SOURCE: "A Psychological Approach to Fantasy in the Dune Series," in Extrapolation, Vol. 23, No. 2, Summer, 1982, pp. 150-58.

McLean is an American author of children's books. In the essay below, she explores the oedipal theme in Herbert's Dune series.

Fantasy literature has long suffered from the stigma of childishness and escapism. Only recently have psychologists begun to propose that it actually serves important psychological functions. In The Uses of Enchantment, for instance, Bruno Bettelheim suggests that fairy tales help children to understand and accept their own feelings. Through fairy tales children are able to confront their innermost fears and desires and to resolve their conflicts vicariously. Children, however, are not the only ones who can benefit from the therapeutic effects of fantasy. Like dreams, it addresses feelings that are too threatening to be confronted consciously, but unlike dreams it suggests solutions to the problems it examines. Furthermore, by providing...