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Reading Group Usage

Posted: 10 May 2009 08:57
by Freakzilla
The Reading Group Summaries are a labor of my love for Frank Herbert's Dune Chronicles. Before writing them I read Dune, the 1984 movie edition mass market paperback out of an airport bookstore in Shreveport, Louisiana, at age 13. I then got the Ace box set that included up to God Emperor of Dune in a WalMart in Marietta, Georgia. At that time I was caught up with Frank and his Dune saga and passed my time reading the rest of his novels and short stories, along with the other giants in the genre. Then came Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse: Dune at B. Dalton's and Walden's respectively, of Cumberland Mall in Marietta. Frank died and there were no more Dune books, which I conttinued to read an an average annualy. There were wars and rumors of wars. Then, the internets came with all you nice people. Many had a lot of the same questions I had about The Grand Shebang but the more interesting thing was how we usually came to the same answers when we discussed them. At the time of writing these summaries I was 37 and the reading was done of all six books at the same time. That is; chapter one of Dune, Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, God Emperor of Dune, Heretics of Dune, Chapterhouse: Dune; chapter two of Dune, Dune Mesiah, etc.

Enough of the begats...

If you have questions that are specific to any one chapter of the books, please post them there. Maybe you have insights that I could add to my summary, maybe my summary is wrong, maybe I summarized the wrong chapter, who knows...

Doing so can help us all have a better understanding of the books.

P.S. Try not to post spoilers for the latter books in the Reading Group, if you have general question or comments on broader topics or ones that may contain spoilers, please post those in the appropriate Dune Discussion Forum.

:Adolf:

Also, please limit posts to serious discussion about the chapter. It's the only Forum in which I ask you to remain on-topic. Useless comments will be deleted at my discretion.

Re: Reading Group Usage

Posted: 16 Jan 2011 22:34
by Freakzilla
I haven't read the series in two years...

Who's with me?

Re: Reading Group Usage

Posted: 17 Jan 2011 00:42
by D Pope
I'm all for it! I've little doubt that my understanding of the series only scratches the surface of an amazing wealth of knowledge. I'm afraid, however, that without 'stupid' questions a lot like us might read on without discussing what is already assumed to be common knowledge. In the interests of making the discussions fresh and new, without employing someone to play the fool, (which would probably not work anyway) I propose we take a note from Omph and make a run through with an eye toward specific themes like politics, religion , finance, and good/bad advice.

A little while ago, someone posted about another ass kissing reviewer- the thing that stood out was his analysis of Franks first sentence of Dune, does anyone remember? He explained, basically , that in 32 words, Frank said more than KJH could in a chapter. That was a good moment for me and I can't help but think that we'd all like more of those.

I fully expect some new stupidity to escape the suckularity soon, and it should be mocked! This fact shouldn't deter our true goal, improving our understanding of the truths Frank wrote about and improving ourselves.

Re: Reading Group Usage

Posted: 17 Jan 2011 05:46
by lotek
As the song says, Time Is on Our Side(Yes It Is) ! Time and the fact that no one in their right mind could compare Frank's Dune to the idiots' chinese imitation(you know the Lacoste shirt style with the crocodile upside down).
I believe, probably like most of us here, that posterity will give he hack what he deserves, that is fuck all.

As for rereading Dune, Freak do you need to ask ? ;)

Re: Reading Group Usage

Posted: 19 Jan 2011 07:04
by redbugpest
Should be fun and educational :) I'll do it, too.
How do you intend to do this? set number of chapters per week?

Re: Reading Group Usage

Posted: 19 Jan 2011 07:41
by lotek
we should send an invite to kja who obviously has never read Dune

Re: Reading Group Usage

Posted: 19 Jan 2011 09:10
by Freakzilla
redbugpest wrote:Should be fun and educational :) I'll do it, too.
How do you intend to do this? set number of chapters per week?
We'll just do one chapter at a time, when we feel like we've totally molested it for all it's worth, we'll move on. :)

I'm going to try to start on my lunch break...

Re: Reading Group Usage

Posted: 19 Jan 2011 09:12
by lotek
so do we use this thread to discuss chapter by chapter or did I totally misunderstand your (cunning) plan ?

Re: Reading Group Usage

Posted: 19 Jan 2011 09:34
by Freakzilla
No, in that chapter in the Reading Group: Dune - Chapter 01

Re: Reading Group Usage

Posted: 19 Jan 2011 09:35
by Freakzilla
Y'all can start commenting any time you want. I my revise my summaries as I read.

Re: Reading Group Usage

Posted: 19 Jan 2011 09:50
by lotek
Freakzilla wrote:No, in that chapter in the Reading Group: Dune - Chapter 01
ts'what I tought but I was not sure if we'd start from scratch or not :)

Ok thnaks for that, II was rereading Dune Messiah but I don't mind going back a step

Re: Reading Group Usage

Posted: 19 Jan 2011 14:00
by SandChigger
Aw... Big Fat Bacon Boy pretending to be a real Dune fan now? How sweet! :laughing-rolling:

Re: Reading Group Usage

Posted: 19 Jan 2011 14:19
by lotek
was wondering when you'd show up :)

Re: Reading Group Usage

Posted: 18 Nov 2011 10:43
by Freakzilla
The last two chapters of Dune have been renumbered (thanks Rymoah!).

