Since Always Coming Home does not follow a traditional novel format, the point of view shifts continually. Both Pandora and Stone Telling's parts are told in first person, but these two sections make up less than half of the novel. Le Guin uses the framework of a scientific text to explore how a culture makes meaning, both for itself and for other cultures around it. Praised by some as lyrical and inventive, Le Guin's shifting between different "artifacts" makes following a single story, such as Stone Telling's narrative, difficult and, at times, frustrating. However, the inter-mixture of poems, songs, short narratives, religious ceremonies, and news bulletins help make sense of what Stone Telling says and what she leaves out The nonfiction aspects of this novel also help make it seem more plausible.....
This is a free excerpt of 135 words. This section contains 830 words. This
study guide contains 18,584 words (approx. 62 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Literature Guide with our Always Coming Home Access Pass.
