Writing Irrationality: A Bergsonian Reading of Ursula K. Le Guin’s Selected Fictions

Abstract

Science fiction with its speculative characteristics provides feminists an ideal literary space to imagine, suggest, and construct a more plural and heterogeneous social relationship, a world where irrationality is a delicate balance with rationality. Ursula K. Le Guin’s fictions consistently address the theme of balance, denouncing a world ensnared by hierarchical dualism that perpetuates domination and alienation. However, previous scholarly analyses often overlook the irrationality embedded in her works and rarely detect the influence of Bergson philosophy on Le Guin’s works. Therefore, this study examines Le Guin’s two masterpieces The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed, revealing that Le Guin embraced Bergson’s concepts of intuition and duration during a period of declining rationalism. Nevertheless, it’s essential to recognize that these fictions were not meant to elevate irrationality to an absolute, but rather to earnestly seek a harmonious equilibrium between these ostensibly conflicting forces. This revelation is significant for the world today, as it is time to question the linear way of development, and challenge the conception that rationality, represented by science and technology, is the only way to solve all problems. Sometimes the more we strive for rationality, the more we may find ourselves ensnared in irrational predicaments.