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Le Guin's Representation Of Women In Science Fiction

1094 Words5 Pages

In the world of fantasy and science fiction which is dominated by men, one woman is renowned and acclaimed as one of the best writers in the genre. From the world of young wizards and wizarding schools, to a world populated by an ambisexual society, and a world described as an anarchist utopia, Ursula K. Le Guin’s works have been critically acclaimed for its attempt to represent women in literature as well as for paving the way for future women writers of science fiction.

A Pioneer of Sci-Fi and Fantasy Novels

In an article published by theguardian.com, Margaret Atwood, an award-winning writer and author of “The Handmaid’s Tale,” describes Le Guin as “one of the literary greats of the 20th century. This was after news broke out of Le Guin’s …show more content…

But Le Guin’s attempts in representing women in science fiction did not stop with the characters in her books. In 1987, Le Guin’s fight for women representation in science fiction was again tested when she was approached by John Radziewicz which was then the editor of “Synergy: New Science Fiction, Volume 1.” According to bustle.com, the book was an anthology showcasing the sci-fi stories from both renowned and up and coming authors, however, it did not contain any works from female writers of science fiction.

Le Guin was asked by Radziewicz to create a blurb or a short description of the book but Le Guin denied this request by responding to the editor in a letter stating “I cannot imagine myself blurbing the first of a new series and hence presumably exemplary of the series, which not only contains no writing by women, but the tone of which is so self-contentedly, exclusively male, like a club, or a locker …show more content…

In the story, the protagonist George Orr seeks the help of a psychiatrist to help him control his power, however, the psychiatrist uses George’s ability to create his own ideal world where aliens are the solution to world peace, and turning everyone’s skin into grey is the solution to racism.

The Dispossessed

Le Guin’s novel titled “The Dispossessed” which theguardian.com says is the writer’s reaction to the Vietnam War is set on an anarchist utopia of a twin world known as Urras and Anarres which are found in the Hainish universe

In the novel, Shevek, a young physicist who lives on the isolated planet of Anarres initially wants to re-establish contact between the two worlds through his Principle of Simultaneity to advance the fields of arts and sciences. However, as Anarres is a planet which inhibits individual success and promotes an anarchist philosophy of a life without property and rejects ideas which are profiting, Shevek sets out to the world of Urras where society is freer, only to find a society where the leaders have a penchant for gaining

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