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The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia by Ursula K. Le Guin
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The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia

by Ursula K. Le Guin

Series: Hainish Cycle (6), Hainish Cycle, Chronological (1)

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English (51)  German (1)  Spanish (1)  All languages (53)
Showing 1-5 of 51 (next | show all)
It is ambiguous. I went in expecting another sci-fi socialist propoganda novel, self righteously smart because aliens are in it. But this isn't that...it's actually smart. All the aliens are actually humans, for one thing, and every form of government is represented, and all of them have problems. Very thought provoking. ( )
  maryjanemanolos | Nov 7, 2009 |
I read this for a sociology class, which definitely gave me an interesting way to appreciate the worlds Le Guin constructed. Perhaps I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much if I hadn't had that sociologist's viewpoint in mind as I read, but it is a great exploration of the thin line between utopia and dystopia. Neither of the worlds she creates (one anarchist, one capitalist) ends up being as perfect and functioning as they set out to be (no surprises there). But what I liked most was her exploration of the idea of appreciating creativity. Do anarchist "utopias" by necessity exclude the possibility for innovation and creativity, due to the strict adherence to equality that they must maintain? And do capitalist free markets ultimately necessitate the creation of a low bottom rung of society by lifting the creative innovators up so high? Compelling, if disillusioning thoughts. ( )
  ChiaraBeth | Nov 7, 2009 |
This story follows the life of Shevek, starting as a young man and up through his career as a physicist. He lives on the desert moon Anarres, which orbits his people's homeworld, Urras. Being followers of Odo, an anarchist leader now deceased, his people exiled themselves (?) to the moon to start a utopia; they are the dispossessed. Shevek has big ideas that are of no use in a pre-conceived society and looks for a way to contribute to all people in his square of the universe.
The book is more intellectual than spiritual and not a real fun read. Most characters are living in a state of quiet desperation. The utopian situation is interesting, but the people there are very robotic and unquestioning.
The Perennial Classics edition I read contained many, many mistakes in spelling and editing. I felt like someone had typed this up in 1974, no one proofread it, and no one has made any corrections since then. It's very annoying to read a book with this many printing errors. This problem was a contributor to my 3 star rating. ( )
  indigo7 | Sep 29, 2009 |
The Dispossessed is a utopian science fiction novel.

The premise deals with a conflict between two groups: those of A-Io, and those of Thu, mirroring cold war-era USA and USSR, respectively.

The plot centers around Shevek, who is trying to work on his Grand Temporal Theory while the twin planets of Anares and Urras morph and crumble.

Part of the larger Hainish Cycle, Le Guin gives us a glimpse of these lesser known worlds.

Recommended for fans of Le Guin's other works. ( )
  aethercowboy | Sep 23, 2009 |
Long after I closed this book for the night and lay waiting for sleep to catch up with me, I thought what I’d read, about the ideas posed by the novel’s premise and characters, and the implications for my own life and our society. That’s a sign of a book that’s definitely worth reading.

The story is set in the future on a distant planet, Urras, and its moon, Anarres. The culture on Urras is similar to ours: capitalist, competitive, with a huge gap between haves and have-nots. One hundred and fifty years ago in Urras’ history, a group of anarchists rebelled against this way of life. They settled on — or were exiled to, depending on your point of view — Anarres, a desert world where they built a subsistence society based on the premises of no government and no ownership of private property.

Despite the difficulties of their environment, life on Anarres is like a simple Eden. No one goes hungry while others eat. No one goes without a sheltered place to sleep at night. People work and study at what they, travel where and when they want, and everyone communally shares the necessary but non-glamorous jobs. Without commercialism to occupy them, people spend their time working, learning and socializing. Even an eight-hour workday is considered unusually long. ( )
  sturlington | Sep 18, 2009 |
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Series (with order)
Canonical Title
Original publication date
People/Characters
Important places
Important events
Awards and honors
Epigraph
Dedication
For the partner
First words
There was a wall. It did not look important. It was built of uncut rocks roughly mortared. An adult could look right over it, and even a child could climb it. Where it crossed the roadway, instead of having a gate it degenerated into mere geometry, a line, an idea of boundary. But the idea was real. It was important. For seven generations there had been nothing in the world more important than that wall.
Quotations
You shall not go down twice to the same river, nor can you go home again. That he knew; indeed it was the basis of his view of the world. Yet from that acceptance of transience he evolved his vast theory, wherein what is most changeable is shown to be fullest of eternity, and your relationship to the river, and the river's relationship to you and to itself, turns out to be at once more complex and more reassuring than a mere lack of identity. You can go home again, the General Temporal Theory asserts, so long as you understand that home is a place where you have never been.
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
Disambiguation notice
Publisher's editors
Blurbers
Canonical titleThe Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia
Original publication date1974
SeriesHainish Cycle (6), Hainish Cycle, Chronological (1)
People/CharactersShevek, Takver
Important placesAnarres, Urras, A-Io, Urras, Thu, Tau Ceti, Benbili
Important eventsInvention of the ansible
Awards and honorsHugo (Novel, 1975), Nebula (Novel, 1974), Locus (Novel, 1975), Gaylactic Spectrum Nominee (Hall of Fame, 1999), Prometheus Award (Hall of Fame, 1993), John W. Campbell Memorial Award Finalist (1975) (show all 10)
DedicationFor the partner
First wordsThere was a wall. It did not look important. It was built of uncut rocks roughly mortared. An adult could look right over it, and even a child could climb it. Where it crossed the roadway, instead of having a gate it degenera... (show all)
Quotations You shall not go down twice to the same river, nor can you go home again. That he knew; indeed it was the basis of his view of the world. Yet from that acceptance of transience he evolved his vast theory, wherein what is mos... (show all)
Last words(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
DescriptionThe protagonist Shevek is a physicist attempting to develop a General Temporal Theory. Anarres is in theory a society without government or coercive authoritarian institutions. Yet in pursuing research that deviates from his ... (show all)
Book description
The protagonist Shevek is a physicist attempting to develop a General Temporal Theory. Anarres is in theory a society without government or coercive authoritarian institutions. Yet in pursuing research that deviates from his society's current consensus understanding, Shevek begins to come up against very real obstacles. Shevek gradually develops an understanding that the revolution which brought his world into being is stagnating, and power structures are beginning to exist where there were none before. He therefore embarks on the risky journey to the original planet, Urras, seeking to open dialog between the worlds and to spread his theories freely outside of Anarres. The novel details his struggles on both Urras and his homeworld of Anarres.

Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0061054887, Mass Market Paperback)

Shevek, a brilliant physicist, decides to take action. he will seek answers, question the unquestionable, and attempt to tear down the walls of hatred that have isolated his planet of anarchists from the rest of the civilized universe. To do this dangerous task will mean giving up his family and possibly his life. Shevek must make the unprecedented journey to the utopian mother planet, Anarres, to challenge the complex structures of life and living, and ignite the fires of change.

(retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:16 -0400)

(see all 4 descriptions)

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