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Utopia’s Extinction: the Anthroposcenic Landscapes of Ursula K. Le Guin
Hay, Jonathan
Hay, Jonathan
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Abstract
In the Anthropocene epoch, the utopian prospect which has structured
civilizational development throughout recorded history is extinguished almost entirely. Our
anthropocentric fantasies of dominion over the natural world have proven harmful not only
to the biosphere we inhabit, but to the continued existence of our own species. Instead, new
conceptualizations which foreground the role of humanity within its environment must take
precedence. Intricate portrayals of humanity’s interdependence within its planetary
environment—and illustrations of the damage that our daily lives inflict upon the natural
world—have long been apparent in the Science Fiction genre. By emphasising the importance
of fostering and recognizing our species’ symbiotic relationship with its natural world
through practices of daily life, the Anthroposcenic landscapes of Ursula K. Le Guin’s Science
Fiction texts exert a posthuman vision which refutes anthropocentric ideologies, and
decenters the notion of progress as an eschatology. Accordingly, this article closely analyses
three texts of Le Guin’s Hainish Cycle which particularly exemplify her Anthroposcenic
objective; The Word for World is Forest (1972); Planet of Exile (1966); and City of Illusions(1967).
These texts extrapolate the Anthropocene epoch into a cosmic paradigm, and so
demonstrate the extinction of utopian potential it personifies vividly.
Citation
Hay, J. (2021). Utopia’s Extinction: the Anthroposcenic Landscapes of Ursula K. Le Guin. Messengers from the Stars: On Science Fiction and Fantasy, 5.1, pp. 10 - 27.
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University of Lisbon Centre for English Studies
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Messengers from the Stars: On Science Fiction and Fantasy
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2183-7465