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4.28 AVERAGE
4.28 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book filled me with an insurmountable amount of joy and optimism regarding the current political and economic state of the world. An absolute masterpiece of science fiction.
From a thematic perspective, The Dispossessed charges over dense political ground. It is sometimes subtitled “An Ambiguous Utopia,” though there’s not much ambiguity about it; neither of the societies explored in the book is particularly utopian. It pits an idealistic anarcho-syndicalist collective (I had to look it up to learn that term), Anarres, against a more familiar capitalist democracy on its sister planet, Urras, from which the people of Anarres fled some 200 years before. The Anarrasti scrabble out subsistence in an unforgiving desert landscape, speaking an artificial language full of Whorfian attempts to shape their worldview, such as using the same word for “work” and “play” (but nevertheless having a separate word for “drudgery” or “shit work”).
The political exposition comes through the eyes of a loyal Anarrasti believer, Shevek, who visits Urras and sees a tremendously uneven distribution of wealth that keeps an elite class comfortably shielded from the squalor of the people who serve them. As Shevek learns, while the grass may literally be greener on Urras, people aren’t any freer there. But in the course of the book Shevek also comes to understand that the Anarrasti society which he idealizes is faltering, subtly becoming subject in its own way to the human drives for power and status. The true enemy of freedom seems to be stagnation and complacency, coupled with the very human thirst for status and power, which perhaps cannot be overcome regardless of what political structure attempts to contain it.
All of this provides plenty to think about. And as compelling as the political themes of the book are, it’s also a master-class in subtle world-building. The history, ideals, and lifestyle of Anarres are revealed in slowly unfolding layers, through Shevek’s childhood indoctrination (in one sequence, Shevek and some of his schoolmates experiment with imprisoning another boy, because there are no prisons on Anarres and the concept is alien to them); through his experiences with a prickly mentor at his university and on harsh desert work crews; and through his political awakening when he reunites with a radical friend. The remarkable structure of the book contributes to the gradual unfolding of its world; it interleaves two sets of chapters, one describing Shevek’s eye-opening, fish-out-of-water visit to Urras, and the other recounting all the events in Shevek’s life that brought him to that visit. It’s very finely constructed, technically, and the human story of Shevek’s life and evolving understanding (especially played out in his complex relationships with his partner, Takver, and his friend Bedap) a compelling canvas for the book’s broader political-philosophical ideas.
The political exposition comes through the eyes of a loyal Anarrasti believer, Shevek, who visits Urras and sees a tremendously uneven distribution of wealth that keeps an elite class comfortably shielded from the squalor of the people who serve them. As Shevek learns, while the grass may literally be greener on Urras, people aren’t any freer there. But in the course of the book Shevek also comes to understand that the Anarrasti society which he idealizes is faltering, subtly becoming subject in its own way to the human drives for power and status. The true enemy of freedom seems to be stagnation and complacency, coupled with the very human thirst for status and power, which perhaps cannot be overcome regardless of what political structure attempts to contain it.
All of this provides plenty to think about. And as compelling as the political themes of the book are, it’s also a master-class in subtle world-building. The history, ideals, and lifestyle of Anarres are revealed in slowly unfolding layers, through Shevek’s childhood indoctrination (in one sequence, Shevek and some of his schoolmates experiment with imprisoning another boy, because there are no prisons on Anarres and the concept is alien to them); through his experiences with a prickly mentor at his university and on harsh desert work crews; and through his political awakening when he reunites with a radical friend. The remarkable structure of the book contributes to the gradual unfolding of its world; it interleaves two sets of chapters, one describing Shevek’s eye-opening, fish-out-of-water visit to Urras, and the other recounting all the events in Shevek’s life that brought him to that visit. It’s very finely constructed, technically, and the human story of Shevek’s life and evolving understanding (especially played out in his complex relationships with his partner, Takver, and his friend Bedap) a compelling canvas for the book’s broader political-philosophical ideas.
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
<i>‘You cannot buy the revolution. You cannot make the revolution. You can only be the revolution. It is in your spirit, or it is nowhere.’</i>
The moment I finish this book I want to scroll back to page 1 to reread it again and see what I have missed in chapter 1. Reading this book might have been the biggest literary event of the year for me and I wish I had all the words in my brain to discuss this in the depth it deserves, but I may need a few years for that.
