Ahira's Hangar

These are my 2 favourites from Ursula Le Guin. Nice solid what if concepts of having an anarchist society and a socialist society in conflict, and the changes in politics and society that having a hymaphropite species of humans would have. <i></i>

I loved the Left Hand of Darkness but it's been so long since I've read it I may have to go off in a search for a synopsis to rattle the memory bank. Welcome to the Hangar, btw, Shadoaz! *****
Before, you are wise; after, you are wise. In between you are otherwise.
Fravashi saying (from the formularies of Osho the Fool) <i></i>

Welcome indeed!

I really enjoyed The Dispossessed. But it's been so long since I read LHoD, and I was so young when I did, that I don't remember nearly anything about it. Just a little of the trek across the endless snow, and the one character fighting her ("her" at that moment) attraction for the other character. ____________
Highdrake's mastery of spells and sorcery was not much greater than his pupil's, but he had clear in his mind the idea of something very much greater, the wholeness of knowledge. And that made him a mage.<i></i>

In LHoD the natives of Gethen are not really hermaphodites, if that is what you might be trying to say? UKL, has always been very clear on the point, physcically each Gethenian is potentially a male or female until their reproductive cycle, in the novel called kemmer, begins. Then the presence of another Gethenian cause each one to assume the physical role of an opposite sex. UKL has always described the Gethenian need to accomodate their reproductive cycle as a primary biological imperative (for my purposes I am thinking something akin to the Vulcan pon faar).

UKL, has dealt with some of the deeper questions about LHoD, in a several commentaries she has written herself. One an introduction to a 1976 ppbk edition of LHoD, and another called Is gender necessary? also written 1976. Both essays are collected in The Language of the Night a collection of essays written by UKL regarding SF and F. I am currently interested in these issues because LHoD is on my college class reading list, and I have a copy of TLotN on loan from the local library at home and read one of the essays this a.m. while sipping my morning OJ.

Sorry to butt in here. Maybe this more information than anyone needed. taraswizard
Allan Rosewarne N9SQT/WDX6HQV
Chicago area
W/T forever, always
Plan C - http://planc.bravepages.com/main.html<i>Edited by: taraswizard at: 2/21/04 6:09 pm
</i>

I pretty much live by the idea that there's no such thing as too much information. Certainly not where this stuff is concerned! Thanks for the info, tw! ____________
Highdrake's mastery of spells and sorcery was not much greater than his pupil's, but he had clear in his mind the idea of something very much greater, the wholeness of knowledge. And that made him a mage.<i></i>

taraswizard
Allan Rosewarne N9SQT/WDX6HQV
Chicago area
W/T forever, always
Plan C - http://planc.bravepages.com/main.html<i></i>

Last week my class read The Left Hand of Darkness. And as a consequence, I was surfing the net and found a site that has like over 70 html pages of commentary and opinion on LHoD. This website was set up as a class room study guide to LHoD. The URL is www.angelfire.com/ny/gayb...ness.html. It looks like good stuff.

Sorry looks like inorder for the link to work, you have to copy and paste into your address bar. taraswizard
Allan Rosewarne N9SQT/WDX6HQV
Chicago area
W/T forever, always
Plan C - http://planc.bravepages.com/main.html<i>Edited by: taraswizard at: 4/25/04 1:43 am
</i>

In Feb. 2009, my read The Dispossessed. One of the readers kept insisting to read the text as an advocative document for Antarran society. I'm sure that you can read the text as fully sympathetic to the Antarrann system. But I think most readers read her descriptions of Urras less favorable that LeGuin ever intended them to be read.

On to another point. How would one describe the humanoids of Urras/Antarass are they essentially the same as Earth humans, or are there some significant physcal differences; example and specifically, are Urran humanoids furred like great apes?