Original artwork, not a still
Dune • 1965
A beginning is the time for taking the most delicate care that the balances are correct.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
A line about openings that is itself an opening: it tells readers that Dune is a story where setting the pieces right matters more than speed. It has been borrowed for kickoffs and first chapters of all kinds, and it signals that every detail of Herbert's world was chosen with care.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for DuneShow the scene
These are the first words of Dune (1965), set before the story proper as a fragment of an in-world text by Princess Irulan, the Emperor's daughter and the future biographer of Paul Atreides. She says every Bene Gesserit sister knows how important a careful start is, so she places Paul in time (born in the 57th year of Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV) and in place, the planet Arrakis, before the tale begins.
Sources (1)
- Wikiquote: Dune (novel)Book 1: DuneReference checked
Context reviewed