This book eloquently and critically presents and dissects two (three, really, but mainly two) forms of societies. I feel lucky to have lived in different countries so the entire time I was like ‘Wait is this fucking play about us?’ That is to say, I think I found this book at the right time and it wouldn’t have hit me as hard had I not been through the pipeline that Shevek went through. Shevek, a physicist native to an anarchist world Anarres, grows frustrated because of the jealous superior, who controls the publication of Anarresti manuscripts. He is asked to go to Urras, its twin planet which inhabits a capitalistic society. But as he tries and fails to integrate into this new world, he sees the danger of a hyper-capitalistic world. The book is divided into two timelines with Shevek’s time on Anarres on even chapters and Urras on the odd.
I don’t need to write in more paragraphs as to why le Guin is one of the best writers of all time, but I have to say how I was gripped from the beginning to the end, despite the chapters written quite long. Le Guin’s masterful command of the craft and philosophy turn this book into an insightful experience.
Shevek, like the title suggested, is someone neither planets could possess. His nature, his upbringing, his world, is inherently against the idea of possession. But I also think the subtitle that followed was important too - ‘An Ambiguous Utopia,’ because Anarres isn’t without faults. Its ‘dispossession’ isn’t willing, it’s because of the lack of actual resources - and as we progress in the story, - the stiff hidden hierarchy that hinders growth and innovation adds to why its society lacks many things. I still see the underlying love and yearn for Anarres, for home, despite all its flaws. Standing in 2025, where we see the end of capitalism and know it will still take a lot more effort to actually get there, this book feels more important than ever. We don’t know if we could ever get to anarchism (hell, we can’t even get people on board for socialism) but the book offers a glimpse into what we can achieve and the inherent setbacks we have to compromise.
Brb telling people I’m Shevek in his Urras arc the way I’m knee deep in a capitalistic world right now. Also need to check if this book has a Vietnamese translation because I need my dad to read this.
The moment I finish this book I want to scroll back to page 1 to reread it again and see what I have missed in chapter 1. Reading this book might have been the biggest literary event of the year for me and I wish I had all the words in my brain to discuss this in the depth it deserves, but I may need a few years for that.
This book eloquently and critically presents and dissects two (three, really, but mainly two) forms of societies. I feel lucky to have lived in different countries so the entire time I was like ‘Wait is this fucking play about us?’ That is to say, I think I found this book at the right time and it wouldn’t have hit me as hard had I not been through the pipeline that Shevek went through. Shevek, a physicist native to an anarchist world Anarres, grows frustrated because of the jealous superior, who controls the publication of Anarresti manuscripts. He is asked to go to Urras, its twin planet which inhabits a capitalistic society. But as he tries and fails to integrate into this new world, he sees the danger of a hyper-capitalistic world. The book is divided into two timelines with Shevek’s time on Anarres on even chapters and Urras on the odd.
I don’t need to write in more paragraphs as to why le Guin is one of the best writers of all time, but I have to say how I was gripped from the beginning to the end, despite the chapters written quite long. Le Guin’s masterful command of the craft and philosophy turn this book into an insightful experience.
Shevek, like the title suggested, is someone neither planets could possess. His nature, his upbringing, his world, is inherently against the idea of possession. But I also think the subtitle that followed was important too - ‘An Ambiguous Utopia,’ because Anarres isn’t without faults. Its ‘dispossession’ isn’t willing, it’s because of the lack of actual resources - and as we progress in the story, - the stiff hidden hierarchy that hinders growth and innovation adds to why its society lacks many things. I still see the underlying love and yearn for Anarres, for home, despite all its flaws. Standing in 2025, where we see the end of capitalism and know it will still take a lot more effort to actually get there, this book feels more important than ever. We don’t know if we could ever get to anarchism (hell, we can’t even get people on board for socialism) but the book offers a glimpse into what we can achieve and the inherent setbacks we have to compromise.
Brb telling people I’m Shevek in his Urras arc the way I’m knee deep in a capitalistic world right now. Also need to check if this book has a Vietnamese translation because I need my dad to read this.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
"It's always easier not to think for oneself. Find a nice safe hierarchy and settle in. Don't make changes, don't risk disapproval, don't upset your syndics. It's always easiest to let yourself be governed."
Free will is wasted on our species.
Free will is wasted on our species.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes