Chronscast Season 1 Episode 11 - The Left Hand Of Darkness with Emily Inkpen

[Dan Jones]

Hello everyone! After a month's hiatus we're back. This month we're talking about one of the all-time classics of science-fiction literature, and arguably the book that demonstrated science-fiction could be literature: Ursula K. Le Guin's The Left Hand Of Darkness, a million-selling Hugo and Nebula winner. We talk about the book's enduring legacy, its approach to worldbuilding, character, and loose(ish) plot, and how the book plays with ideas of light, darkness, a balance of the two, and ultimately, love. We also dig into the book's sexual politics, the extent to which the book is feminist with respect to its portrayals of sex and gender, and the controversies that greeted the book from some surprising sources.

Joining us to talk about Le Guin’s book is the author Emily Inkpen. Emily was born in South London and raised on the South Coast of England, but moved to Glasgow for her university years and now lives in Berkshire. She juggles copywriting for Marmalade Game Studio with writing novels, short stories and audio drama, and is the Social Media Officer for the BSFA.

Elsewhere The Judge talks about monarchies in our writing, particularly pertinent given the recent succession in the UK. We have the winner of the Chrons October 75-word writing challenge, and peace talks at the 43rd Andromeda conference sadly collapse when the discussion turns to the erotic properties of golden eagles. Naturally.

Join us in December for a talk about Christmas ghost stories with the author Alison Littlewood!

Index
[00:00 - 53:30] Emily Inkpen Interview Pt 1
[53:31 - 56:31] Voicemail 1
[56:34 - 1:11:11] The Judge's Corner
[1:11:12 - 1:12:13] Writing Challenge
[1:12:14 - 1:14:32] Voicemail 2
[1:14:34 - 2:06:31] Emily Inkpen Interview Pt 2
[2:06:32 - close] Credits

How To Listen
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[Dan Jones]

I should also add that we're doing the interview with Alison Littlewood next week, so if there are any good questions that people have for her, pop them in this thread and we'll jot them down.

 

[Parson]

Just listened to this and I believe this is the best Chronscast you've done this far. Keep up the good work. Emily Inkpen (that has to be a nom de plume) was a very entertaining guest.

 

[Phyrebrat]

Just listened to this and I believe this is the best Chronscast you've done this far. Keep up the good work. Emily Inkpen (that has to be a nom de plume) was a very entertaining guest.

The fact that we managed to get a Phantom Menace reference in delighted me

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Just listened to this and I believe this is the best Chronscast you've done this far. Keep up the good work. Emily Inkpen (that has to be a nom de plume) was a very entertaining guest.

It’s her real name she’s always good fun on these things

 

[Parson]

It’s her real name she’s always good fun on these things

Emily Inkpen is her actual name?! Wow, talk about being fated from birth.

 

[cyprus7]

About halfway through this one... good stuff.

 

[Phyrebrat]

About halfway through this one... good stuff.

Thanks for listening! Hopefully we can get more chronners interested/ traffic — it seems to be a bit low-profile when it comes to discussing on Chrons

 

[Dan Jones]

Yes thanks for listening - glad you like it! Emily was a great guest, very quirky and enthusiastic. Plus, she can disassemble a rifle in 30 seconds. So no messing.

 

[PadreTX]

A bit late for me to give my impression. Pretty good show.

The best part was the Judge's comments. What caught my attention, if I heard correctly, was Great Britain's monarch is basically above the law. Now if that is the case, that can make for some entertaining writing and reading for a story in the future. Is the monarch, now King Charles, officially immune from prosecution for any crime?

 

[The Judge]

The best part was the Judge's comments. What caught my attention, if I heard correctly, was Great Britain's monarch is basically above the law.

Thank you! And yes, you heard correctly. But it isn't particular to the UK, since it derives from the idea that the ancient kings created the law in the first place -- there's an old legal maxim that "the king can do do wrong" and Sovereign Immunity is commonplace all over the world both in respect of actual monarchs themselves (eg in Denmark the monarch's person is deemed sacrosanct) and for governments eg in the US, though the rights of presidents or other high officials might be restricted to when they are in office. The position of King Juan Carlos of Spain is interesting in this respect, as legislation was passed after his abdication to deal specifically with the point as to whether he retained immunity after he gave up the throne.

