"A lot of snow out of one cloud": A concordance analysis of Ursula K. Le Guin's Hainish Cycle
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“A lot of snow out of one
cloud”: A concordance
analysis of Ursula K. Le
Guin’s Hainish Cycle
Jonathan Hay © Jonathan Hay, 2021
University of Chester
Abstract: Whereas prior academic studies of the Hainish Cycle have been primarily produced by
means of textual analysis, I demonstrate that a concordance analysis of its six novels reveals
significant, yet heretofore overlooked, ecological aspects of Le Guin’s series. As becomes apparent,
snow imagery literalises the Hainish Cycle’s New Wave moves from technological, to biological
and sociological concerns, emphasising the series’ significant challenge to the technophilic
assumptions and eschatological foundations of the preceding Golden Age. Accordingly, this article
demonstrates the primacy of the datum of snow within the narratives of the Hainish Cycle novels,
and delineates its important contribution to the series’ SFnal dialectic on aggregate.
Key words: Ursula K. Le Guin, New Wave, Hainish Cycle, concordance analysis, Science Fiction.
Introduction the Hainish Cycle’s conspicuous
dialectical departure from
By emending—and rejecting—many of anthropocentric and technophilic genre
the established tropes of the Golden Age, norms is manifested in the series via Le
Ursula K. Le Guin’s Hainish Cycle (1964 - Guin’s prominent depictions of the
2000) redefined the assumptions of the primacy of day-to-day phenomena,
future history motif in SF, and became an throughout a multiplicitous array of
instrumental proponent of the New Wave. humanoid societies. As Barbara J.
For Adam Roberts, New Wave sf involves Bucknall affirms, even the majority of the
“a Le Guinian circularity, the genre nova of the series, including
revolving back upon itself to reconsider “[m]indspeech, empathy, the ansible, and
its original logic” (2016: 377). Likewise, the capacity for effective dreaming are all
this article seeks to revisit Le Guin’s symbols for such everyday events as the
pioneering role within that important capacity for minds to meet or for an
movement from a novel angle. As George individual mind to solve problems in
Edgar Slusser emphasises, “Le Guin’s sleep” (1981: 152).
‘future history’ differs greatly from the In this manner, the Hainish Cycle
Heinleinian variety, where each episode manifestly depicts the immanence of
is a decisive step in man’s conquest of the everyday phenomena as a means of
universe. Here both man and technology contesting, and productively moving
are defeated” (1976: 10-11). Manifestly, beyond, the eschatological tropes of
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“A lot of snow out of one cloud”: A
concordance analysis of Ursula K. Le Guin’s
Hainish Cycle
Golden Age SF. According to Tom that by consistently fixing a narrative
Shippey, data are “discrete fact[s] stated focus upon representations of subjective
or implied” (2016: 8) in literary texts, experience throughout the Hainish
whose context is immediately familiar to Cycle—rather than the genetic
readers, and hence, the process of reading engineering technologies of the Ancient
SF texts is characteristically defined by Hainish which produced those
the fact that “[a]s well as recognising subjectivities—the schema of Le Guin’s
data, you recognise non-data” (10), or series literalises the New Wave move
nova. Shippey subsequently revises Darko from technological, to biological and
Suvin’s assertation that SF is “a symbolic sociological concerns. Whereas Golden
system centred on a novum” (1979: 98) or Age SF was defined by “technological
nova, by distinguishing the data of the optimism” (Bowler, 2017: 37), recklessly
genre as an equally important component creating a veritable fictional “cosmos
of its rhetoric. For this article’s purposes, governed by the laws and right of
data are subsequently understood as the technoscience” (Csicsery-Ronay, Jr., 2003:
non-defamiliarising elements of any SF 238), the New Wave was premised on the
narrative. Whereas the SF genre was, by recognition that SF “had for too long been
and large, “reduced to extolling an uncritical cheerleader for the social
technology” (Suvin, 1979: 264) from the engineering emanating from a narrow
outset of the Golden Age in the 1930s, the technocratic mindset” (Latham, 2017:
significance of data to Le Guin’s Hainish 493).
Cycle proves an important component of Hence, rather than simply through its
her writing’s New Wave challenge to the technological nova, the dialectical thrust
former paradigm’s eschatological of the Hainish Cycle is achieved through a
tendencies. Hence, this article empirically close narrative focus upon the data which
demonstrates that the non-technological provide the essential mundane basis from
data of the series are fundamental to its which its SFnal narratives must
SFnal dialectic, whilst simultaneously necessarily depart. Furthermore, the
illustrating that prior academic criticism contribution of the data of the series to Le
of Le Guin had overly focused upon the Guin’s overarching New Wave moves is
rhetorical function of nova within the empirically demonstrable. To this end,
Hainish Cycle. The particular significance concordance analysis “make[s] feasible
that Le Guin imparts to meteorological analyses that were heretofore extremely
data in the Hainish Cycle therefore bears difficult if not impossible” (Carly, 1993:
significance to the history of the SF genre, 116) altogether for literary critics to
as it draws attention to a cogent aspect of undertake. Concordance analysis imparts
the paradigm shift effected by the New a greater measure of objectivity to textual
Wave movement more broadly. analysis, by allowing researchers to
This article’s thesis stands in marked empirically determine “an overall
contrast, for instance, to Peter T. Koper’s characterization of a text” (Stubbs, 2001:
reading that “hypothetical extensions of 315), or in this case, a series. Just as the
current science and technology, provide “use of corpus-analytic techniques can
the furniture of the setting and the contribute to making the invisible visible,
impetus of the plot” in Le Guin’s SF and subtleties in literary language more
(1979: 69). In contrast, this article asserts noticeable” (Rӧmer, 2006: 101),
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“A lot of snow out of one cloud”: A
concordance analysis of Ursula K. Le Guin’s
Hainish Cycle
undertaking a concordance analysis of the they prove sufficient to empirically
Hainish Cycle draws attention to the establish the substantial, yet otherwise
prominent yet subtle ecological role which critically ignored, role that snow plays as
snow plays in the series’ rhetorical a datum in the series. In later sections,
sphere. Because corpus analysis tools however, this same data also provides the
readily facilitate quantitative means of empirical basis from which the dozens of
analysis that would otherwise prove occurrences of the word snow which are
prohibitively time-consuming, the series’ subsequently analysed via textual
ecocritical literary “patterns become more analysis are derived.
