Women's Agency in the Dune Universe

Tracing Women's Liberation Through Science Fiction

English language

Published Dec. 19, 2021 by Springer International Publishing AG.

ISBN:
9783030892043

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5 stars (1 review)

2 editions

Review of "Women's Agency in the Dune Universe" on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

If you want a systematic, scientific discussion of the Dune series and/or an excellent example of a feminist critique of popular literature, this is the book for you. It makes an argument for a feminist reading of Dune using a very structured approach.

It chooses five major themes: Mind-Body Synergy, Reproduction and Motherhood, Voices, Education and Memory, and Sexuality. For each theme it then 1. explains the real-world discussion in the feminist movement during Herbert's lifetime, 2. interprets the text in that context, giving several examples of plot and characterization and 3. compares the series to the works of feminist Sci-Fi authors from the same era. It also does not shy away from pointing out and discussing parts of the text that complicate (and maybe even contradict) a feminist reading.

The target audience of this book is clearly scientifically minded, so it is probably not the easiest read for the …