Welcome to the first discussion for The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin!
We’re covering the Introduction (by Le Guin herself) and Chapters 1-5.
Here are some “guide questions” in case you don’t know where to start. Otherwise, just have at it!
- Introduction: Was it necessary? What do you think of Le Guin’s words on science fiction and how she ties it to her reason for writing the novel? Trivia: The intro was written for the 1976 edition, seven years after the original publication.
- What are your first impressions of the novel and its characters/universe?
- Is this your first time reading this novel? Did you go in blind? Did it meet/subvert your expectations? If this is a reread, when did you first encounter the novel and is your experience reading it different this time around?
Please put anything that happens after Chapter 5 in spoiler tags.
(Note: This is a scheduled post. Tag me or a mod if I made an error or if you want to add more questions to the post. I don’t mind the mods editing it, since I won’t be around till a few hours after this post goes up.)