clearly discernible” (Mahlberg, 2010: 294). Recently, Valentina Salvatierra has
Nevertheless, like other quantitative convincingly demonstrated that Le Guin
means of analysis, the results of utilises neologism throughout the Hainish
concordance analysis are best understood Cycle to “produce the cognitive
when supplemented by qualitative estrangement that has been viewed as
analyses. Mahlberg asserts that “the essential to sf since Darko Suvin’s
application of corpus techniques to the seminal definition” (2019: 7). However,
study of literary texts has to combine from an empirical perspective, the
quantitative and qualitative analyses to predominance of snow as a datum is a
provide useful insights” (2010: 297) to significantly more important component
literary scholars. Likewise, since of the series SFnal rhetoric than any
concordance analyses “can result in very Suvinian novum. As concordance analysis
detailed stylistic descriptions of literary reveals, within the discrete corpus of the
texts that can either complement Hainish Cycle, the word “snow” is—
conventional interpretations or enable perhaps surprisingly—one of the most
insights not possible through intuition frequently referenced terms.1 Snow, and
alone” (Wahid, 2011: 105), they comprise constructions of the word snow (i.e.
a research methodology which is most snowy, snowing, snowed), are referenced
effective in synthesis with the more 427 times throughout the series, and
conventional methodology of textual snow is consequently referenced three
analysis. Hence, the subsequent key word times as often as the ansible [139], eleven
analysis of the word snow in Le Guin’s times as often as NAFAL spaceflight [39],
Hainish Cycle is elucidated through the and more than the terms Ekumen [339],
complementary mode of textual analysis, Hain/Hainish [296], Terra/Terra [392],
providing a combined quantitative- and human [404]. As its high frequency of
qualitative basis for this article’s stated occurrence throughout the series reveals,
thesis. snow is a worthy object of critical enquiry
The consequent data set was produced for scholars of the Hainish Cycle.
using the free software AntConc, from a In purely quantitative terms, snow
corpus of the series’ texts rendered in .txt therefore plays a larger role in the series
format. This dataset fulfils two purposes. than many of its nova do, and yet, it has
Primarily, it provides a quantitative been the subject of far less analysis by
metric of the word frequency of the noun scholars of Le Guin. Even amongst other
snow within the Hainish Cycle. Although —————
the raw word frequency results reported 1 For the raw concordance analysis results,
below are derived from a modest corpus, see the appendix.
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“A lot of snow out of one cloud”: A
concordance analysis of Ursula K. Le Guin’s
Hainish Cycle
data, snow is predominant within the ‘naturalistic’ or empiricist fiction” (1979:
lexical field of the series. In comparison 3). On these terms, the Suvinian
with other meteorological phenomena, paradigm presumes that the significant
snow is mentioned more than twice as aspects of SF texts are predominantly
often as rain [182], fifteen times as often either technological or sociological. As
as thunder [28], and also significantly this suggests in micro, textual critics
more than meteorological phenomena consistently devalue the vital role which
relating to either clouds [126], wind [357], the familiar, ecological, and naturalistic
or hail [0]. We can compare this frequency components of SF texts play within the
data with other relevant literary works to construction of the genre’s idiosyncratic
establish its particular significance to the rhetoric. Precisely because of their
Hainish Cycle. Comparatively, snow and everyday nature, it would appear, the
its conjugate verbs are referenced just 51 rhetorical role of data in SF texts is easy
times throughout the five books to overlook. Yet, as this article proceeds to
comprising Le Guin’s other major series, demonstrate, snow figures throughout the
Earthsea (1968-2001). In entirely novels of the Hainish Cycle as a datum
objective terms, therefore, the datum of which bears important Symbolic
snow proves considerably more significant resonances within their semantic fields.
within the Hainish Cycle than it is in Le Guin’s series, I contend, is just as
Earthsea. Equally, snow is also more concerned with the immanence of natural
prevalent in the Hainish Cycle than in landscapes as it is with facilitating the
many other canonical works of sf set “psychical processes of landscaping and
within winter landscapes. Whereas snow imagining the future” (Pak, 2016: 130).
comprises 0.097% of Kim Stanley
Robinson’s Antarctica (1997), and 0.065%
of Brian Aldiss’ Helliconia Winter (1985), The Left Hand of Darkness
it comprises 0.250% and 0.207% of Planet
of Exile and The Left Hand of Darkness Out of all the texts of the Hainish Cycle,
respectively. snow is most densely referenced within
Therefore, it is evidently no The Left Hand of Darkness; by a
coincidence that the worlds detailed considerable margin—almost twice as
within the novels of the Hainish Cycle are many times as in Planet of Exile, the next
heavily pervaded by imagery of, and text in order of frequency.
