Le Guin didn't create the trope, which was first deployed by T.H. She also tremendously popularised the "wizarding school" idea later used to blockbuster effect by J.K. For a setting Le Guin was struck by Earthsea, a vast archipelago of hundreds of islands she'd created for a couple of short stories in 1964, and began work on a story that expanded the detail of the setting considerably. Le Guin agreed to write a story about a wizard, inspired by the idea of what Merlin was like when he was a child. However, the immense success of The Lord of the Rings had driven publishers to seek out or even commission more work in the genre. Fantasy was in a far more nascent state in the 1960s than now, with the genre divided between more literary works (such as Gormenghast) and action-driven swords and sorcery adventures, such as the Conan tales by Robert E. Le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea has become an acknowledged classic and required reading in the fantasy canon. Ged, as he becomes known, shows great promise but his pride is his downfall: an arrogant display of magical power goes awry, and unleashes a dark evil upon the world which only Ged can defeat. A sorcerer directs him to the island of Roke to there learn the ways of wizardry and controlling his abilities. When Karg raiders attack the island of Gont, the inhabitants of a small village are saved by a young boy who has discovered that he has magical powers.
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