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. I should also note here that I didn’t notice until the second chapter of Tehanu that I had substituted “deep read” for the academic term “close read.” Alas, I am a writer and only a layman in the academic arts. I’ve elected to keep the title of this series as is because while I quite like this series of posts, I do not think it stands up as a close read.
Chapter 5: Worsening
Length: 11 pages, 70 paragraphs
Setting: Re Albi
Characters introduced: None
Ged is now awake on the page, and in this chapter Tenar learns he has truly lost his magic. Ged is, perhaps understandably, a bit of a prick about it. It all comes out as a bit of a lovers’ quarrel.
This chapter harps on the bird metaphor. Dragons have been compared to birds. Ged has been compared to birds. Tenar compares herself to a bird. Lark is named for a bird. I cannot recall a specific instance of Ogion or Aunty Moss being compared to birds, but they wouldn’t surprise me.
Therru, if she has not already, will certainly be compared to a bird soon.
Until next time.
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