frequently detail the interactions of their Correspondingly, on Gethen it is highly
central protagonists with, snow. It thus abnormal to come across any location
becomes pertinent to query why there has where “it rained more than it snowed” (Le
been no considerable analysis of the role Guin, 2017c: 525) at any point in the year,
of snow in the Hainish Cycle to date. We and Gethenians subsequently find rain
might infer that the propensity for critics rather than snow the more unusual form
to completely overlook Le Guin’s complex of precipitation. Explicitly, Gethen has an
figurations of snow is symptomatic of the utterly different climate system to that of
Suvinian dictate that “the minimal Terra. Accordingly, the Karhidish
generic difference of SF [is] the presence language has “sixty-two words for the
of a narrative novum [...] significantly various kinds, states, ages, and qualities
different from what is the norm in of snow; fallen snow, that is. There is
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concordance analysis of Ursula K. Le Guin’s
Hainish Cycle
another set of words for the varieties of most deeply ingrained mental processes,
snowfall” (Le Guin, 2017c: 511). Given until it becomes not simply an object, but
that their language is preoccupied with a collaborator in the cultural stratum of
describing it in such intricate detail, the their civilisation—including their
fixation of Gethenians upon snow aesthetic endeavours.
emphasises just how fundamental a Gethenians are likewise experts at the
component of their lifeworlds it is. As is classification of snow—Estraven is
plain when Estraven remarks that a casually able to identify “sove-snow,
property dispute is a “lot of snow out of between 15 and 20º” (Le Guin, 2017c:
one cloud” (Le Guin, 2017c: 399), or when 555)—and their civilisation’s knowledge
they later remark “we must walk forward of snowfall can also be used as a precise
troubling the new snow” (Le Guin, 2017c: calendar; for instance, they know that the
503), the broader Gethenian vocabulary is “first great snows” (Le Guin, 2017c: 405)
also saturated by a plethora of snow- always fall in “the month of Susmy” (Le
based imagery. Snow permeates Guin, 2017c: 405). If Gethenians wish to
Gethenian thought processes, and travel between areas of The Great
becomes a principal means via which they Continent, only immensely sluggish
comprehend not merely their landscapes, methods of conveyance such as “slow
but also many of the transactions of daily tractor-plows, power-sledges, and the
life within their societies. erratic ice-ships” (Le Guin, 2017c: 425)
Indeed, snow is so omnipotent a force are viable at any time other than during
within their lives that they deify it, and their summer, and none whatsoever are
duly regard it with awe and reverence. feasible during the Thaw in spring.
The extent to which snow conditions the Consequently, Ai recognises that if he
Gethenian lifeworld, for instance, is made does not want “to spend all year in Old
palpable in visual terms by their Karhide” (Le Guin, 2017c: 461), he must
architecture. The dwelling loaned to the leave before the snow starts falling in
Ekumenical envoy Genly Ai has a “front earnest; his awareness of its absolute
garden [...] revealed now that the last of potency directly spurs him to undertake
the winter’s snow had melted and the immediate action. Snow stipulates that
winter-doors, ten feet aboveground, were all social developments on Gethen occur
sealed off for a few months, till the slowly, and the apparent acclimatisation
autumn and the deep snow should return” of its humanoid population to slow-paced
(Le Guin, 2017c: 395). Likewise, when Ai phenomena appears to be perceptual too;
visits the city Mishnory, he finds it “an ill- one Gethenian describes watching a truck
proportioned, grotesque city, in the “go over a thousand-foot precipice” only to
sunlight”, but asserts that in “winter, “take all afternoon” to reach the ground
with those streets filled ten feet up with (Le Guin, 2017c: 425).
packed, hard-rolled snow [...] you would Hence, Gethenian life does not proceed
see the fitness of that city, its economy, at an “infinitesimally crawling” (Le Guin,
its beauty” (Le Guin, 2017c: 471). 2017c: 426) pace for any purely
Gethenians necessarily live in close technological reason, but rather,
symbiosis with their planet’s natural Gethenians are so habituated to such a
world; snow must be built into their pace, as is dictated by the snows of their
architecture, and hence, it saturates their world, that they are largely unable to
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concordance analysis of Ursula K. Le Guin’s
Hainish Cycle
comprehend life proceeding at any oral synopsis of his time on Gethen—
quicker rate. As is plain when Ai remarks unconsciously slips into a snow-based
that “our exhalations freezing instantly vernacular redolent of the Gethenian
made a tiny crackling noise, like distant norm occasionally. Plainly he has, at this
firecrackers”, Le Guin’s figuration of snow point, became habitualised to the
contains multitudes (Le Guin, 2017c: Gethenian lifeworld to the extent that
567). As such, her multiplicitous snow-based constructions continue to
rendering of snow comprises an extended figure within his thought processes—even
analogue for the immanence of the as he attempts to describe his experiences
multiplicity of natural worlds and their on the planet to his superiors in the
humanoid inhabitants which are depicted objective and declarative manner valued
across the course of the Hainish Cycle. by the Ekumen. He likewise remains
Snow is a common factor between all haunted by memories of “the susurrus of
these worlds, and yet its precise blown snow” (Le Guin, 2017c: 564) falling
meteorological composition and cultural on the tent whilst he travelled across the
figuration vary upon each, despite its Gobrin Glacier; the snow appears to have
ostensible simultaneity. Unlike the had a far more profound cognitive
Ekumen, whose culture obscures, resonance upon him than any novum in
blankets, and overrides all others—like a the text.
form of cultural snow—the cultures and Indeed, whilst Le Guin ludically
complex ecological systems of the worlds implies that access to a “small stolen
of Hainish descent share a common base airplane would have spared” (Le Guin,
in snow, but their multiplicity is apparent 2017c: 578) Ai and Estraven the majority
through its varied subjective of their protracted journey,2 it would also
manifestations on each world. have negated the majority of the text’s
Ai however, does not appear to find SFnal schema, which is considerably
snow interesting in the slightest at the produced through the datum of snow.
