Accessible, research-based analysis of Frank Herbert's science fiction series
My extended essay on the comparisons between Lawrence of Arabia and Dune, particularly the main character of Paul Atreides, has been published in a limited edition chapbook and prints set by Withnail Books. It includes rare illustrations in both black and white and color from the T.E. Lawrence’s 1926 memoir, Seven Pillars of Wisdom, showing the uncanny similarities in these books. Find more details on the Lawrence/Atreides: The Roots of Dune page on the publisher’s site.
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My latest article Dune’s Discomfort with Religion is up on the American Philosophical Association’s site. I look again at the way the films Dune: Part One (2021) and Dune: Part Two (2024) by director Denis Villeneuve distort the portrayal of key characters and concepts from the book.
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I had a great discussion with Cooper and Taylor on the Machinic Unconscious Happy Hour podcast. We covered all sorts of topics relating to Dune, from how my books came to be, our favorite books in the Dune series, and some deeper theoretical perspectives based on our academic backgrounds. And of course we had to talk about the recent film adaptations. I’ve got new angles to think about in future Dune scholarship, and hopefully listeners find something interesting to pick up on as well. Check out the episode “Kara Kennedy – Dune: A Critical Companion” on YouTube, Spotify, Soundcloud, or
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Rory Doherty in Should Denis Villeneuve Make More Dune Sequels? Dune Scholars Aren’t So Sure for Inverse interviewed me and others about potential future sequel adaptations of Dune. I find interesting that people are praising the films for supposedly changing ‘nothing characters’ into something, but also not minding the downplaying or erasure of others such as the Mentats and Guild. It’s also interesting how journalists continue to have a much broader definition of who qualifies as an expert or scholar and tend to draw from their own media pools. Academics may be harder to get a hold of but there is
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There’s much ado about Chani. Find me on the Gom Jabbar Dune Podcast with Abu and Leo discussing the depiction of Chani in the book vs. the film Dune: Part Two.
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My analysis of Chani in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two film has been published on Dune News Net as Chani and the Empowered Woman Stereotype in ‘Dune: Part Two’: No Family, No Faith, Just Fight. Chani’s portrayal in the ‘Dune’ movies eliminates key roles she held in the book, reducing her agency and depth as a character. This piece continues my analysis of the women in the film, begun in Dune: Part Two’s Treatment of Women is an Abomination, which focuses on Jessica and the Bene Gesserit. It draws from my prior scholarship on Chani’s character and my discussion of
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