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UrsulaK.LeGuin’sprivatelifeandprofessionalcareer
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alone,sincethelawcanbetranslatedasTheTheoryofLettingAlone,
understoodasthesuperiorityofapplyingpassivitywhenmetwith
aggressionorGpatienceoverinitiative”
2
(Spivack6-7).Baingivesmany
detailsaboutTaoism:
UnlikeWesternreligiousthought,whichseestheuniverseasrealand
Godasaperson,EasterntraditionseestheuniverseasillusoryandGodas
animpersonalforce.InbothEasternandWesternmysticism,however,the
mysticalexperienceisnothinglessthandirectintuitionofUltimateReality
-asupremebeingintheWest,asupremestateintheEast.InTaoism-and
inusinghisterm,Iamalwaysreferringtothephilosophy,notthelater
organizedchurch-thesupremestateisTao,anditsmostcommon
representationisasthelinejoining/dividingtheyinandyangprinciplesin
thecircleoflife.Taoistheessence,theultimateunityoftheuniverse.In
theTaoTeChing,Taoisreal,althoughnomorerealthantheuniverseit
governs;yetitisverydefinitelythegoverningforceoftheuniverse:the
Mother,theOne,Being,theWay(211-12).
Escudié,followingothercritics’pointsofview,proposestheterm
Cmythopoeicwriter’forLeGuin,butconcedesthattherearespecialists
claimingLeGuindestroysmyths.Accordingtoher,theauthordirectly
borrowsNorse,Celtic,Teutonic,butalsoIndianmythsandlegends.(134).
LeGuinrespondstothat,noting:
Ingeneral,Iwouldsay,myinfluencesdonotcomefromNative
Americanstories,becausetheculture,thesocietyissodifferent,itdoesn’t
comeovereasilyintotheEuropeantraditionofwriting.NotuntilIwrote
AlwaysComingHomecouldIbegintoplaywiththewaytheNative
Americanslookedattheworld.Ididn’treadmyfather’sworkuntilIwas
quiteagrownwoman,andalreadyhadfoundmyownwayasawriter,soI
don’tthinkhiswritingsreallyinfluencedmeverymuch.Itwashis
personality(inEscudié135).
However,LeGuin’sworksbearnotraceofherconsideringherself
atruepatriot.ShedoesnotstressthatsheisAmericananddoesnotmake
allusionstothepoliticalconditionofthecountry,evenintherealistnovels
whicharesetontheAmericanWestCoast.
Sheremarksthattodestroyorsubvertamythorafairytaleisafeminist
wayofchangingaperspective,ofretellingthestory.Shedoesnotfindit
inherownoeuvre.AccordingtoLeGuin,
2
ThiscanbedescribedasanCactionthroughnon-action’ideology.