outset of The Left Hand of Darkness. When he and Estraven begin their
Early in the novel’s narrative, he expedition across the Gobrin Glacier, Ai is
describes the landscape he travels across “competent on skis, but not much good on
desultorily as “some thirty-degree, snow snowshoes” (Le Guin, 2017c: 538), and
encroached grade” (Le Guin, 2017c: 426); must learn quickly. However, over the
the natural world of Gethen plainly months of their journey, the snow will
appears entirely monotonous to him at entirely condition the rhythm of their
this point. His narratorial perspective is lives, and hence, Ai has a steep learning
perceptibly muddled, however—at a curve ahead of him in very literal terms.
subsequent point he describes being Whilst “ticking thick and soft on the tent”
picked up “out of the night like a (Le Guin, 2017c: 544) each night, snow
snowflake on soot” (Le Guin, 2017c: 445)
by a Karhidish patrol craft, and at
—————
2 Literary precursors to Le Guin’s pen-
another, describes the Taijitu symbol as a
chant for wilderness journeys include J. R. R.
“shadow on snow” (Le Guin, 2017c: 584).
Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings (1954-1955)
It is therefore greatly telling that the Ai and Edgar Rice Burroughs’s planetary ro-
who retrospectively narrates the majority mances, such as his Barsoom series (1912-
of the novel’s chapters—in the form of an 1948).
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Hainish Cycle
voices a countdown to their imminent throughout the Hainish Cycle is a datum
mortality if they do not succeed in which comprises a fundamental
completing the protracted trek. On a daily component of Le Guin’s New Wave
basis, he and Estraven must hope for a agenda. Throughout the series, it
“beneficent snowfall” (Le Guin, 2017c: foregrounds the multilinear ways in
546) since they are entirely at the mercy which subjective experience and co-
of the snows on the Glacier now. As constitutive modes of ecological
Lindow states, at this point of the text, embeddedness are just as critical as any
“the isolation of bitter cold weather and technological novum, both in SF, and, by
barren landscape reduces behavior to the extension, in readers’ daily lives.
simplest terms of survival, a common
denominator for revelation [sic] of
morality and responsibility” (2018: 12), Rocannon’s World
and so Ai’s dawning respect for snow
foregrounds the interdependence between Similarly, in Rocannon’s World, snow
humanoids and nature in the novel. comprises a metaphor for the titular
Almost every entry in Estraven’s diary protagonist’s blank frame of reference
during their time crossing the Gobrin Ice within the native cultures of an unnamed
begins with a report on the quality of the planet, after having been removed from
snow that day—the two of their lives are his familiar science fictional lifeworld.
utterly contingent upon such Grounded planet-side after the sabotage
meteorological providence, and of his interstellar ship and
additionally, the quality of the snowfall communications equipment, Rocannon
will also determine the success or failure must locate and immobilise the
of Ai’s Ekumenical objective. For the non- perpetrators of the attack without access
native Ai, the relentless onslaught of to Ekumenical technologies. When he
Gethenian snow on the Glacier is soul- wakes outside one morning and observes
crushing and extremely psychologically that “snow still fell [...] the ground now
debilitating; he finds the daily process of was white and featureless” (Le Guin,
“setting up camp, making everything 2017e: 66), the statement summarises his
secure, getting all the clinging snow off totalising estrangement from his familiar
one’s outer clothing, and so on” hugely Ekumenical cognitive referents just as
laborious (Le Guin, 2017c: 567). When he much as it comprises a literal observation
and Estraven do finally emerge from the upon the weather. Initially, imagery of
Glacier, “the sighting of Esherhoth Crags snow is symbolic of his exclusion from the
[is] the first thing not ice or snow or sky perceptual paradigms accessible to the
that [they] had seen for seven weeks” (Le planet’s natives; whilst his companions
Guin, 2017c: 581), having travelled “730 Yahan and Piai spend “the rest of the
miles” (Le Guin, 2017c: 587)—aside from afternoon swapping hunting-stories” (Le
each other, snow has quite literally Guin, 2017e: 67), Rocannon is left alone to
encompassed their entire existence for observe the snow falling “windless now
this time. As is apparent in his report to and steady” (Le Guin, 2017e: 67). Yahan
the Ekumen, his experiences on the habitually knows that it “[a]lways snows
Gobrin Glacier affect Ai profoundly. As in this time of year, and it’ll snow harder
The Left Hand of Darkness, snow soon” (Le Guin, 2017e: 66), but for
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Hainish Cycle
Rocannon, the prevailing snowfall is an order to understand the natives of the
unknown quantity, a white curtain of planet he is stranded upon, Rocannon
cognitive impenetrability. Although each must first learn to perceive the fractal
snowflake which has ever fallen is brilliance which underlies the apparent
fractally unique, to the uninitiated similitude of their cultures and complex
observer, they appear to merely be a environmental systems.
uniform white mass. As his segregation
from Yahan and Piai within the scene
implies, snow is a de facto litmus test of The Dispossessed
everyday lived experience on the planet,
and thus, Rocannon is symbolically Although there are comparatively few
excluded from more profound insights references to snow in The Dispossessed,
into its native cultures as a result of his where snow is present, it comprises an
inability to discern the uniqueness which important emblem of the dangers of
underlies the ostensible uniformity of Shevek succumbing to the vanities of
those same lives. capitalist life on Urras. Since Shevek’s
Later, when he surmounts a mountain home planet Anarres is an anarchist
range on a windsteed, he discerns “a glow collective, he has had no prior exposure to
in the flickering mist of snowflakes”, only any capitalist sociocultural paradigm.
to suddenly find revealed “valleys, lakes, After arriving on Urras, he is initially
and glittering tongue of a glacier [sic], seduced by the decadence and class
green patches of forest” (Le Guin, 2017e: privileges of academic life, and
98). Symbolically, at this precise moment consequently stands at risk of forgetting
when Rocannon first perceives value the ethical principles of his research.
within the white blizzard of ostensible Indeed, the majority of the references to
banality, he gains an expanded perception snow in the novel cohere around the
of the planet. Likewise, it is after he is Urrasti woman Vea, whom Shevek first
enticed by some “snow glittering” (Le meets at his colleague Oiie’s house after
Guin, 2017e: 101) that he is drawn into coming “in out of the snow” (Le Guin,
an esoteric encounter with the mystical 2017b: 770).
