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 1: Iria
Length: 5 pages
Setting: Way
We might guess, by this point in our acquaintance with the world of Earthsea, that a strange, wild girl called Dragonfly with a mysterious mother might be more than meets the eye. Rose tells us as much. I am curious what Le Guin is doing with names here. This is my first time reading “Dragonfly,” and as of this writing, I still have a ways to go with the story.
I have read the next section, Ivory, and I am intrigued by Le Guin’s casual reuse of names here. We’ve met Roses before, and there’s more than one in this tale. The story hovers on that commonness for a bit.
Then we have Ivory himself who shares the name with the valuable coins of Earthsea.
I am taking it as a foregone conclusion that Dragonfly is a dragon, but I am curious how the naming unravels, if at all.
Until next time.
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