Perspectives

This next part of the study guide will help you connect “The Rule of Names” by Ursula K. Le Guin to aspects related to critical reception, works in the same genre or which share the same themes. These points will help you put the text in perspective and engage in a broader discussion about it.

Works in the same genre

For the fantasy genre, we encourage you to also read stories like “All Summer in a Day” by Ray Bradbury or “The Selfish Giant” by Oscar Wilde.

Ray Bradbury’s short story is a science-fiction narrative set on Venus. The plot follows a girl who was born on Earth and moved to Venus where the sun only appears once every seven years and it only shines for an hour.

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Works with the same theme or by the same author

For a different story by Ursula Le Guin, we encourage you to read “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”. The story is an example of postmodernist meta-fiction and focuses on the city of Omelas where everyone is happy at the cost of one child’s suffering. The story explores issues related to morality and sacrifice, power, and the balance between good and evil.

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