Ancient One, who offers him prophetic As Shevek’s romantic interest, Vea
wisdom, grants him the ability to initially literalises his infatuation with
mindspeak, and revitalises his desire to bourgeois Urrasti society. Yet, references
persevere on the quest against the to snow foreshadow Vea’s equally crucial
Enemy. In either instance, at the exact role in unwittingly provoking Shevek
moment that Rocannon comes to perceive towards a more discerning perception of
the beauty which lies within snow—and Urrasti society, which has, until that
by extension, within the natural world of point, remained obscured from his
the planet and its humanoid natives—his purview. Vea initially appears “as
way forward is revealed, and his cognitive extravagant as the snow [...] an innocent
horizons are broadened. As Rocannon whiteness” (Le Guin, 2017b: 771) to
discovers, on closer inspection snow does Shevek, yet as he comes to understand by
not conceal, but rather, reveals. As the the termination of their relationship, her
precisely deployed imagery of snow aesthetically pleasing and ostensibly pure
throughout the novel foregrounds, in exterior is synecdochic of the exploitative
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Hainish Cycle
superstructure of the Urrasti economic momentous truth from the comprehension
system. Whilst he initially takes of a central protagonist. Unbeknownst to
“pleasure in her inconsequential talk just Falk-Ramarren, the villainous Shing have
as he did in the sunshine and the snow” subjugated Terra’s population, and razed
(Le Guin, 2017b: 773), he soon comes to his own mind to erase his former identity.
understand that Vea’s benign yet Although he has no notion why he does
superficial blank facade is symptomatic of so, Falk-Ramarren has a predilection for
the Urrasti government’s concealment of sitting “in one of the window-bays, alone,
the rampant inequalities of their watching the snow fall outside the grimy
capitalist society from his sight. glass” in the homestead he inhabits on
Although the abortive sexual Terra (Le Guin, 2017a: 230). As this
encounter and attempted rape which his proclivity demonstrates, snow is the
and Vea’s relationship climaxes is a prime memory from his forgotten life on
reprehensible and deeply shameful Alterra which is strong enough to break
moment in Shevek’s life, it also comprises his mind’s conditioning. Its saturation of
a deeply formative moment in The the visual field of his embedded existence
Dispossessed’s bildungsroman schema, as on Alterra has plainly been so firmly
it proves the necessary imperative for ingrained that he once more finds himself
Shevek to disavow the hubris of the drawn irresistibly to snow, despite having
bourgeois luxury which he languished no conscious rationale for exhibiting such
within on Urras until this point. By an obsession. Accordingly, throughout the
perceiving the basis of Vea’s pretensions novel, snow comprises a perceptual
plainly, he comes to understand the window for Falk-Ramarren into the
unjust underside to the materialism and revelation and recovery of his forgotten
fixation on “reputation” which pervades past. Wherever he travels as he journeys
polite Urrasti society (Le Guin, 2017b: onward, “[s]now fell often” (Le Guin,
798). Snow therefore figures as a tabula 2017a: 259), manifesting an unrelenting
rasa in the novel, materialising a analogue to the arduous journey towards
symbolic blank space which coheres in the reclamation of his past, of his struggle
parallel with Shevek’s decision to break to escape the tabula rasa of his blank
free of the upper echelons of Urrasti memory. Appropriately, the unremitting
society. As a stunning manifestation of snowfall throughout the novel transforms
meteorological metamorphosis, the the landscape he crosses into precisely
defamiliarising effects of snow cause such a blank slate.
perceptual filters to sharpen, profoundly As the novel’s imagery of snow
shaking the habitual. Thus, Shevek is accentuates, his initial ignorance apropos
newly able to perceive the social realities the true significance of his journey is
he has been ignorant of, and accordingly, comparable to “a tiny bubble of light,
makes the significant decision to instead around which hundreds of miles of wind-
join the revolutionaries who seek to driven snow hurtled in darkness” (Le
overthrow the Urrasti government. Guin, 2017a: 278). Likewise, references to
snow also foreground his lack of
City of Illusions comprehension of his companion Estrel’s
In City of Illusions, imagery of snow true motives, as when he determines that
once again portends the concealment of a “in the wan, snowstreaked sphere of light
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Hainish Cycle
[he] saw her face for the first time clearly” “sixty moonphases ago” (Le Guin, 2017d:
(Le Guin, 2017a: 278). Although Falk- 165) are of everything “snow-covered, [...]
