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Speaking to Both Children and Genre 137appeared interspersed with her science fiction novels,” and so “it is notsurprising . . . that her fantasies share the same concerns as her sciencefiction” (165); David Galef argues that thematic parallelism is seen in anumber of “cross-over” writers as well (29). Le Guin’s shared set ofthemes (freedom, home, journey, identity, otherness as seen in the beastand alien, and the courage to construct a self in the world) surface in all ofher writing; they are merely articulated in different contexts. PerryNodelman reminds us that “many readers, both children and adults, seekout further texts by authors they have enjoyed, because they expect acommon thread, a consistency in subject and style, in all the texts anauthor produces” (145). This is certainly true of Le Guin’s readers.Readers of The Dispossessed follow Le Guin to Always Coming Home,perhaps to come home in different ways in different genres; the youngreaders of A Ride on the Red Mare’s Back will find in Ged’s story and thenin Shevek’s those same concerns about always coming home, though theytravel from folklore to high fantasy to science fiction to get there.However, given the clear generic alliances Le Guin makes betweenfantasy and realism (traditional or science fiction) and age, her “approachesto the themes vary considerably” (Attebery 166).Though genre isn’t a barrier to Le Guin’s themes, genre is an influencefelt from her earliest foray into children’s literature with the publication ofA Wizard of Earthsea. Her entry into the realm of heroic fantasy with theEarthsea series was allowable, she observes, because they were publishedas children’s books. “So long as [she] behaved [herself], obeyed the rules,[she] was free to enter the heroic realm” (Earthsea Revisioned 7). Le Guinfound that she needed to challenge genre’s influence in order to speak asherself. Until she realized she was the mouthpiece of tradition, sheconfused security with freedom; once she realized this, she says, the longsuccession of “genre-busting” texts began—texts for adults, that is. As awriter writes within a given genre, “she begins to write against the genre,thus changing and renewing it. The rigid system of genres and modes[begins] to disintegrate” (Nikolajeva 7). By bucking tradition, Le Guingives up the authority vested in her as a duly appointed officer oftraditional genres and creates a new authority for herself. Always ComingHome defies demarcation; Malafrena asks us to consider a fictitiouscountry in a Europe we know. Although she claims that “people arewriting differently and the genres are all merging” (Walsh, “I Am aWoman Writer” 198), her children’s literature remains fairly genrefaithful.She simultaneously plays with genre in her adult texts whilerespecting the integrity of the children’s literature/fantasy relationship.So, despite all of her “genre-busting,” Le Guin keeps genre clear in her