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Dune by Frank Herbert

Dune

Cover of Dune, by Frank HerbertFrank Herbert’s Dune stands not only as one of the pillars of 20th-century science fiction, but as one of the greatest achievements of fictional world-building. Reading Dune is a fascinating and immersive experience, and in our discussions we will follow Paul Atreides as he first encounters and then merges with the strange ways of the planet Arrakis.  Whether you are a water-soft off-worlder visiting Arrakis for the first time or an experienced sand walker well accustomed to stillsuit discipline, our discussions should bring you to a new appreciation of Herbert’s great work.

Join Corey Olsen, the Tolkien Professor and the president of Signum University, for an in-depth twelve-week study of Dune, the first volume in Frank Herbert’s series. As part of the Mythgard Academy series, the class is tuition-free and open to the public. The first 100 participants for each session are able to participate in the discussion live, and both video and audio recordings of the classes will be available on this web page, through the Mythgard podcast feed, and on our iTunes U course.

Dune is available from Amazon and also available as an audiobook, as a movie, and a TV miniseries. A new documentary, Jodorowsky’s Dune, describes another film version that was never produced.

A Message from Dr. Olsen

As part of the Mythgard Academy series, the class is tuition-free and open to the public. The first 100 participants for each session are able to participate in the discussion live, and both video and audio recordings of the classes will be available on this web page, through the Mythgard podcast feed, and our YouTube channel.

Like all Mythgard Academy classes, this course is made possible by the generosity of everyone who supported our fundraising campaign last fall. The topics of our Academy classes are nominated and elected entirely by our generous donors.

If you missed our fundraising campaign but would still like to take part in our class voting process to decide our future topics for the rest of the year, it isn’t too late! Visit our donation page and help support our free classes!

– Dr. Corey Olsen

Schedule

The Dune seminar originally took place on Wednesday nights from July 30 – October 15, 2014.

Note on the readings: Dune‘s chapters, unfortunately, are not numbered, so it is difficult to indicate succinctly where the starting and ending points are for each class session.  Since many people are reading many different editions for the class, however, I have tried to provide a description of the endpoint of each class’s reading assignment.

Week 1: The Hand That Had Known Pain

Read: Book 1, 1-75 – stopping before the chapter with the epigram that begins: “With the Lady Jessica and Arrakis”
Date: July 30, 2014

Week 2: The Matador and the Bull

Read: Book 1, 76-157 – stopping before “On that first day when Muad’dib rode through”
Date: August 6, 2014

Week 3: The Thing Must Take Its Course

Read: Book 1, 158-236 – stopping before “There is no escape”
Date: August 13, 2014

Week 4: The Seed Is Sown

Read: Book 1, 237-324 – stopping at the end of Book I
Date: August 20, 2014

Week 5: The One Who Points the Way

Date: August 27, 2014

Week 6: Only I Will Remain

Read: Book 2, 327-420 – stopping before “Family life of the Royal Creche”
Date: September 3, 2014

Week 7: Hawk v Mouse

Read: Book 2, 421-500 – stopping before “God created Arrakis to train the faithful”
Date: September 10, 2014

Week 8: Action and Inaction

Read: Book 2, 501-587 – stopping at the end of Book II
Date: September 17, 2014

Week 9: Questions on Book Two

Date: September 24, 2014

Week 10: Riding the Maker

Read: Book 3, 591-688 – stopping at “How often is it that the angry man”
Date: October 1, 2014

Week 11: Kwisatz Haderach

Read: Book 3, 689-794 – through to the end!
Date: October 8, 2014

Week 12: A Universe Full of Doors

Date:October 15, 2014

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