Speculative Fiction and Frank Herbert
With the term speculative fiction only being coined by Robert Heinlein in 1947, Frank Herbert’s Dune arose as one of the earlier works of speculative fiction. It helped to lay the foundations for what is now a renowned politically and socially controversial genre. Although speculative fiction is now an established and well respected genre, when Herbert first published Dune, he was breaking into new territory. Critics saw his novel as a lower class form of escapism which was not worthy of critical analysis. The genre of speculative fiction rose at a time of political turmoil at the culmination of World War Two, and as a response to this context, has the strong characteristic of political and environmental examination and criticism. The genre gained a new currency in the 1960’s, the time of Dune’s release, with popularity emerging first in university campuses across the United States. The literary qualities of Dune appealed to this young intellectual crowd. Its cautionary theme was embraced by the anti conformists and environmentalists, by the young free thinkers of a new generation. Today, Dune has gained a wide following and acceptance, as well as . . .
Its acceptance reflects how our idea of what is suitable academic literature has broadened, with Dune now being recognised as one of the most thought provoking and intellectual novels of our time. In contemporary society, it is the environmental aspect of the novel which is most valued. Which aspects of Dune are most highly valued depends on the context in which the novel is being examined. Consider the main storyline: we see an epic battle for economic power, between two great Houses, Atreides and Harkonnen. These are simple parts of the human condition which means any audience will relate to the novel; however, Herbert complicates these simple themes by blurring distinctions between good and evil, moral and immoral, prompting us to closely examine our own society. While in the 1960’s it was the political aspects of the text which were seen as the most important, today it is the environmental themes which are the most applicable. Perhaps this is a subtle message from Herbert – no matter how much control the women appeared to be gaining, their true purpose was to serve men. However, the aim of their breeding program is to produce the Kwisatz Haderach, a male messiah. This is an obvious resemblance; however, there are many more subversive similarities which show the influence of Herbert’s context upon the novel. The question is, how has Dune managed to actually increase its popularity and acceptance over time? The increase in acceptance has simply come from a change in our perceived values over time – from the perception of speculative fiction as a fringe genre, to its wider acceptance as part of mainstream culture. The answer to its augmented popularity lies in the fact that the novel portrays the human condition, meaning that it is applicable to any society. In Dune, the Bene Gesserit are a supreme organisation of women who appear to possess ultimate control. This influence is one of the reasons that Dune possessed such appeal towards the younger generation – it prompted critical examination of society, showing how, in Herbert’s context, it was the political aspects of the novel which were most valued. This is part of the natural human condition – that the leaders of opposing societies will fight for power.
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Acceptance Essays
