From East to West

The portrayal of nature in works of fantasy is coloured by the corresponding context. This book shows how the natural world has been depicted within this genre, comparing the British tradition with Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea cycle. Because of her specific context, Le Guin's works deviate from the received tradition in significant ways.

The portrayal of nature in the genre of fantasy fiction, from the Middle Ages to more modern times, has been conditioned by the diverging social, political and historical contexts. This book seeks to disclose how the natural world has been depicted within this genre during different periods, drawing a comparison between the British tradition of fantasy literature and Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea cycle. Le Guin adheres to the general traits of the genre up to a point, but as a woman of the 20th century living in the American West, her works also deviate from the received tradition in many significant ways.