,” “the Mentats,” and the Butlerian Jihad,” for example) are strange abstractions of today’s language, so that they are both evocative and foreign at the same time. The cultures and the technologies, meanwhile, feel exotic and new, which is what one would expect with a span of 20,000 years separating the events of the novel from the present day. This sense that the reader gets of exploring a new world, with just a touch of familiarity, makes for a pretty thrilling read.

• Dune is clearly an intellectual feat. It contains a fully imagined world with detailed accounts of its politics, history, religion, and geography. And it reveals pretty relevant messages about cultural conflict, power, oppression, and the struggle for resources. But I gotta say. Most important is the fact that Dune has action and suspense. For all of its intellectual qualities, this book is actually a pretty good page-turner.

• In many ways, Herbert paints a fairly bleak portrait of human nature. The book's characters seem to be almost completely driven by self-interest, and the ending is foreboding of dark days to come. And yet, there is something strangely comforting about Herbert’s vision as well. First, is simply the fact that throughout the centuries mankind has found a way to survive. And in the process of surviving we've managed to develop some incredible technologies that allow us to shape the natural environment and transport us across space. And I think the book also presents a fairly optimistic vision of the human mind and its yet-to-be realized potential. The events of Dune take place at a time when “thinking machines” have been outlawed, and men and women have been forced to develop their minds (I'll leave out the details for anyone interested in reading the book, but let's just say that the results are expectedly bizarre). So amidst the darkness, there is a somewhat reassuring message.

• The book was also made into a controversial movie, which was a huge box-office disaster, and of which I’m a big fan. I mean, who better to make the flim adaptation of this freaky book than David Lynch? My recomendation, however, for anyone interested in exploring the world of Dune is to definitely read the book before watching the movie. The movie is more of a visual accompaniment to the book, and does not stand well on its own as a storytelling device. This is fine since I’m not really sure the book could ever be made into a good film. In any case, the images of Lynch’s film are ridiculously imaginative and haunting, and in many ways actually improve upon the book.

• My last point is another recommendation for anyone interested in looking further into Dune. If you plan on reading the 5 sequel books that Herbert wrote, do so at your own risk. The first book, in my opinion, tells the story that needs to be told. And it was clearly the result of an inspired artist. The other 5 books just become more bizarre and directionless as they go on, and really spoil the mood set by the first book. But that’s just my take. A lot of people seem to really enjoy all of Herbert’s books. So what do I know.

In any case, Dune is now officially a part of my personal mythology. Since it's a work of art that deals with our human nature and where it may take us in the distant future, I'll be placing it in the philosophy section. Keep an eye out for more additions from the art world in the future.