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UrsulaK.LeGuin’sprivatelifeandprofessionalcareer
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UrsulaK.LeGuinhasexperimentedwithdifferentgenres,trieddifferent
techniques,andusedvariousmotifs.
Shehadoftenwrittenworksbelongingtodifferentgenres
simultaneously.Lookingatthelistofherwritings,itiseasytorealizethat
shetypicallypublishherworksinpairs–inthesameyearorinback-to-
backyears.Somecriticstendtounderestimatehersciencefictionwritings,
praisingherfantasystories.ButLeGuinsawitotherwise,asRasswrites:
Atonetimesheexplainedthatfantasyisthebestmediumtodescribe
thejourneyinwardtoself-knowledge,becauseforher,thejourneytoother
planets,toouterspace,isametaphorforthejourneyinwardintothe
unconscious.Thisinnerjourneycannotbedescribedinthelanguageof
rationaleverydaylife,shesaid.Fantasyisthenaturallanguagefortelling
Cthespiritualjourneyandthestruggleofgoodandevilinthesoul’(68).
50UrsulaK0LeGuinasamasteroffantasyandsciencefiction
D’Ammassa,inlinewithotherliterarycritics,describesLeGuinas
Goneofthemajorcontemporarysciencefictionwriters”(212).Heclaims
thatGHerinfluenceinfantasyhasbeennearlyasstrong,andshehas
establishedherselfasasignificantvoiceinbothfields”(212).Other
literarycriticssupporttheclaim,stating:GSciencefictionisbynomeans
theonlyareawhereLeGuinhasmajorachievementstohercredit.Butshe
remainsbestknownasascience-fictionauthorandloomslargerinscience
fictionthaninanyotherparticularkindofwriting”(Freedman
Introductionx).StressingLeGuin’sachievementinthefieldofwriting,
FreedmanalsopointsoutthatGthoughmanyscience-fictionwritershave
writtensomefantasy,andamuchsmallerpercentageoffantasywriters
havewrittensomescience-fiction,itisextremelyrareforanyonetodo
majorworkinbothgenres”(Introductionxvi).Thus,thecriticsseem
unanimousinpraisingLeGuinversatility0Whatismore,manyofher
worksdonotfallintoanyoftheabove-mentionedcategories,butrather
possesselementsthatconnectthemwithbothfantasyandsciencefiction
atthesametime(FreedmanIntroductionxvii).LeGuin’sfantasystories
aregatheredintotheEarthseacyclewhichincludesthenovels:AWizard
ofEarthsea,TheTombsofAtuan,TheFarthestShore,Tehanu,TheOther
WindandshortstoriesGTheWordofUnbinding”,GTheRuleofNames”,
andworksgatheredinacollectionentitledTalesfromEarthsea.Her
sciencefictionwritingsformtheHainishcycle(alsoknownasEkumen),
whichincludethenovels:Rocannon’sWorld,PlanetofExile,Cityof
Illusions,TheLeftHandofDarkness,TheDispossessed:AnAmbiguous