Ramarren believes he perceives her snow birds [...] a patch of snowcrop [...]
accurately at this point, it soon becomes the lolling white head of a snowghoul” (Le
apparent that he has been unable to Guin, 2017d: 130). As for all his
penetrate the surface of her persona, and generation, this Winter marks the
has accordingly remained ignorant of her culmination of his life, even as the snows
duplicitous motives. Likewise, he himself preserved in the memories of his youth
must constantly proceed onward “through begin to reappear.
the tireless, relentless, driving snow” (Le The return of the snow is here
Guin, 2017a: 280) symbolic of the subjectively realised as an emblem of the
impenetrability of every memory of his natural cyclicality of Alterran life, of the
former life, even as that same snow new generation just beginning to probe
tantalisingly offers him his only notion of the veritable tabula rasa of the planet’s
continuity with his past on Alterra. snowy landscape. Accordingly, snow
Dancing around him, snow comprises a rigorously demonstrates the necessity of
field of static which refuses to coalesce embeddedness for the natives of Alterra
into a clear image. Crucially therefore, within the natural cycles of their planet.
when he begins to recover the Ramarren Whereas the reactionary Gaal repeatedly
portion of his persona, his realisation that fail to plan ahead of the Winter each
he has lived a phenomenologically Year, and so must “loot every town on
consequential life “among the snowy their course [...] or starve before they get
mountains of Earth” (Le Guin, 2017a: out of the snow-lands” (Le Guin, 2017d:
363) is the keystone of his realisation that 183), the precautionary ideologies of the
Falk is just as much a portion of himself Askatevar figure snow as a compelling
as Ramarren is—an understanding which catalyst of interdependence with their
proves critical to the novel’s planet’s natural world. Snow is
eucatastrophe. accordingly the totalising determinant of
their tropisms; by comprehending that
“the snow will fall any day” (Le Guin,
Planet of Exile 2017d: 135), they realise that they must
soon move into their Winter fortresses,
Meanwhile, snow in Planet of Exile and begin to live off their stockpiled
comprises so significant a component of provisions.3
Alterra’s protracted winters as to be the Hence, as this Winter’s snowfall begins
primary touchstone of all existence on the in earnest, it becomes apparent just how
planet. Due to the planet’s unusually slow profoundly implicated it is in the
rate of rotation around its axis Alterrans, recursive, naturalistic, existences of the
including the native Askatevar and Gaal, Askatevar. Although they are minute
experience seasons which last entire individually, the “random flakes f[alling]
decades. Since it can be experienced at —————
only two points during their lifespan, 3 Much like the preparations which are
snow visually bookends Alterran lives, necessary to survive the extended ‘seasons’ in
and as such, the elder Wold’s keenest N. K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy (2015-
memories of the beginning of his life 2017).
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Hainish Cycle
from the low sky” (Le Guin, 2017d: 157) has already drastically altered the
rapidly begin to condition all aspects of survival tropisms of both civilisations, the
the lives of Alterra’s humanoid fatalistic resonances of the falling snow
populations. When Jakob Agat is attacked now cause the Gaal to curtail their
on the outskirts of the Askatevar attempted invasion of the Askatevar
settlement, Rolery is able to find him in Winter city, and begin “going south” (Le
the dark only because his body forms an Guin, 2017d: 220). Pointedly, the Gaal are
interruption upon the snow which is not discouraged by any strategy or high
“sticking to the ground” (Le Guin, 2017d: technology of Alterra’s Ekumen colonists,
161) everywhere else. Just as it reveals but merely by the snow itself, which
him in the first instance, the snow underscores their mortality, and robs
subsequently “ma[kes] it easier to pull” their endeavours of any distinctiveness by
(Le Guin, 2017d: 162) Agat’s body back to interrelating them within the
safety for Rolery, likely saving his life by unfathomable recursivity of the natural
virtue of its chemical properties—as when cycles of their planet.
she later utilises “clean snow from a Yet, whereas the Gaal’s siege was
windowsill” to wash “the wounds in his ephemeral, snow will continue to
hand and scalp” (Le Guin, 2017d: 207). relentlessly attack the Askatevar Winter
Once more, the interdependence of the city, “lashing [...] fine snow at one’s face
Askatevar within the natural world of like gravel, whirling it in through the
their planet is proven rigorously by their smashed glass of windows [...] drifting it
interaction with snow, and as such, Le across splintered floors” (Le Guin, 2017d:
Guin emphasises that by “biding [their] 201) for another sixteen years. The
time through the great Year, flourishing predominance of Alterra’s protracted
and dying down to wait again” (Le Guin, snows within Planet of Exile is
2017d: 170), humanoids are just one conspicuously similar to numerous later
aspect of the proclivity of cyclical life SF&F works, in particular, Brian W.
within Alterra’s natural world. It is Aldiss’s Helliconia trilogy (1982-1985)
therefore no coincidence that fresh and George R. R. Martin’s perennially
snowfall “bring[s] silence” (Le Guin, incomplete A Song of Ice and Fire series
2017d: 194) to the violent conflict between (1991- ). Entirely insensible to Alterran
the Askatevar and the Gaal; the blank affairs, the snow in Planet of Exile is a
immensity of snow positions even their constant, indefatigable presence causing
most ardent endeavours within a far wanton destruction, which disabuses the
greater framework of cyclical repetition. Askatevar of any measure of anthropic
Accordingly, as the two civilisations dominance over their planet’s natural
see “[e]verything [...] silenced and world. Although they are able to shelter
transformed by snow” (Le Guin, 2017d: from it, their endeavours are now starkly
195), their own immediate struggles seem conditioned by, and will pale in the wake
newly futile in the face of the immensity of, the snow which blankets their world
of Alterra’s recursive past, and they for the duration of the imminent Winter.
