Ursula Le Guin: Short Stories Lesson Plan

Le Guin says she is interested in the psychology side of science fiction. How does this manifest in “Vaster than Empires and More Slow”?

Students may notice by now that Le Guin relies on several different fields of science in creating her science fiction stories. In the introduction, she highlights that psychology and an exploration of the psyche are what interest her most about the science fiction genre. Within the story “Vaster than empires and more slow,” The story explores the psyche of the 10 person team that goes to world 4470. One of the major themes of the story is how the characters are connected through their psyches, and how that connection is heightened by...