POETIKA DISTOPIJSKIH HRONOTOPA U ROMANU „STALNO SE VRAĆAJUĆI KUĆI“ URSULE K. LEGVIN

Abstract

Ursula K. Le Guin’s novel Always Coming Home is typically considered a peculiar step forward within the science fiction genre, as the author creates her literary vision of feminist utopianism. As opposed to these generally accepted critical standpoints, this paper will analyze potential dystopian chronotopes as presented in Kesh poetry. The focal point of the paper will be what we will refer to as the poetics of chronotopes: starting from the outer, geographical surroundings, analyzing the structure of a domicile, and, ultimately, examining inner, psychological spaces – both individual and communal – the paper will draw from Bachelard’s oneiric concepts as presented in The Poetics of Space, as well as from Jung’s theory of the collective unconscious. We will aim to prove that the novel’s dystopian (chrono)top(os) is correlated to psychological landscapes of both literary subject as well as their community, where a post-apocalyptic, seemingly utopian community of the Kesh fails to defend itself against destructive forces of their ancestor’s civilization. Furthermore, by endeavoring to escape the sins of their fathers, the Kesh are “always coming home” as the next generation imprisoned in a vicious, entropic cycle.