Love of place

October 1, 2011 12:14 PM

I'm trying to find a particular quote from Ursula le Guin's "Left Hand of Darkness".

The passage is about the meaning of love of place. It's something like, "What is love of place? Is it familiarity with the trees, rocks, etc. of the land? And does the love of place stop with its border?" I've googled quotes from her, downloaded a PDF off a rapidshare-type site (I do own a copy of the book, so I don't think there's ethical concerns there) and searched for what I think are the keywords of the passage, and have not managed to find it. Does anyone know the passage, or even the page of the book it appears in?

posted by chmmr to media & arts (6 answers total)

How does one hate a country, or love one? Tibe talks about it; I lack the trick of it. I know people, I know towns, farms, hills and rivers and rocks, I know how the sun at sunset in autumn falls on the side of a certain plowland in the hills; but what is the sense of giving a boundary to all that, of giving it a name and ceasing to love where the name ceases to apply? What is love of one's country; is it hate of one's uncountry? Then it's not a good thing. Is it simply self-love? That's a good thing, but one mustn't make a virtue of it, or a profession... Insofar as I love life, I love the hills of the Domain of Estre, but that sort of love does not have a boundary-line of hate. And beyond that, I am ignorant, I hope.

Found here. Maybe this is the one you're thinking of?
posted by radioaction at 12:21 PM on October 1, 2011 [2 favorites]

Is this it?

“How does one hate a country, or love one? Tibe talks about it; I lack the trick of it. I know people, I know towns, farms, hills and rivers and rocks, I know how the sun at sunset in autumn falls on the side of a certain plowland in the hills; but what is the sense of giving a boundary to all that, of giving it a name and ceasing to love where the name ceases to apply?”
posted by vers at 12:21 PM on October 1, 2011

Exactly it. Thank you so much.
posted by chmmr at 12:22 PM on October 1, 2011

Jinx, radioaction. Thank you for the challenge, chmmr!
posted by vers at 12:24 PM on October 1, 2011

I was getting pretty frustrated that I couldn't find it. :)
posted by chmmr at 12:26 PM on October 1, 2011

I read this book a long time ago (can't find my copy of it now), but I distinctly remembering underlining that particular passage.
posted by aheckler at 2:17 PM on October 1, 2011