Perspectives

There are several ways to put “The Rule of Names” by Ursula K. Le Guin into perspective. Here we outline a few of them. 

Works in the same genre

We do not yet have a lot of study guides on fantasy literature. However, you may want to have a look at “The Familiar” by Andre Norton, as this is a fantasy short story, too. Both stories feature fantasy characteristics such as magical beings, a medieval-style setting, the discovery of secret powers, and the coming of age.

You might also want to check out stories like “All Summer in a Day” by Ray Bradbury or “The Selfish Giant” by Oscar Wilde. Despite belonging to different genres than fantasy, there are similarities to fantasy and to “The Rule of Names”.

Ray Bradbury’s short story is a science fiction narrative s...