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UrsulaK.LeGuin’sprivatelifeandprofessionalcareer
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imperialistdesigns,butatthesametimetheydonothesitatetouseitfor
theirowngood.
Thelatterseries,Earthsea,belongstofantasy.Itconsistsofthenovels:
AWizardofEarthsea(1968),TheTombsofAtuan(1971),TheFarthest
Shore(1972),Tehanu:TheLastBookofEarthsea(1990),TheOtherWind
(2001),andthecollectionofstoriesgatheredunderthetitleTalesfrom
Earthsea(2001).Whenitcomestotheissueofliterarygenres,LeGuin
states:GThelimits,andthegreatspacesoffantasyandsciencefictionare
preciselywhatmyimaginationneeds.OuterSpace,andtheInnerLands,
arestill,andalwayswillbe,mycountry”(TheLanguageoftheNight30).
LeGuinbuiltaworldwithmagicandwizardsthatdrasticallydiffers
fromEkumen.TheultimatestoryandthestartingpointinAWizardof
EarthseaisthehistoryofGed,ayoungboyatthebeginning,andanold
maninthelastbook.Gedisgiftedwithmagicalabilities,buthis
stubbornnessandunwillingnesstoobeytherulesgoverningtheworldof
magicbringmischieftohim.Heishuntedbyhisalter-ego,whosetrue
namehemustknowinordertoovercomehim.Thissagacontainsthemotif
ofatravellingpresent,whichconnectsthestorywiththeabovementioned
Taoistunderstanding.
GLegendhasitthatLaoTsedisappearedfromsight,attheendofhis
life,whileonamysteriousjourney,andlaterTaoistswerealchemistsand
magicians”assourcesclaim(Bucknall36).Apartfromtheconceptof
ajourney,LeGuinincorporatestheideaofmagicfromTaoistphilosophy.
ButthemagicpresentedintheEarthseaseriesisdifferentfromTaoist
magicGwhichwaslargelysexualandconcernedwithobtaininglonglife”
(Bucknall36).GSearchinginherunconsciousandrelyingonimpressions
ofmagicreceivedfromherreadinginchildhood,shecomesupwithatype
ofmagicmoreconsistentwiththeteachingsofLaoTsethantheTaoist
magicactuallywas”asBucknalldescribesit(36).Taoismhasbeen
asourceofinspirationforwriterssincethe1950s,especiallyinNorth
America,andUrsulaK.LeGuinisoneofthebestknownwritersinterested
initspopularization.Othersources,similartoTaoism,areZenBuddhism
andtheIChing(Bucknall153).Writingabouttherootsandmeaningof
thetermTaoismJohnRowan,awriterandatherapiststates:GNowinits
originalderivation,YinisCthecloudy’orCtheovercast’,andYangis
Cbannerswavinginthesun’,henceanythingshoneuponorbright.Soon
thetermscametomeantheshadedsideofahill,andthebright,sunlitside
ofit”(63).Taoismstressestheimportanceofbeinginharmony,and
