The Left Hand of Darkness in EDCMOOC

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The Left Hand of Darkness

Ursula K. Le Guin

Why we're reading this: A story about gender issue and the discovery of a new culture: "[...]a society of people who are both mal…more
[close] A story about gender issue and the discovery of a new culture: "[...]a society of people who are both male and female in one, and neither. This lack of fixed gender, and the resulting lack of gender-based discrimination, is the very cornerstone of Gethen life. But Genly is all too human. Unless he can overcome his ingrained prejudices about the significance of "male" and "female," he may destroy both his mission and himself."

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Nov 12, 2009 April rated it did not like it

Shelves: gave-up-on, sci-fi-fantasy

I wanted to like this book...but just couldn't get into it.

My disaffection can be traced I believe to characters who were too transparently designed and manipulated to make the author's points. LeGuin, I gather, wanted her readers to think about gender and gender roles in our society, so she had the main character visit a planet where the inhabitants had no gender (at least most of the time). A very handy device for delivery of her points, but the people and the story just weren't that interesti ...more

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