The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction (Terra Ignota) Paperback – February 3, 2020

the history of bags

I love UKLG. I'm glad I discovered this little work and now have it in my library.

Ursula Le Guin is the storyteller's storyteller. Quick summary: Storytelling as a container of culture rather than a weapon of destruction. The daughter of pre-eminent anthropologists she understands the role of narrative as THE core technology of the human species. This short essay is mytho-poetic truth at the most sublime level. If you need an infusion of hope, excitement, and faith in the enduring power of story, this quick little book is worth its weight in gold. I now give a copy as a gift to countless professional colleagues.

I thought this was an essay by LeGuin. Instead half of the book was by Terra Ignota and a short essay by LeGuin was at the end. The book was more of a pamphlet. Not what I expected.

The essay is free online and far too short to be a standalone book. Pay for this only to get the Haraway intro.

The book is incomplete! The copy I received has only from page 1 to 25, but the book has 48 pages. And the main essay starts on page 25, so I got only the first page of it. I won't return because the 9 dollars I paid for it doesn't compensate going to the post office during the pandemic. I'm very disappointed.

Different edition than that shown on website. Different cover.

Very small book but some great quotes and illuminating insights. Worth reading.

It's a slim book, the introduction is longer than the main essay, but all 3 sections, - preface, introduction and main essay - are fascinating and gave me lots to think about and new areas to look into. Ursula K.Le Guin as ever is enlightening and illuminating and thought provoking. Donna Haraway, I shall be reading more of her works, opened new vistas to me.

This book is amazing, a must-read for anyone that likes literature.