I think all the chapters are there and numbered correctly now.

And there was much rejoicing.

:dance:

Y'all please point out spelling/gramar mistakes if you notice them, or anything important I've left out.

Re: Reading Group Usage

Posted: 18 Nov 2011 12:52
by Omphalos
Freakzilla wrote:The last two chapters of Dune have been renumbered (thanks Rymoah!).

I think all the chapters are there and numbered correctly now.

And there was much rejoicing.

:dance:

Y'all please point out spelling/gramar mistakes if you notice them, or anything important I've left out.
Do the read-only copies at T(A)U need updating?

Re: Reading Group Usage

Posted: 18 Nov 2011 13:05
by Freakzilla
Omphalos wrote:
Freakzilla wrote:The last two chapters of Dune have been renumbered (thanks Rymoah!).

I think all the chapters are there and numbered correctly now.

And there was much rejoicing.

:dance:

Y'all please point out spelling/gramar mistakes if you notice them, or anything important I've left out.
Do the read-only copies at T(A)U need updating?
Yes, but I'm doing another read-thru now, revising as I go. I'll transfer them a book at a time as I polish them a little.

Is there a way to copy those without me cut-and-pasting from one forum to another?

Re: Reading Group Usage

Posted: 18 Nov 2011 14:48
by Omphalos
Freakzilla wrote:
Omphalos wrote:
Freakzilla wrote:The last two chapters of Dune have been renumbered (thanks Rymoah!).

I think all the chapters are there and numbered correctly now.

And there was much rejoicing.

:dance:

Y'all please point out spelling/gramar mistakes if you notice them, or anything important I've left out.
Do the read-only copies at T(A)U need updating?
Yes, but I'm doing another read-thru now, revising as I go. I'll transfer them a book at a time as I polish them a little.

Is there a way to copy those without me cut-and-pasting from one forum to another?
Not really. Shouldn't present a problem if you have two windows open with one site loaded in each. I can help too if you want to divvy the work up.

Re: Reading Group Usage

Posted: 18 Nov 2011 15:31
by Freakzilla
That's OK, I just thought there might be an easy way to copy whole topics from forum to forum.

I should know that nothing worthwhile is easy. :D

Re: Reading Group Usage

Posted: 20 Nov 2011 14:17
by Rymoah
Freakzilla wrote:The last two chapters of Dune have been renumbered (thanks Rymoah!).
You're welcome ;)
Freakzilla wrote:Is there a way to copy those without me cut-and-pasting from one forum to another?
Well, since the software used by Jacurutu and T(A)U is the same (phpBB), there is a way to do it without cut and paste. You should dump the database rows relative to the threads of the reading group on Jacurutu and import them in T(A)U database, but I definitely wouldn't advise you to do it (I have already done something similar on DuneItalia after a big upgrade made an entire subforum disappear, and it was literally a pain in the ass :D ). So yes, as Omphalos said, it's better cut and paste.

Rymoah

Re: Reading Group Usage

Posted: 21 Nov 2011 02:47
by Omphalos
Rymoah wrote:
Freakzilla wrote:The last two chapters of Dune have been renumbered (thanks Rymoah!).
You're welcome ;)
Freakzilla wrote:Is there a way to copy those without me cut-and-pasting from one forum to another?
Well, since the software used by Jacurutu and T(A)U is the same (phpBB), there is a way to do it without cut and paste. You should dump the database rows relative to the threads of the reading group on Jacurutu and import them in T(A)U database, but I definitely wouldn't advise you to do it (I have already done something similar on DuneItalia after a big upgrade made an entire subforum disappear, and it was literally a pain in the ass :D ). So yes, as Omphalos said, it's better cut and paste.

Rymoah
I cannot imagine what a huge pain in the ass that must have been. But I will say that the Jacurutu db is over 335 megs, so it'd be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Re: Reading Group Usage

Posted: 21 Nov 2011 02:58
by Freakzilla
I'll just copy and past, not that big a deal.

:D

I need to read the series again, anyway. Right fellas? :oops:

Re: Reading Group Usage

Posted: 21 Nov 2011 03:07
by Hunchback Jack
Rymoah wrote: ... (I have already done something similar on DuneItalia after a big upgrade made an entire subforum disappear, and it was literally a pain in the ass :D ).
Do you really mean "literally"? 'Cause that would be a bummer. :)

HBJ

Re: Reading Group Usage

Posted: 21 Nov 2011 03:09
by Freakzilla
If I lost one of my reading group forums... someone's ass would be hurting.

Re: Reading Group Usage

Posted: 21 Nov 2011 03:10
by Freakzilla
Probably mine.

Re: Reading Group Usage

Posted: 21 Nov 2011 03:11
by Freakzilla
There's a jar of sandy vasoline on my dresser, now. It seems to be my turn over the barrel.