Ursula Le Guin: Short Stories Lesson Plan

How does Le Guin’s introduction to “Winter’s King” impact your reading experience, particularly around your understanding of the genders of the characters?

Before “Winter’s King,” Le Guin explains that the story is in the world of The Left Hand of Darkness. In this novel, Le Guin famously plays around with gender and moves beyond the gender binary that dominates Western society. Le Guin explains that in “Winter’s King,” she plays around with gender by having all of the people in Winter use “she” pronouns while still using titles like King and Lord, which are usually considered masculine. Some students may note that it can feel disorienting or strange to have a king...