Now if that is the case, that can make for some entertaining writing and reading for a story in the future. Is the monarch, now King Charles, officially immune from prosecution for any crime?

Yes, that's certainly as I understand it. But, of course, there's a great difference between legal theory and actual practice, and between "officially immune" and actually subject to public pressure. If Charles were to be clocked for speeding while driving, then he wouldn't get points on his licence (if he still requires one, indeed!) and certainly wouldn't be brought into the local magistrates court, but if his driving resulted in an accident then he might agree never again to drive on public roads as well as paying some sort of voluntary fine to charity. And for any crime much more than that, there would be a groundswell demanding something be done, and talk of abdication would be widespread. So, no prosecution, but undoubtedly "punishment" in some form or other.

As for civil offences, there are two somewhat esoteric routes open to someone wanting to sue the monarch in person, but again matters are likely to be sorted out by negotiation to avoid the monarch actually having to be dragged through the courts.

 

[Parson]

Sovereign Immunity is commonplace all over the world both in respect of actual monarchs themselves (eg in Denmark the monarch's person is deemed sacrosanct) and for governments eg in the US, though the rights of presidents or other high officials might be restricted to when they are in office.

Which is why certain of them (we won't mention any names) feel that they are more like a king than a government official and therefore should be above the law and show this by word and deed.

**Parson the one time Government teacher bites his tongue to keep from saying more.

 

[Moonbat]

Well I'm certainly late to the game. I have only just discovered Chronscast and listened to this episode (mainly because it was a book I'd read) yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed it. Not sure how I missed these, but I've got loads to catch up on and I can add another show to my listening list.

Well done to everyone involved it sounded great and was very entertaining.

 

[Dan Jones]

Thanks Moonbat! We just recorded our latest episode last night, so we'll have something new pretty soon.

 

[farntfar]

I'm a bit late in listening to this, but I really enjoyed it, both the bits with Emily and also TJ's bit, which is always interesting.

Emily, (I hope you don't mind me getting all familiar.) One thing that struck me on the second part of your discussion, when you were talking about Dex, you were discussing the idea of a colony having 2 ideas of time, so that someone could be 12 &nd 15 at the same time.
If I understood correctly, they could measure time in local years (the time to go round their star, and legacy years (Earth standard?).
But more generally it was about whether they were clinging on to old earth ideas or whether they could start to be their own people.
You related this to the problems of Genly. (I pronounce his name with a hard G too.)

But I immediately thought of another Le Guin book, or at least 1/2 book.
I can't remember whether it was Planet of Exile, or Rocannon's World. They were published together in one volume. Anyway, whichever one (I think probably the 1st) is very much about the heroine wishing to define their planet in it's own terms, whereas the government was still very stuck to the old ways. It also had a definite feminist theme. The hero was a woman, struggling not only liberate the people from old legacy rules, but also from an old and very patriarchal government.

At least that's how I remember it. I haven't read it for a long time.

As for the rest of the show, I was a little upset that you never got on to the idea of Shiftgrethor, which I always found interesting, and have recognised as a thing in our own society. So much more than a simple idea of self-worth/ arrogance, which is how it's often seen.

Genly's statement that he as no Shiftgrethor to impune, much as his profession to the Yomeshti monk that he is profoundly ignorant highlighted the difference in the way that he and they thought.

 

[Dan Jones]

@farntfar thanks so much for your comment. Emily won't be on the boards here, so best to get in touch on Twitter.

As for Shiftgrethor, even with two hour episodes it's unlikely that we can cover everything, which just shows how much depth there is to these texts.

Really glad you enjoyed it though!

 

[farntfar]

I realised that there wasn't time to speak of Shiftgrethor, or indeed the religions, both of which I think you mentioned in the introduction. And yes, it was a book full of interesting ideas. I read it many years ago, but the ideas seem still to be fresh and interesting to me, much as with several of her books.

Unfortunately, I'm not on Twitter.
Maybe I should be.