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Political Theory, Science Fiction, and Utopian Literature
Ursula K. Le Guin and The Dispossessed
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2010
Summary
Ursula K. Le Guin's The Dispossessed is of interest to political theorists partly because of its association with anarchism and partly because it is thought to represent a turning point in the history of utopian/dystopian political thought and literature and of science fiction. Published in 1974, it marked a revival of utopianism after decades of dystopian writing. According to this widely accepted view The Dispossessed represents a new kind of literary utopia, which Tom Moylan calls a 'critical utopia.' The present work challenges this reading of The Dispossessed and its place in the histories of utopian/dystopian literature and science fiction. It explores the difference between traditional literary utopia and novels and suggests that The Dispossessed is not a literary utopia but a novel about utopianism in politics. Le Guin's concerns have more to do with those of the novelists of the 19th century writing in the tradition of European Realism than they do with the science fiction or utopian literature. It also claims that her theory of the novel has an affinity with the ancient Greek tragedy. This implies that there is a conservatism in Le Guin's work as a creative writer, or as a novelist, which fits uneasily with her personal commitment to anarchism.
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Bibliographic data
Copyright year
2010
ISBN-Print
978-0-7391-2282-2
ISBN-Online
978-0-7391-4487-9
Publisher
Lexington, Lanham
Language
English
Pages
320
Product type
Book Titles
Table of contents
ChapterPages
Contents No access
Acknowledgments No access
Ch01. Introduction No access Pages 1 - 18
Ch02. Science Fiction and theHistory of Utopian Literature:H. G. Wells, Zamyatin,and Le Guin No access Pages 19 - 54
Ch03. Le Guin’s Dialectical Approach to Questions ofPhilosophy and Politics No access Pages 55 - 80
Ch04. Science and Progress in theWritings of Zamyatinand Le Guin No access Pages 81 - 112
Ch05. Le Guin’s The Dispossessedand Utopian Literature No access Pages 113 - 152
Ch06. Politics and Literature in theWritings of Le Guin No access Pages 153 - 180
Ch07. Ethics in the Writings ofUrsula K. Le Guin No access Pages 181 - 216
Ch08. Anarchist Politics in Zamyatin and Le Guin No access Pages 217 - 240
Ch09. Conservatism in the Writings of Le Guin No access Pages 241 - 266
Ch10. Conclusion: Le Guin’sRelevance for PoliticalTheory Today No access Pages 267 - 288
