7 levels of meaning in Frank Herbert’s DUNE
The science fiction classic is as deep as the sands of the deepest desert
The ancient Greeks divided culture into 2 halves.
The Mythos was the stories. Of Gods and monsters and heroes of old.
The Logos was the knowledge. The logic, reason and facts of the matter.
Science fiction is unique because it joins Logos with Mythos.
Science. With fiction.
The great works of science fiction…Asimov’s Foundation saga, Le Guin’s Hainish cycle, Gibson’s Sprawl trilogy, every single book by Octavia Butler, the works of Delany, Atwood, Heinlein, Banks, Stephenson…
…and a relatively short list of true science fiction greats, are great because they unify high concepts with narrative craft to create stories that both Inform and Transform us as readers.
There is none greater than Frank Herbert’s DUNE. In this video essay made as part of my course Writing the 21st Century Myth I analyse the 7 levels of meaning in DUNE to understand its enduring power as a work of science fiction.
