Customer Reviews

Presenting Ursula Le Guin (Twayne's Young Adult Authors)

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Writing literary criticism of the work of living authors presents numerous challenges to a scholar. Theories of interpretation abound, and readers may dismiss valid criticism simply because they dislike its approach or technique. In addition, authors vary widely in their accessibility and helpfulness to scholars, and while no authors should automatically be granted the last word on their own work, it is easy for a critic to take a wrong turn on the basis of biographical misinformation and bias. Further, the full range and hence significance of an author's work may not yet be apparent, and a future book can often render criticism outdated or laughable in its newly visible short-sightedness after the fact. Reid almost always succeeds in steering clear of these failings, while providing insightful readings of Le Guin's work, biographical details which illuminate characters, settings, themes and authorial obsessions. Fortunately, too, Le Guin herself has much to say about her work, and about fantasy and fiction generally, and Reid makes good use of the author's own criticism. The Twayne series in general consists of readable, accessible works of criticism, without a marked bias toward a particular pet theory. This book achieves what all worthwhile criticism should ultimately aspire to accomplish: to send its readers back to the primary text with renewed perspective, insight and appreciation.