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Messiahs and Martyrs: Religion in Selected Novels of Frank

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Messiahs and Martyrs: Religion in Selected Novels of Frank MESSIAHS AND MARTYRS: RELIGION IN SELECTED NOVELS OF FRANK HERBERT’S DUNE CHRONICLES by SANJANA SINGH submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in the subject ENGLISH STUDIES at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA Supervisor: PROF. DNR LEVEY November 2012 Abstract The focus of this dissertation is Frank Herbert‘s use of messiahs and martyrs in selected novels of the Dune Chronicles. I make connections with Herbert‘s studies, inspirations and background to his treatment of religion, establishing the translation of these ideas in the texts. To identify and study every aspect of religion in the series is impossible; however, I will include other features that I deem important to my understanding of the religious theme in these texts. I intend to scrutinize these novels to find evidence of Herbert‘s claim that he studied religion at great length. I will also observe Herbert‘s attitude to and engagement with religion in the Dune Chronicles. Key Terms Frank Herbert, Dune, Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, God Emperor of Dune, Messiahs, Martyrs, Religion, Science Fiction Acknowledgements I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Professor David Levey, my research supervisor, for his unparalleled knowledge, advice, and assistance. One could not hope for a better supervisor. I am thankful to the helpful staff of UNISA library for performing literature searches and obtaining research material for me. I wish to thank my late father for inspiring me to further my education. I would also like to extend my sincerest appreciation and gratitude to my mother and sister for their endless support and patience without which I would not have been able to undertake and complete this project. Student number: 3325-211-4 I declare that ―Messiahs and Martyrs: Religion in Selected Novels of Frank Herbert‘s Dune Chronicles‖ is my own work and that all the sources that I have used or quoted have been indicated and acknowledged by means of complete references. ________________________ _____________________ SIGNATURE DATE (MISS S. SINGH) Table of Contents Introduction................................................................................................................................1 Chapter One – Genesis: The Religion of Dune........................................................................12 Chapter Two – Paul: The Messiah...........................................................................................38 Chapter Three – Leto: The Martyr...........................................................................................76 Conclusion..............................................................................................................................114 List of References...................................................................................................................124 Introduction Of course I deal with religion in my books. I‘ve studied them at great length. I‘ve studied them both as a historical phenomenon and in their own lights. I see the thrust and necessity in some levels of consciousness for a prop to lean on. I can also make very interesting comparisons between the absolute monarchs of the early days and the forms that early religions took, and how that has carried over into present religions. The trail is there and you don‘t have to be an expert woodsman to follow the track of that wolf. (Herbert quoted in O‘Reilly, 1987: 243-244) This quotation suggests that religion was a major preoccupation for Frank Herbert and this interest was translated into his novels. For instance, the Dune Chronicles consist of six novels: Dune (1965), Dune Messiah (1969), Children of Dune (1976), God Emperor of Dune (1981), Heretics of Dune (1984) and Chapterhouse: Dune (1985). Four of these titles contain words which connote religious themes: ―Messiah‖, ―God‖, ―Heretics‖ and ―Chapterhouse‖; this implies that religion is a major theme in the series and deserves further deliberation. I intend to scrutinize these novels to find evidence of Herbert‘s claim that he ―studied them [religions] at great length‖, as ―a historical phenomenon‖ and ―in their own lights‖. To consider religion a ―prop to lean on‖, even if Herbert deems it a ―necessity‖, seems derisive to those who subscribe to a particular religion; therefore I will more closely examine Herbert‘s attitude to and engagement with religion in the Dune Chronicles. Herbert also incorporates absolute monarchs, in the form of deities, into the series. The focus of this assessment falls upon Herbert‘s use of messiahs and martyrs. The term ―Messiah‖ can be understood in a variety of contexts – in terms of Judaism: ―a king who will be sent by God to