1.1.1
Margaret Atwood
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About the Author: Margaret Atwood
Margaret Atwood is one of the most acclaimed and honoured authors of modern times. She has won numerous awards for her range of novels, poems, non-fiction and children’s literature.
Educational background
- Atwood was born in Ottawa, Canada, in 1939.
- Atwood was a graduate student at Harvard University, where she became interested in American literature.
- She was especially interested in the history of 17th century Puritanism, which features heavily in The Handmaid’s Tale.
Writing background
- Atwood's novels range in genre and writing style.
- The Edible Woman was her first published novel in 1969.
- Modern classics include Surfacing (1972), Cat’s Eye (1988) and The Blind Assassin (2000).
Political interests in 1985
- The Handmaid’s Tale was published in 1985.
- At that time, Atwood was very inspired by American politics, especially the growth of the New Right.
- The growth of the New Right culminated in the Presidency of Ronald Reagan, who endorsed conservative ‘family values’ and teachings inspired by the Bible.
Awards
- Atwood has been awarded the Man Booker Prize, the Governor General’s Award for Literature and the National Book Critics Lifetime Achievement Award among other awards.
Interpretations of The Handmaid's Tale
Atwood’s writing, especially The Handmaid’s Tale, centres around the key themes of gender, politics, language, climate change and environmental issues, religion, myth and identity.
Canadian identity - key theme?
- Atwood has always been interested in Canadian identity. Many critics have argued that The Handmaid’s Tale could be viewed as the relationship between Canada (the Handmaid) and America (Gilead).
- Atwood may resist this interpretation. She is well known for avoiding labels or the restrictive limitations of genre.
Social realism
- When asked whether she classed The Handmaid’s Tale as a feminist text, Atwood stated: "I don’t consider it Feminism; I just consider it social realism".
Speculative fiction
- Similarly, when Atwood was asked if she classed The Handmaid's Tale as a part of the Science Fiction genre, she claimed that The Handmaid’s Tale was a work of "speculative fiction".
- She was quoted as saying that Science Fiction was all "monsters and spaceships" whereas speculative fiction, like The Handmaid’s Tale, "could really happen".
The Testaments
- In 2019, the much-awaited sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale was published: The Testaments.
- The novel takes place 15 years after Offred's story in Gilead.
- The novel won Atwood the 2019 Man Booker Prize.
1Author Background
1.1Margaret Atwood
2Chapter Summaries
2.1Chapter 1: Night I
2.2Chapters 2-6: Shopping II
2.3Chapter 7: Night II
2.4Chapters 8-12: Waiting Room IV
2.5Chapter 13: Nap V
2.6Chapters 14-17: Household VI
2.7Chapter 18: Night VII
2.8Chapters 19-23: Birth Day VIII
2.9Chapter 24: Night IX
2.10Chapters 25-29: Soul Scrolls X
2.11Chapter 30: Night XI
2.12Chapters 31-39: Jezebel's XII
2.13Chapter 40: Night XIII
2.14Chapters 41-45: Salvaging XIV
2.15Chapter 46: Night XV
2.16Historical Notes
3Dedications & Epigraph
3.1Dedications & Epigraph
4Context
4.1Setting
4.2Literary Context & Genre
4.3Political Context
4.4Historical Context
4.5Parallels: Read World & Gilead
4.6Religious Context
5Narrative Structure & Literary Techniques
5.1Narrative Structure
5.2Literary Techniques
6Themes & Imagery
6.2Imagery
7Characters
7.1Female Characters
7.2Male Characters
8Readings
8.1Readings of The Handmaid's Tale
9Recap: Main Quotes
9.1Quotes by Chapter
9.1.1Chapters 1 & 29.1.2Chapters 3 & 49.1.3Chapters 5 & 69.1.4Chapters 7 & 89.1.5Chapters 9 & 109.1.6Chapters 11 & 129.1.7Chapters 13 & 149.1.8Chapter 15 & 169.1.9Chapters 17 & 189.1.10Chapters 19 & 209.1.11Chapters 21 & 229.1.12Chapters 23 & 249.1.13Chapters 25 & 269.1.14Chapters 27 & 289.1.15Chapters 29 & 309.1.16Chapters 31 & 329.1.17Chapters 33 & 349.1.18Chapters 35 & 369.1.19Chapters 37 & 389.1.20Chapters 39 & 409.1.21Chapters 41 & 429.1.22Chapters 43 & 449.1.23Chapters 45 & 469.1.24Historical Notes & Epigraphs
Jump to other topics
1Author Background
1.1Margaret Atwood
2Chapter Summaries
2.1Chapter 1: Night I
2.2Chapters 2-6: Shopping II
2.3Chapter 7: Night II
2.4Chapters 8-12: Waiting Room IV
2.5Chapter 13: Nap V
2.6Chapters 14-17: Household VI
2.7Chapter 18: Night VII
2.8Chapters 19-23: Birth Day VIII
2.9Chapter 24: Night IX
2.10Chapters 25-29: Soul Scrolls X
2.11Chapter 30: Night XI
2.12Chapters 31-39: Jezebel's XII
2.13Chapter 40: Night XIII
2.14Chapters 41-45: Salvaging XIV
2.15Chapter 46: Night XV
2.16Historical Notes
3Dedications & Epigraph
3.1Dedications & Epigraph
4Context
4.1Setting
4.2Literary Context & Genre
4.3Political Context
4.4Historical Context
4.5Parallels: Read World & Gilead
4.6Religious Context
5Narrative Structure & Literary Techniques
5.1Narrative Structure
5.2Literary Techniques
6Themes & Imagery
6.2Imagery
7Characters
7.1Female Characters
7.2Male Characters
8Readings
8.1Readings of The Handmaid's Tale
9Recap: Main Quotes
9.1Quotes by Chapter
9.1.1Chapters 1 & 29.1.2Chapters 3 & 49.1.3Chapters 5 & 69.1.4Chapters 7 & 89.1.5Chapters 9 & 109.1.6Chapters 11 & 129.1.7Chapters 13 & 149.1.8Chapter 15 & 169.1.9Chapters 17 & 189.1.10Chapters 19 & 209.1.11Chapters 21 & 229.1.12Chapters 23 & 249.1.13Chapters 25 & 269.1.14Chapters 27 & 289.1.15Chapters 29 & 309.1.16Chapters 31 & 329.1.17Chapters 33 & 349.1.18Chapters 35 & 369.1.19Chapters 37 & 389.1.20Chapters 39 & 409.1.21Chapters 41 & 429.1.22Chapters 43 & 449.1.23Chapters 45 & 469.1.24Historical Notes & Epigraphs
Practice questions on Margaret Atwood
Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.
- 1Where was Atwood a graduate student? Multiple choice
- 2Novels written by Margaret Atwood: True / false
- 3Prizes awarded to Margaret Atwood:True / false
- 4What does Atwood claim _The Handmaid's Tale_ is?Multiple choice
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