Jᴀᴄᴜʀᴜᴛᴜ - Tʜᴇ Cᴀsᴛ Oᴜᴛ

Let the mining begin... what does everyone think of the significance of Princess Irulan's various writings that begin every chapter of the first novel? Later books use quotes from different people and books, but the first one only uses her writings. What do these epigraphs do to the reader and how do they shape the reader's understanding of the chapter that follows each saying?

For memory refreshing, the various writings (from http://dune.wikia.com/wiki/Irulan) include:

* "Manual of Muad'Dib"
* "Muad'Dib, Family Commentaries"
* "A Child's History of Muad'Dib"
* "Dictionary of Muad'Dib"
* "Analysis: The Arrakeen Crisis" (written for Bene Gesserit Circulation only)
* "The Humanity of Muad'Dib"
* "Collected Sayings of Muad'Dib"
* "In My Father's House"
* "Songs of Muad'Dib"
* "Conversations With Muad'Dib"
* "Arrakis Awakening"
* "Private Reflections on Muad'Dib"
* "The Wisdom of Muad'Dib"
* "Muad'Dib, The Man" (with preface by Stilgar)
* "Count Fenring: A Profile"
* "Muad'Dib: The Religious Issues"
* "Muad'Dib: The 99 Wonders of the Universe"
* "Collected Legends Of Arrakis"

Sometimes they have something to do with the proceeding chapter, sometimes the preceeding, sometimes they don't seem to relate chronologically. I do believe they were meant to add to the context of the story, allthough I'm not sure there's any significance that they are all by her in Dune other than another point-of-view as the court historian.

They are all included in the Reading Group, by the way. I'd like to encourage members, while reading, to comment on how the epighraphs relate to each chapter or the story in general, if you please.

Having Irulan write the epigraphs was probably the logical thing to do; same as having most if not all of the epigraphs in God Emperor of Dune by Leto.

It's also interesting to note that the epigraphs, as written by Frank, are interesting, relevant, and a pleasure to read. I always look forward to them whenever I do a re-reading.

The epigraphs, as attempted by Hacky and BoBo, are shallow, meaningless, and puerile. They are a pathetic attempt at sounding important, and they fail on every level.

Freakzilla wrote:Sometimes they have something to do with the proceeding chapter, sometimes the preceeding, sometimes they don't seem to relate chronologically. I do believe they were meant to add to the context of the story, allthough I'm not sure there's any significance that they are all by her in Dune other than another point-of-view as the court historian.

I think they almost never relate chronologically, instead being a commentary to the matter at hand, not exactly about the actions and happenings on the chapter, but about it's allegorical purport.

(Let me save chigger some effort: he thinks i am over-analysing this.)

(Hi morpork. Head still up your ass?)

mrpsbrk wrote:

Freakzilla wrote:Sometimes they have something to do with the proceeding chapter, sometimes the preceeding, sometimes they don't seem to relate chronologically. I do believe they were meant to add to the context of the story, allthough I'm not sure there's any significance that they are all by her in Dune other than another point-of-view as the court historian.

I think they almost never relate chronologically, instead being a commentary to the matter at hand, not exactly about the actions and happenings on the chapter, but about it's allegorical purport.

(Let me save chigger some effort: he thinks i am over-analysing this.)

By chronologically, I meant in order of the chapters, I guess "sequential" would have been a better choice of words.

I always figured other books and historical figures were used in later books because Messiah gave Irulan a chance for active agency in the plot instead of constantly being present only in her writings as means to put Jessica's final point at the end of Dune more weight: How Chani and Jessica would be seen as wives in history and Irulan only arrived in the plot as a means fo Paul's own ambitions. Apologies if these points have already been mentioned, but I feel her passages were mentioned to make the path of Maid'Dib feel more historically 'real', to give it weight in showing he'd shake the foundation of the universe, along with the added emphasis on Chani's larger historical significance.

Irulan=Athena in Atlantis then Greek mythology.