Weak as woman's magic, wicked as woman's magic: a feminist analysis of Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Tombs of Atuan and Tehanu

This thesis analyzes two novels of Ursula K. Le Guin, The Tombs of Atuan (1971) and Tehanu (1990), through a feminist lens. Both novels center on the character of Tenar, a female protagonist whose journey evolves from obedience and silence to autonomy and resistance. By analyzing Tenar’s feminist development, this work highlights how Le Guin redefines the genre’s conventions and how these novels offer a powerful model for feminist speculative fiction.