Fiction of Ideas, Week of Oct. 30


The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin has three major themes that I would like to talked about, gender, love and ‘The Other’. (That sounds like a good YA novel title.)
The world created was from one proposed question, what would a world without biologically sex be like? This also posed a question on gender identity and the culture status of love without our heavy handed catholic ideas on it.
Some Critics of the time that the novel contained more male presenting aliens than androgynous ones. (Cummins) This is completely misguided but, can serves as an example to what objects and traits we gender. This assumes that there are positions that are gendered and that the unbalance between sexes are nature and that trans and non-binary people are not real. Which is enraging to me.
There an idea about love here also that is now visible in the queer community that was no back then. That is non sexual, romantic love. That is a very important idea because even when sex is everywhere in media, it is not the root of all things. Two characters can care for each other deeply and passionately but, not sexually.

Gender and Sexuality can lead to ‘The Other’ world view. Which is harmful when large groups take this view. It is to a basic level “That person is different so I know that I am like other people”. It is a sense of togetherness when reacting to a different idea. This is the ‘other’ that you watch documentaries about. People who are not harming themselves, just living a life that you are use to but, we are awestruck by. I don’t think we should stop wanting to learn about different people. The narrative of “The Others’ is about being entrained with the idea of difference and that is not health.
Works Cited
  • Cummins, Elizabeth (1990). Understanding Ursula K. Le Guin. Columbia, South Carolina, USA: University of South Carolina Press.

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