save the Jewish people‖; from a Christian perspective: ―Jesus Christ who was sent by God into the world to save people from evil and sin‖; in a general sense: ―a leader who people believe will solve the problems of a country or the world‖ (The Oxford Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary, 2012: s.v. Messiah). A ―martyr‖ is defined as ―a person who suffers very much or is killed because of their religious or political beliefs‖ (The Oxford Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary, 2012: s.v. Martyr). I make connections with Herbert‘s studies, inspirations and background to his treatment of religion, establishing the translation of these ideas in the texts. To identify and study every aspect of religion in the series is impossible; as noted, I will concentrate upon the messiah and martyr themes but will include other features that I deem important to my understanding of the texts. I will only investigate the first four novels in the Dune Chronicles due to length constraints. 1 Since science fiction (hereafter SF) is constantly evolving, criticism of it is also subject to similar changes. Westfahl, Evans, Hassler and Hollinger (1999: 161) were the first to undertake a historical survey of SF criticism because they recognised that the few sources available on the subject tended to be ―incomplete, inchoate, cursory, or polemical‖. My survey begins with Evans‘s (1999) ―The Origins of Science Fiction Criticism: From Kepler to Wells‖. Evans (1999: 163) acknowledges that for some contemporary scholars of science fiction, there is no pre-twentieth century SF criticism. Since there is neither a universally accepted definition of SF, nor consensus about the progenitor of the genre, there is an impact upon criticism as well. If one cannot delineate the field, then it becomes impossible to identify the earliest criticism associated with the subject. Critics have no alternative but to provide their own suggestions and analysis. In the case of Evans (1999: 164), he chooses to begin his inquiry with SF critic and writer Johannes Kepler, from the Renaissance/post- Renaissance period in Europe. He terminates his study with the ―father of modern sf‖, H.G. Wells (Evans, 1999: 178). Donald M. Hassler (1999) continues the inquiry by focusing on the work of J.O. Bailey, Marjorie Hope Nicolson, Thomas D. Clareson, Philip Babcock Gove and a few other critics in ―The Academic Pioneers of Science Fiction Criticism, 1940-1980‖. In contrast to Evans, Istvan Csicsery-Ronay, Jr. (2005: 44) asserts that SF criticism emerged when he considers SF itself did, in the early nineteenth century. His approach is to divide SF criticism into three streams: popular, academic and literary – though he acknowledges that they are not always distinguishable (Csicsery-Ronay, Jr., 2005: 43). Gary Westfahl (1999: 187) explores the popular stream and all it encompasses in ―The Popular Tradition of Science Fiction Criticism, 1926-1980‖: It has been, by any measure, one of history‘s most extensive discussions about one particular branch of literature. The conversation was started in the 1920s by the editors and writers of American pulp magazines, who offered their thoughts in editorials, blurbs, articles, reviews, and ancillary materials; next, readers joined in with letters, followed by editorial replies and additional responses from other readers. The dialogue then moved outside the magazines into private correspondence, personal interactions at meetings and conventions, newsletters and amateur magazines called fanzines, and critical studies and bibliographies published by small presses. At first a conversation primarily involving Americans, it soon spread to England and Europe and, eventually, to countries all over the world. And before the last few decades, it has been a discussion with relatively little participation or input from those people formally trained and officially qualified to discuss literature. For want of a better term, call it the popular tradition of science fiction criticism. This branch of literature continues to elicit attention on this scale. In the twenty-first century, the conversation that begun in the 1920s remains the same – it is only the mode in 2 which fans communicate that has changed. No doubt, early SF writers and fans would eagerly approve of this new method of communication. It is most fitting that technology enables and encourages fans to connect to one another: blogs, online forums, social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook as well as web sites dedicated to SF novels, television shows and movies, unite fans and serve as platforms for discussion and criticism. Writers themselves have chosen to communicate directly with their fans through their websites, Facebook and Twitter Pages; this adds to the discourse, since they discuss their work on occasion. For instance, Kevin J. Anderson regularly updates his
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