Not the anarchy you might expect
The Dispossessed (Paperback)
by Ursula K. Le Guin
Publisher: Eos
Reprint edition (December 1, 1994)
ISBN: 0061054887
A wonderful novel about worlds far and distant from our own, however, like all good literature, the novel has solid characters and explores philosophies of life and possibilities of experience…not just descriptions of fantastic places and wild (and often violent) adventures.
Gushing praise aside, the most fascinating aspect to this novel was it portrayal (and exploration) of anarchism.
To be perfectly honest, anarchism has never held much interest for me because the people who I’ve known to be involved in it were often angry (or fringe…or just plain lazy) young adults looking for an excuse to break the law or justify bad and destructive behavior. It has also seemed like an excuse to wear black covered in symbols that shock, offend, or annoy the status quo. In short, I have not explored the philosophy because of the personalities and lifestyles of the people (who I myself have met) living it. It just wasn’t a crowd I was impressed by or interested in hanging with.
That said, this novel has me wondering if the philosophy and the youthful expression of it are in conflict with one another (or, merely, being expressed in an overly I’m-on-my-own-and-living-in-a-way-that-my-parents-don’t-approve manner). The anarchist society, and the problems it is facing in this novel, are fascinating both from the perspective of how a truly anarchist society might be formed/lived, and the problems/issues it might settle into after nearly 200 years of practice without intervention from (or even contact with) another form of society.
It has me considering exploring the true meaning of anarchism and it’s origins.
by Ursula K. Le Guin
Publisher: Eos
Reprint edition (December 1, 1994)
ISBN: 0061054887
A wonderful novel about worlds far and distant from our own, however, like all good literature, the novel has solid characters and explores philosophies of life and possibilities of experience…not just descriptions of fantastic places and wild (and often violent) adventures.
Gushing praise aside, the most fascinating aspect to this novel was it portrayal (and exploration) of anarchism.
To be perfectly honest, anarchism has never held much interest for me because the people who I’ve known to be involved in it were often angry (or fringe…or just plain lazy) young adults looking for an excuse to break the law or justify bad and destructive behavior. It has also seemed like an excuse to wear black covered in symbols that shock, offend, or annoy the status quo. In short, I have not explored the philosophy because of the personalities and lifestyles of the people (who I myself have met) living it. It just wasn’t a crowd I was impressed by or interested in hanging with.
That said, this novel has me wondering if the philosophy and the youthful expression of it are in conflict with one another (or, merely, being expressed in an overly I’m-on-my-own-and-living-in-a-way-that-my-parents-don’t-approve manner). The anarchist society, and the problems it is facing in this novel, are fascinating both from the perspective of how a truly anarchist society might be formed/lived, and the problems/issues it might settle into after nearly 200 years of practice without intervention from (or even contact with) another form of society.
It has me considering exploring the true meaning of anarchism and it’s origins.
posted by A at 8:20 AM
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