Text World Theory (TWT), as one of the key frameworks in cognitive stylistics, provides valuable insights into the processes through which readers create and navigate mental constructions while engaging with literary texts. Drawing on Werth’s (1999) model and its further developments by Gavins (2007) and Stockwell (2019), the present study applied this framework to Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Left Hand of Darkness (1969), a science-fiction novel that presents complex interactions between characters from profoundly different cultural backgrounds. Unlike most previous studies of the novel, which have primarily examined its themes of gender, politics, and philosophy, this research focused on the cognitive processes involved in constructing text worlds, particularly during moments of cross-cultural encounters. The study aimed to explore how the narrative’s linguistic and stylistic choices guide readers in forming and revising mental models of the characters’ perceptions, emotions, and relationships, and how these processes contribute to the novel’s broader thematic concepts of identity, otherness, and communication. Using a qualitative method and a descriptive-critical approach, three representative extracts were purposefully selected for close analysis, namely the opening of the narrative, Genly Ai’s confrontation with the Gethenians, and the mindspeaking connection between Estraven and Genly Ai. Through examining world-building elements, function-advancing propositions, modal worlds, world-switches, and metaphorical blends in these extracts, the study demonstrated that the novel constructs layered and dynamic mental spaces where conflicting cultural frameworks often lead to failed world-repairs and moments of miscommunication. However, the findings also revealed how these failures gradually lead to shared accessibility between the characters, particularly in the final extract, where Genly Ai begins to develop a deeper understanding of Estraven’s mental worlds despite his partial accessibility. Ultimately, the research showed that TWT offers an effective framework for analyzing the cognitive and linguistic dimensions of narrative and contributes to a richer understanding of Le Guin’s exploration of themes as identity, cultural difference, and empathy within speculative fiction.