realise that that they are “only shadowy
blots of motion [...] on the snow” (Le Guin,
2017d: 220) which will iterate regardless
Year after Year. Just as its mere spectre
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Hainish Cycle
The Telling At one point, when the food supplies of
the company she journeys with have been
Contrastingly, in The Telling, imagery of depleted so much that there is “no food
snow reveals the profound insights which left but dried smoked fish”, and too little
are to be found in the natural world of of that to feed them all, the group elect to
Aka. At the beginning of the novel, the share it “out in little portions, soaking it
Ekumenical envoy Sutty’s initial in boiled snow to make soup” (Le Guin,
conception is that Akan mountains are 2017f: 695). As Le Guin’s revisionist
“nothing dramatic; the land just went rewriting of the Biblical verse Matthew
slowly up, and up, and up” (Le Guin, 14.19 implies, the Akans’ own miraculous
2017f: 613), but by its conclusion she feat of providing sustenance for more
perceives their fractal brilliance in an mouths than appeared possible is no
entirely different manner. A chapter divine miracle, but a direct result of their
later, having drawn closer to one of these symbiosis with the natural world which
mountains in both physical and surrounds them. When one of their
psychological terms, she is able to discern company dies en route, they are able to
“the thin snow-banners” (Le Guin, 2017f: keep his “body frozen in snow till the maz
622) which decorate its summit, and could come and perform his funeral” (Le
hence, she begins to comprehend the Guin, 2017f: 696), and likewise, they are
immanence of the natural world of Aka. also able to use the snow to sketch “out
Just as the veil of the mountain range’s lines, paths” (Le Guin, 2017f: 700) to plan
ostensible monotony lifts to reveal the the trajectory of their expedition. Where
intricate brilliance beneath, snow it ostensibly appeared an impediment to
throughout the novel accentuates Sutty’s their quest, snow becomes a vital
gradual realisation of the profundity of naturally-occurring tool which can be
the naturalistic philosophy of the utilised in a variety of ways by the Akan
Telling—the non-hierarchical belief company, demonstrating its versatility as
system which structures much of Akan a non-technological datum. The datum of
culture and daily life. Sutty’s progress is snow therefore becomes a true source of
symptomatic of the explicit association wonder, in contrast with the nova of the
which Le Guin draws between snow and series, which, as Bucknall implies, are
the surviving written texts of the Telling, often considerably mundane upon closer
which are “[w]hite and silent [...] inspection. As such, snow proves far more
snowfall” (Le Guin, 2017f: 626). versatile than any technological novum
Accordingly, as Sutty begins her trek into within the series—the ansible, for
the mountains, and towards instance, can only conceivably be used for
enlightenment, she finds entire villages communication between worlds.
clustered among the “late spring snow” Whereas “the endless slopes of rock
(Le Guin, 2017f: 690). Just as these and snow” (Le Guin, 2017f: 700) of
settlements are hidden from view at lower neighbouring valleys look monotonous to
altitudes, so will the everyday revelations Sutty from a distance, their visual
of the Telling be facilitated through her impenetrability is symbolic of the rich
subjective and gradual comprehension of complexity of the Akan natural world,
the concealed truths of Aka’s natural whose totality lies beyond human
world. cognition—as is true of the “ghostly snow
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Hainish Cycle
flurries that never came to earth” (Le objectives and moves rigorously
Guin, 2017f: 702), and which thus remain throughout the texts of the series, which,
tantalisingly impenetrable to her enquiry. via their depiction of the viscera of daily
As Akans recognise, there is no telos to life in a range of alien societies, challenge
the Telling precisely because the entire readers to rethink the ideologies and
novelty of their natural world can never possibilities conditioned by our own
be assimilated by any one individual; it is cultures and societies, in an
a hyperobject which lies “beyond (human) environmentally-conscious manner. By
cognition” (Morton, 2013: 43). Identically, placing consistent narrative focus upon
when she reaches the mountain caves in naturalistic phenomena and
which the printed texts of the Telling are representations of subjective experience
housed, Sutty realises that she could not throughout the series, rather than the
possibly read the many “thousands of technologies which predominate Golden
books” which lie “[u]nder rock, under Age SF, the schema of Le Guin’s series
snow” in her lifetime (Le Guin, 2017f: cognitively literalises the New Wave move
708). Later, when she emerges from a from technological, to biological and
protracted conversation with the Akan sociological concerns.
Yara, however, she finds that a “little The growing popularity of
snow had fallen during the last few concordance analysis as a methodology
hours” (Le Guin, 2017f: 735), the snowfall for scholars of literature, alongside the
literalising her attainment of a degree of development and release of increasingly
knowledge through that conversation. As user-friendly tools with which to
this image of the consolidation of snow undertake these analyses, will likely
suggests, the revelatory insights of the alter considerations of the history of the
Telling do not necessitate years of sf genre significantly, by providing a
scholarship, and are found just as readily novel means of producing original
in conversations about everyday matters readings of classic texts. Accordingly,
on Aka. applications of corpus-based
methodologies bear the potential to
revitalise critical interest in even those
Conclusion revered sf authors, like Le Guin, whose
oeuvres have already been plumbed and
As this concordance analysis has discussed by scholars exhaustively. As
revealed, throughout the Hainish Cycle, such, this novel means of approaching
Le Guin proffers naturalistic data such as the Hainish Cycle offers ample scope for
snow to materialise a cogent alternative expansion by subsequent scholars.4 The
rhetoric to the technophilia of Golden Age
SF. In line with Roberts’ assertation, Le —————
Guin’s series reconceptualised and 4 References to wind in Rocannon’s World,
challenged the preoccupations of prior for instance, are three times as frequent as
references to snow in that same novel. Equal-
works in the genre, and as this study has
ly, the ansible is referenced more frequently
demonstrated, it does so in part by
than snow in The Telling and The Dispos-
establishing significant data, such as sessed, indicating that it is more significant in
snow, alongside its nova. Snow both those novels. References to fire, mean-
correspondingly grounds her New Wave while, comprise another predominant compo-
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concordance analysis of Ursula K. Le Guin’s
Hainish Cycle
more closely Le Guin’s data are _____ (1974 2017b). The Dispossessed: An
analysed, the more clearly her Ambiguous Utopia, Brian Attebery (ed.),
overarching emphasis upon “lives lived The Hainish Novels & Stories: Volume 1.
in [...] balance with nature and other New York: The Library of America, 619-919.
beings” (Fischer, 1991: 28) can be _____ (1969 2017c). The Left Hand of
discerned in its entirety, reaffirming the Darkness, Brian Attebery (ed.), The
significance of her series in inspiring the Hainish Novels & Stories: Volume 1. New
ecological trends which pervade the York: The Library of America, 389-611.
contemporary genre. _____ (1966 2017d). Planet of Exile, Brian
Attebery (ed.), The Hainish Novels &
Stories: Volume 1. New York: The Library
of America, 119-222.
