Tyler Anderson Communication Studies Capstone Dr. Bednar 2/9
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Tyler Anderson Communication Studies Capstone Dr. Bednar 2/9/2021 Context/Description My research object is how constitutive rhetoric works within alliances in Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel Dune, specifically the alliance between Paul Atredies and the indigenous Fremen. The narrative provides a fictional venue for communication scholars to see the constitutive rhetoric of this alliance play out in a scenario of power imbalance. Alliances, in and outside of Dune, use constitutive rhetoric to call into being the unified whole of two separate groups. But in situations of power imbalance, such as that between colonizer and colonized, this alliance can be a pretense for domination, benefiting one group and subjugating the other. This is accomplished in Dune when Paul places himself as the more powerful of the two in the alliance over the Fremen. The narrative of Paul Atreides and the Fremen shows us the coalition and inevitable subjugation that is the signature of alliance in an imbalanced relationship of power. He uses constitutive rhetoric to form an alliance with the Fremen, but places himself higher on the hierarchical imperial ladder than them within the alliance and uses the group for his own aims. In this paper I will outline the history of Dune and its adaptations and introduce the work of other scholars on themes within Dune and science fiction narratives in general. Ultimately I will codify this information into some initial conclusions after reviewing this material and show how it pertains to my claim. In the book, the protagonist Paul Atreides makes an alliance with the indigenous peoples of Arrakis, the planet-colony he inherits by his ducal rights before being violently expelled by the Harkonnens, another powerful family in the intergalactic colonial system who assassinate his father and take control of the planet. Driven into the desert he encounters these indigenous peoples, called the Fremen, and becomes a kind of spiritual leader for them, as they believe that he is their messiah. Though Paul himself is a victim of the colonial system, as the family that has usurped him conspired with the Emperor to strip the Atreides of their holdings, Paul Atreides still represents colonial power as the rightful heir to the planet with powerful connections that ultimately aid him in usurping the Emperor and taking his place as the ultimate symbol of that power. He accomplishes this by forging an alliance with the Fremen that ultimately subsumes them under his self-serving goals, using constitutive rhetoric to create an audience of shared identity that devalues the Fremen. Paul also controls the planet that serves as the only source of the most valuable resource in the universe, the “spice melange”, which facilitates space travel and serves as a metaphysical allegory for oil. The Fremen have no use for this resource, valuing scarce water as the most precious resource, but Paul recognizes it’s value and uses it as a bargaining chip as he wages intergalactic war in much the same way as he uses the Fremen as agents of his own agenda. In the use of their alliance for conquest and the exploitation of Fremen resources in the aim of further domination, Paul Atreides manipulates the terms of the original alliance and exemplifies the subjugation aspect of alliance between a colonizer and the colonized. Dune is lauded by many as “the most important [science fiction] novel” and paved the way for “essentially every epic-scale SF and fantasy series to follow” (SFF180). It is one of the most widely translated science fiction books and has sold nearly 20 million copies, as well as being the “first [science fiction] novel ever to hit #1 on the New York Times hardcover bestseller list” (Dunenovels.com, SFF180). It was not only awarded a Hugo after it was published in 1965 but also honored with the first ever Nebula, now a hallmark of science fiction awards (Hugo.com). Dune was Frank Herbert’s opus, and he was still producing content set in the universe of Dune until his death in 1986 (Dunenovels.com). He was influenced by the pulp authors of his time as well as the foundational authors of science and speculative fiction such as H.G. Wells, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and Jules Verne (Dunenovels.com). But Herbert would surpass even their legacy with his impact on the genre, without which we wouldn’t have major franchises like George Lucas’ Star Wars- whose early drafts described a “desert planet, an evil emperor, and a boy with a galactic destiny” and “included warring noble houses and a princess guarding a shipment of something called ‘aura spice’” (Guardian). Herbert and colleagues thought that the overlap was so obvious that they formed “a joke organization called the ‘We’re Too Big to Sue George Lucas Society” (Guardian). But the repercussions of Dune would extend