Dune

Nizam Adrienne

Nizam Adrienne

Harmony
Hey y'all!

Figured we'd try something a bit different since it seemed like doing the VC this time around wasn't working for folks. We can still try the VC again in the future but maybe continue to do this as an accompaniment for those who can't make it/for folks for read the book later and want to chat about it.

So to kick this off, I just grabbed some questions about Dune off the internet. You can answer some of these if you like, just talk about things you enjoyed or disliked or things you thought were interesting about the book, discuss others' responses, raise your own questions, or any combination of the above. The world is your oyster! Enjoy :)

  1. Each chapter of Dune begins with a fictional epigraph from the writings of Princess Irulan. What purpose do you think these quotations are meant to serve? Do you think they were used effectively?
  2. How does the climate of Arrakis influence Fremen culture?
  3. Does Paul exploit the Fremen for his own gain?
  4. In what ways does Spice influence the political organization of the Dune universe?
  5. Why did Paul seek the throne?
  6. In what way does removing technology (such as computers) influence the story?
  7. How does the Missionaria Protective prepare the way for Paul and Jessica Atreides?
  8. Is Jessica overall a good mother? What are her best and worst traits?
  9. Why is Paul-Muad'Dib concerned that Stilgar is turning from a friend into a worshiper?
  10. What does the rescue of the spice factory crew say about the Duke Leto and Paul?
  11. What do Paul and Jessica see as noble in Fremen culture?
  12. How does religion control the Fremen?
  13. A lot of information and backstory is contained in the Appendices that follow the main novel. Do you feel some of this information should have been integrated into the text? Why or why not?
  14. What novels have you read where you can see Dune’s possible influence? What form does this influence take (subject matter, worldbuilding, narrative structure, etc.)?
  15. Consider the female characters of this novel: how they are portrayed, and what roles they play in the story. Do you find they meet, exceed, or fall short of your personal expectations for female characters in literature? Why?
 
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  1. Does Paul exploit the Fremen for his own gain?
    They exploit each other. Paul wants revenge the Freman are his tool. The Freman want their independents. Paul is their vehicle to that independents. They need each other to achieve their goals. So using the word exploit may not be the best term since it is not one sided. 
 
I think I'll just give my overall thoughts on the book rather than follow the question structure here. Minor spoilers in the hidden part.

I like the book a lot as a world building device, which is what the majority of this book was spent doing. While the overall story was a bit slow and dragged at times, it sprinkled in enough action and intrigue to keep me interested and definitely make me want to read more in the series (even though I haven't done that yet 🤷‍♂️). I especially liked that climate was such a central focus of the book and the practice of regulating their water intake/outtake to the exact measurement was cool and even the practice of "harvesting" moisture from the dead was, while disgusting, also such an interesting concept.

As to the story, it definitely kept me hooked. I think Paul being able to understand how he needs to act to portray himself as the person he needs to be in a situation is going to continue to help him as he builds more and more trust with the Fremen and then (presumedly) struggles to balance himself as an emperor and as a savior to the Fremen that threaten that empire. I will admit that it was difficult to follow all of the story lines especially those of the Baron and his group but I did see the value in that. Definitely a worthwhile read overall. 

 
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