Dancing the Tao: Le Guin and Moral Development

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Cambridge Scholars, 2012 - Literary Criticism - 281 pages
Dancing the Tao: Le Guin and Moral Development takes an original approach to Ursula K. Le Guinâ (TM)s work â " speculative fiction, poetry and childrenâ (TM)s literature â " by considering her Taoist upbringing and then looking through the lens of moral development theorists such as Carol Gilligan and Mary Field Belenky, and psychologists such as Lenore Terr and Jennifer J. Freyd. It is the most comprehensive approach to Le Guinâ (TM)s moral thinking to date. A particular emphasis is put on Le Guinâ (TM)s depiction of physical and sexual child abuse and its long term aftereffects such as post traumatic stress disorder. The focus throughout the book is on how morality develops through self-awareness and voice, how moral decisions are made and how Le Guin challenges readers to reconsider their own moral thinking.

This book covers all of Le Guinâ (TM)s major works such as The Left Hand of Darkness, The Dispossessed, the Earthsea Series, Always Coming Home, The Telling and Lavinia, and it also looks in depth at work that is rarely discussed such as Le Guinâ (TM)s early work, her poetry, and her picture books.

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About the author (2012)

Sandra J. Lindow has a Master's of Science degree in Teaching English from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and has taught literature, reading and writing since 1972. For twenty-five years, she worked as a Title I Reading and Writing Specialist in a treatment center for emotionally disturbed children and adolescents. Presently she lives in Menomonie, Wisconsin and teaches part time at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. Lindow has published widely in the area of feminist Science Fiction and Fantasy criticism including in anthologies, encyclopedias and such journals as Extrapolation, New York Review of Science Fiction, Foundation, Journal of the Fantastic and the Arts, and SF Studies. She has published seven books of poetry and has received many awards for her poetry including nineteen Rhysling nominations for the best long or short speculative poem published in a certain year.

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