Arts and Humanities Commons^™

A 'Meta-Constructive' Reading Of Ursula K. Le Guin's The Hand Of Darkness, Annette M. Matthews

Anthós Journal (1990-1996)

Ursula K. le Guin’s fascinating and controversial novel, The Left Hand of Darkness, constructs meaning in multiple ways and at multiple levels. Using Todorov’s theory of “Reading as Construction,” this paper posits that le Guin’s novel requires the reader to be aware of their own reading in order to understand the text. The paper traces the idea of construction throughout the novel and ultimately suggests that the novel uses its differing points of view to force the reader to construct for themselves in order to understand the construction of the novel and its characters.