Works Cited
_____ (1966 2017e). Rocannon’s World, Brian
Attebery (ed.), The Hainish Novels &
BOWLER, Peter J. (2017). A History of the
Stories: Volume 1. New York: The Library
Future: Prophets of Progress from H. G.
of America, 3-116.
Wells to Isaac Asimov. Cambridge:
_____ (2000 2017f). The Telling, Brian
Cambridge University Press.
Attebery (ed.), The Hainish Novels &
BUCKNALL, Barbara J. (1981). Ursula K. Le Guin.
Stories: Volume 2. New York: The Library
New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing.
of America, 590-750.
CARLY, Kathleen (1993). “Coding Choices for
LINDOW, Sandra J. (2018). “The Dance of
Textual Analysis: A Comparison of Content
Nonviolent Subversion in Le Guin’s
Analysis and Map Analysis,” Sociological
Hainish Cycle,” The New York Review of
Methodology, 23: 75-126.
Science Fiction, 29.10: 1, 8-21.
CSICSERY-RONAY, Jr. Istvan (2003). “Science
MAHLBERG, Michaela (2010). “Corpus
Fiction and Empire,” Science Fiction
Linguistics and the Study of Nineteenth-
Studies, 30.2: 231-245.
Century Fiction,” Journal of Victorian
FISCHER, Dennis K. (1991). “The Binary
Culture, 15.2: 292-298.
Worlds of Ursula K. LeGuin,” Lan’s
MORTON, Timothy (2013). Hyperobjects:
Lantern, 39: 22-30.
Philosophy and Ecology after the End of the
KOPER, Peter T. (1979). “Science and Rhetoric
World. London: University of Minnesota
in the Fiction of Ursula Le Guin,”, J. D. Bolt
Press.
(ed.), Voyager to Inner Lands and to Outer
PAK, Chris (2016). Terraforming: Ecopolitical
Space. London: Kennikat Press, 66-86.
Transformations and Environmentalism in
LATHAM, Rob (2007 2017). “Biotic Invasions:
Science Fiction. Liverpool: Liverpool
Ecological Imperialism in New Wave Science
University Press.
Fiction,” Rob Latham (ed.), Science Fiction
ROBERTS, Adam (2005 2016). The History of
Criticism: An Anthology of Essential
Science Fiction. London: Palgrave
Writings. London: Bloomsbury, 487- 502.
Macmillan.
LE GUIN, Ursula K. (1967 2017a). City of
RÖMER, Ute (2006). “Where the Computer
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Meets Language, Literature, and Pedagogy:
Novels & Stories: Volume 1. New York: The
Corpus Analysis in English Studies,” A.
Library of America, 225-383.
Gerbig & A. Müller-Wood (eds.), How
————— Globalization Affects the Teaching of
nent of Rocannon’s World, The Left Hand of English: Studying Culture Through Texts.
Darkness, City of Illusions and Planet of Exile
Lampeter: Edwin Mellen Press, 81-109.
in particular.
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Hainish Cycle
SALVATIERRA, Valentina (2019). “The ‘fiery arc’ SUVIN, Darko (1979). Metamorphoses of
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SLUSSER, George Edgar (1976). The Farthest based Techniques in Literary Analysis:
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STUBBS, Michael (2001). “Computer-assisted Literature, 5.1: 104-128.
Text and Corpus Analysis: Lexical Cohesion
and Communicative Competence,” D.
Schiffrin, D. Tannen, & H. E. Hamilton
(eds.), The Handbook of Discourse Analysis. Appendix
Malden: Blackwell, 304-320.
SHIPPEY, Tom (2016). Hard Reading: Learning References to ‘snow’ in the Hainish Cycle,
from Science Fiction. Liverpool: Liverpool categorised by frequency of appearance in
University Press. each individual text of the series.
Snow as prefix, suffix, in a
Snow Total
construction, etc.
Rocannon's World 19 8 27
Planet of Exile 63 37 100
City of Illusions 35 11 46
The Left Hand of Darkness 111 66 177
The Dispossessed 18 5 23
The Word for World is Forest 0 1 1 Cumulative
The Telling 26 6 32 concordance
Betrayals 0 0 Snow 427
Five Ways to
Forgiveness
Forgiveness Day 0 0 Rain 182
A Man of the People 0 0 Thunder 28
A Woman's Liberation 0 0 Hail 0
Old Music and the Slave Women 0 0 Cloud 126
Notes on Werel and Yeowe 0 0 Wind 357
Winter's King 5 2 7 Ekumen 339
Vaster Than Empires and More Slow 0 0 Ansible 139
The Day Before the Revolution 0 0 Hain/Hainish 296
Coming of Age in Karhide 3 1 4 Human 404
Unchosen Love 0 0 Terra/Terran 392
Mountain Ways 3 1 4
The Matter of Seggri 0 0
Solitude 0 0
The Birthday of the World 3 1 4
Transilience
The Shobies' Story 0 0
Trilogy
Dancing to Ganam 0 0
Another Story or A Fisherman of the Inland Sea 2 0 2
Total: 427
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