Feminist Subversion in The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin and The Passion of New Eve by Angela Carter

This thesis analyses The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin and The Passion of New Eve by Angela Carter. After introductory discussions on women in science fiction and the Gothic and the grotesque, it takes a closer look on the concepts of androgyny and gender performativity. It utilises gender theories of female writers such as of Simone de Beauvoir, Judith Butler, Hélène Cixous and Toril Moi for the analysis of the two novels. The thesis asserts that gender is not a “natural” construct but a socio-cultural artifice constructed around biological differences and. therefore, results in false dichotomies and social injustice. In these two novels, gender is subverted through androgyny in The Left Hand of Darkness and transgressive bodies in The Passion of New Eve. The conclusion, however, shows that the subversion of gender is not entirely successful in either of the novels, but nevertheless raises consciousness on the issues of gender, sexuality and identity