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Title
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The amtal rule: testing to define in Frank Herbert's Dune.
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Creator
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Irizarry, Adella., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of English
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Abstract/Description
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In this project, I focus on the function of the "amtal" or test of definition or destruction, in Frank Herbert's Dune. It is my argument that these tests "to destruction" determine not only the limits or defects of the person being tested, but also - and more crucially - the very limits and defects of the definition of humanity in three specific cultural spheres within the novel: the Bene Gesserit, the Fremen, and the Faufreluches. The definitions of "amtal" as well as "humanity," like all...
Show moreIn this project, I focus on the function of the "amtal" or test of definition or destruction, in Frank Herbert's Dune. It is my argument that these tests "to destruction" determine not only the limits or defects of the person being tested, but also - and more crucially - the very limits and defects of the definition of humanity in three specific cultural spheres within the novel: the Bene Gesserit, the Fremen, and the Faufreluches. The definitions of "amtal" as well as "humanity," like all definitions, are somewhat fluid, changing depending on usage, cultural context, and the political and social needs of the society which uses them. Accordingly, Dune remains an instructive text for thinking through contemporary and controversial notions about the limits of humanism and, consequently, of animalism and posthumanism.
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Date Issued
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2013
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PURL
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http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/3362377
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Subject Headings
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Criticism and interpretation, Dune (Imaginary place), Philosophy, Philosophy in literature, Humanism
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Format
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Document (PDF)
