In this series, I’ll be working my way through Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea works and analyzing her prose chapter by chapter. Spoilers follow.
Chapter 11: Selidor
Length: 13 pages, 102 paragraphs
Setting: Selidor
Characters introduced: Cob
Cob is not technically a new character here. He has appeared in dreams and reminiscences since early in the book. Still, this is his first appearance center stage.
Le Guin continues to guide our mind’s eye like a film director, using panning and camera cuts to direct our attention.
I like Tehanu. I appreciate Le Guin’s growing vision of Earthsea and revisions to it. I think I understand and agree with her perspective.
Nevertheless, there is something awe-inspiring here that I think the later Earthsea works undermine. Our longtime friend Ged, Arren who will be king, and the mightiest dragon Orm Embar come to the end of the world and take on perilous sacrifice to restore the balance to Earthsea. We even get a glimpse of the ghost of Erreth-Akbe here.
As with the past two books, I have much less to say at the end. Tomorrow we pursue Cob into the Dry Land.
Until next time.
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