Dune Herbert, Frank - Juan A. Prieto-Pablos (essay date Spring 1991)
Juan A. Prieto-Pablos (essay date Spring 1991)
SOURCE: "The Ambivalent Hero of Contemporary Fantasy and Science Fiction," in Extrapolation, Vol. 32, No. 1, Spring, 1991, pp. 64-80.
[In the following excerpt, Prieto-Pablos examines the development of the ambivalent hero in Herbert's Dune, contending that it is a reflection of contemporary American culture.]
The voices of glorification of America's destiny have never been silent in North American science fiction, especially after the victorious end of World War II. For a large number of writers, this victory signified the beginning of a new era of optimism. Donald Wollheim's title for his study of modern science fiction, The Universe Makers, is illustrative of this mood. His view of the future awaiting human-kind was certainly not unique:
Atomic power—how many times had stories shown what a world of wonders and prosperity would be humanity's if we could...
[The entire page is 4741 words long]
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