beyond the mere borrowing of themes and tropes. “Dune landed right at the time that science fiction and the world at large were on the cusp of radical change”, one reviewer writes, where “among the issues engaging public consciousness were environmentalism and the wisdom, or lack thereof, of exploiting Earth’s natural resources with no thought to long term consequences. When these concerns peaked for the first time in the early ’70s with the first major ‘energy crisis,’ Frank Herbert, whose story here is fundamentally all about such short-sighted exploitation, found himself something of a guru among the young, politically motivated, and eco-aware” (SFF180). Past engaging with the fledgling environmental movement, Herbert subverts traditional elements of storytelling as well. Paul Atredies is a protagonist who has everything torn away from him, and in his connection with the indigenous Fremen he opens his eyes to a way of life that is radically different from the one he knew. But though Paul fills the role of the “Chosen One/White Savior archetype”, Herbert chooses not to paint him as a hero as the trope is traditionally treated, but instead chooses to “bury him”, exposing over time the inherent flaws and biases that absolute corrupting power brings about (SFF180). In the novel, Paul serves as a messiah figure for the indigenous Fremen of the planet Arrakis. Herbert borrows heavily from Islamic culture to weave the Fremen religious beliefs into the narrative. Paul is called “Mahdi” by the Fremen, the “name of the Islamic savior”, and the name that he is allowed to choose among the Fremen is “Muad’Dib” (SFF180). The Fremen are protecting a resource that they do not have a use for, but that is coveted by every other spacefaring power as the resource (the spice) is a kind of psychedelic substance that can be used to facilitate space travel. This too is an allegory for the oil reserves in the Middle East (SFF180). Contemporary critique of Dune remarks on it’s continuing relevance through time, with the subsequent oil crisis and conflict in the Middle East. “Books read differently as the world reforms itself around them,” writes Hari Kunzru (Guardian). “Paul Atreides is a young white man who fulfils a persistent colonial fantasy, that of becoming a God-king to a tribal people. Herbert’s portrayal of the Fremen… owes much to TE Lawrence’s enthusiastic portrayals of the Bedouin of Arabia.” He goes on to describe the cultural artifacts lifted from one group and transposed onto the Fremen, including much of their language. But there are differences between Dune’s handling of this white savior trope and other contemporary examples. According to him, “what makes Dune more palatable... is the sincerity of Herbert’s identification with the Fremen. Paul does not transform them in his image, but participates in their culture and is himself transformed into the prophet Muad’Dib. As Paul’s destiny becomes clear to him, he begins to have visions ‘of fanatic legions following the green and black banner of the Atreides, pillaging and burning across the universe in the name of their prophet Muad’Dib’ (Guardian).” Paul eventually instigates this destiny, which leads to the killing of “untold billions” (Guardian). “In 2015”, he remarks, “the story of a white prophet leading a blue-eyed brown-skinned horde of jihadis against a ruler called Shaddam produces a weird funhouse mirror effect, as if someone has jumbled up recent history and stuck the pieces back together in a different order (Guardian).” As well as the many Dune sequels, written both by Frank Herbert himself and his son Brian Herbert, there have been several attempts at making a film version of Dune. Most of these have been catastrophic failures, with only one film actually being released. Several directors, including Alexander Jodorowsky, tried to develop a version that distilled the novel into a cohesive movie, but all failed until David Lynch inherited the project (Guardian). This film was a “box office and critical flop”, though it eventually attained “cult status” among hardcore science fiction fans (CNET.com). Lynch disavows this film, and had his name removed from the credits of some versions (CNET.com). A Dune film has been in production with Denis Villeneuve as director, originally set to come out in 2020, but issues related to COVID-19 have pushed back the release date (CNET.com, Dunenovels.com). “Actually,” some claim, in reference to Herbert’s relationship with George Lucas, “the great Dune film did get made. Its name is Star Wars (Guardian).” Dune has been analyzed on an academic level from countless perspectives and disciplines. One such study by historian Lorenzo DiTommaso examines the themes of “history and historical effect” within the novel (DiTommaso 311). His claim is that the plot of Dune represents Frank Herbert’s belief that history is a “linear and progressive process”, the effects of which are not “predictable” but “understandable” (DiTommaso 311).