Episode Nine: The Litany Against Fear by Frank Herbert with Kate Caldwell
4/18/2024 | 27m
Dear Listeners, this week’s episode takes in the mindkiller with The Litany Against Fear by Frank Herbert (from Dune) with guest (and host) Kate Caldwell. Secrets are revealed - it turns out Amy somehow hasn’t read Dune (?!?) - and the conversation covers matriarchal orders in a patriarchal world, taking in fear, and letting it take what you don’t need. And remember folx - no one is as scary as Mama.
This Episode's Guest
Kate Caldwell is a performer and writer in Austin, TX with a BA in Theatre and Dance from UT Austin. She's currently the host of a literary podcast, Finding Good Bones, that talks to people about the pieces of writing that help them find the light and sit with the darkness in the world. Kate hates bios but loves fried chicken and whiskey.
Amy's Show Notes
What Amy’s reading - Why Fish Don’t Exist by Lulu Miller: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Why-Fish-Dont-Exist/Lulu-Miller/9781501160349
This was brought by Ladislao Loera in FGB Episode Eight
What Kate is reading - Dune, by Frank Herbert: https://dunenovels.com/dune/
Kate married a high end metal fabricator and owner of Brooklybuilt LLC: https://www.brooklynbuiltnyc.com/
Science Fiction Supreme Masterpiece is written on the cover of Kate’s copy of Dune: https://static.wixstatic.com/media/33805f_5b6629a26a5d4a6993c57c0609c3fb55~mv2.jpg
Definition of a Litany (by Merriam Webster): A prayer consisting of a series of invocations and supplications by the leader with alternate responses by the congregation; a resonant or repetitive chant
The Silmarillion is a work by J. R. R. Tolkien edited and published posthumously in 1977 by his son Christopher Tolkien, which is funny given the works in the Dune world being carried on by Frank Hebert's son Brian Herbert. Ahhh, dads and sons, continuing fantasy worlds together. The Silmarillion is a collection of the myths, histories and other stories of the events that take place in Middle-Earth from Creation to the Third Age. It's written in five parts. To Amy's credit, when you Google The Silmarillion, the first question in the "People also ask" section is "Why is it so hard to read The Silmarillion?"
Kate never circles back to this, but she has only seen the polarizing 1983 Dune by David Lynch: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087182/
Dune is a sprawling franchise with so many canonical and noncanonical works, including prequels and miniseries and encyclopedias and all sorts of things. Entire websites are devoted to this. Here’s the Wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_(franchise)
Here is a fandom sit brief overview of the Bene Gesserit Order, or The Sisterhood: https://dune.fandom.com/wiki/Bene_Gesserit
In the novel, we are first introduced to The Voice used by Gaius Helen Mohiam: "A smile flicked the corners of the wrinkled old mouth. ‘The Lady Jessica was my serving wench, lad, for fourteen years at school.’ She nodded. ‘And a good one, too. Now, you come here!’ The command whipped out at him. Paul found himself obeying before he could think about it. Using the Voice on me, he thought. He stopped at her gesture, standing beside her knees."
An example of how the different sections of Dune start: https://static.wixstatic.com/media/33805f_8eccdc98da6b46cca5883022cb2baca3~mv2.png
“Oh there’s a cat” was one of these cats: https://static.wixstatic.com/media/33805f_216ecd0f1e2348e59938384bd1f1d737~mv2.png
Just a quick reminder that women, here on Earth, with human biology, cannot control implantation or determine the sex of their fetuses using their minds / willpower.
Here is the kiddo that was coming in the house: https://static.wixstatic.com/media/33805f_2a7975ce0d3d489a800383a7709d54b6~mv2.jpg
Big Bend National Park was established in 1935 and opened to visitors in 1944. It is in southwest Texas and includes the entire Chisos mountain range, a fair amount of the Chihuahuan Desert, and is bordered by the Rio Grande. Here are a few of Kate’s photos from this trip:
The Hot Springs started out as a resort in the early 20th century a couple miles from the small settlement of Boquillas, TX. What remains now is the partially built tub, the old bathhouse, and a VERY unpaved road. They are awesome, though, and are right next to the Rio Grande, which often floods the springs. One time, Kate saw a wild horse on the Mexico side of the river while in the hot springs:
Hot springs at golden hour: https://static.wixstatic.com/media/33805f_0333b556815e41f2bea7d325559dc4d0~mv2.png
Kate and Erin in the hot springs: https://static.wixstatic.com/media/33805f_0333b556815e41f2bea7d325559dc4d0~mv2.png
Here’s the article that Kate was referencing: http://www.aeriagloris.com/ThoughtsOfDune/litanyagainstfear.htm
An interesting read on masculine and feminine aspects and science and the brain: Gender Mosaic: Beyond the Myth of the Male and Female Brain: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/daphna-joel-phd/gender-mosaic/9780316534611/
The main snacks Eleanor requests are fruit snacks and “pencils” (pretzels)
Request a recommendation on a selection of writing picked by Kate and Amy just for you: https://www.findinggoodbones.com/contact
Join Drew Allen in supporting the podcast at https://www.patreon.com/FindingGoodBones