"Dreamtime, Ursula K. Le Guin's 'The Word for World is Forest,' amd James Cameron's 'Avatar'"

My project builds on a paper submitted in Professor Adams' Forest in Literature class entitled "Dreaming and Dreamtime," which drew parallels between the Aboriginal concept of Dreamtime and the worldview of indigenous people depicted in Ursula K. Le Guin's science fiction novel "The Word for World is Forest."

I will expand upon these ideas by exploring the magical perception of the Na'vi in James Cameron's Avatar. In both worlds, linear-thinking scientists attempt to offer empirical explanations for mystical phenomena, but in either case, the experience transcends logical understanding. I plan to explain the native-inspired practices depicted in these science fiction works while also referencing the controversy that has arisen from doing so. Seeing as "Avatar: The Way of Water" is now an Oscar nomination, I am pleased to find that a paper I wrote a year ago remains prevalent, which I hope to share with others.

- Chloe Duensing '24