Navigating Uncertainty: The Ambiguous Utopias of Le Guin, Gorodischer, and Jemisin

IF 0.4 4区 社会学 0 HUMANITIES, MULTIDISCIPLINARY Utopian Studies Pub Date : 2022-03-01 DOI:10.5325/utopianstudies.33.1.0107
J. Bartles
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Abstract

abstract:The phrase "ambiguous utopia" was coined by Ursula K. Le Guin in the subtitle of her novel, The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia (1974). That work appeared when utopian narratives had been displaced by dystopian imaginaries. This article embarks on a comparative analysis of three short stories: Ursula K. Le Guin's "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" (1973), Angélica Gorodischer's "Of Navigators" (1979), and N. K. Jemisin's "The Ones Who Stay and Fight" (2018). Each author installs ambiguity at the center of their open-ended utopian imaginaries as a way to challenge dogma, pessimism, and complacency. Le Guin interrogates the boundary between belief and knowledge to hold the threat of authoritarianism at bay. Gorodischer, a friend and contemporary of Le Guin, is considered a central figure of Argentine science fiction and fantasy. Her story imagines the discovery of a second Earth set in 1492 and highlights the need for utopianism to challenge the legacy of colonization. Finally, Jemisin's story is a critical homage to "Omelas." Jemisin shares the decolonial impetus of Gorodischer's fiction, and she constructs Um-Helat on an explicitly antiracist foundation. Instead of walking away, her characters actively fight the creeping threat of intolerance while working toward that better place.
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导航不确定性:勒吉恩、戈罗迪舍尔和杰米辛的模糊乌托邦
“模棱两可的乌托邦”一词是厄休拉·勒奎恩在其小说《被剥夺者:一个模棱两可的乌托邦》(1974)的副标题中创造的。这部作品出现时,乌托邦叙事已经被反乌托邦的想象所取代。本文对厄休拉·勒奎恩的《离开欧美拉斯的人》(1973)、angsamicica Gorodischer的《航海家》(1979)和n·k·杰米辛的《留下来战斗的人》(2018)这三篇短篇小说进行了比较分析。每位作者都将模棱两可置于其开放式乌托邦想象的中心,作为挑战教条、悲观和自满的一种方式。勒奎恩质疑信仰和知识之间的界限,以遏制威权主义的威胁。戈罗迪舍是勒奎恩的朋友,也是同时代的人,被认为是阿根廷科幻小说和奇幻小说的核心人物。她的故事以1492年为背景,想象了第二个地球的发现,并强调了乌托邦主义挑战殖民遗产的必要性。最后,杰米辛的故事是对“欧美拉斯”的重要致敬。杰米辛分享了戈罗迪舍小说的非殖民化动力,她在明确的反种族主义基础上构建了Um-Helat。她的角色没有走开,而是积极地与不宽容的威胁作斗争,同时朝着更美好的地方努力。
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来源期刊
Utopian Studies
Utopian Studies HUMANITIES, MULTIDISCIPLINARY-
CiteScore
0.40
自引率
0.00%
发文量
27
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