Margaret Atwood

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.

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

1.1.1Margaret Atwood

2Chapter Summaries

2.1Chapter 1: Night I

2.1.1Chapter 1

2.2Chapters 2-6: Shopping II

2.2.1Chapter 2

2.2.2Chapter 3

2.2.3Chapter 4

2.2.4Chapter 5

2.2.5Chapter 6

2.3Chapter 7: Night II

2.3.1Chapter 7

2.4Chapters 8-12: Waiting Room IV

2.4.1Chapter 8

2.4.2Chapter 9

2.4.3Chapter 10

2.4.4Chapter 11

2.4.5Chapter 12

2.5Chapter 13: Nap V

2.5.1Chapter 13

2.6Chapters 14-17: Household VI

2.6.1Chapter 14

2.6.2Chapter 15

2.6.3Chapter 16

2.6.4Chapter 17

2.7Chapter 18: Night VII

2.7.1Chapter 18

2.8Chapters 19-23: Birth Day VIII

2.8.1Chapter 19

2.8.2Chapter 20

2.8.3Chapter 21

2.8.4Chapter 22

2.8.5Chapter 23

2.9Chapter 24: Night IX

2.9.1Chapter 24

2.10Chapters 25-29: Soul Scrolls X

2.10.1Chapter 25

2.10.2Chapter 26

2.10.3Chapter 27

2.10.4Chapter 28

2.10.5Chapter 29

2.11Chapter 30: Night XI

2.11.1Chapter 30

2.12Chapters 31-39: Jezebel's XII

2.12.1Chapter 31

2.12.2Chapter 32

2.12.3Chapter 33

2.12.4Chapter 34

2.12.5Chapter 35

2.12.6Chapter 36

2.12.7Chapter 37

2.12.8Chapter 38

2.12.9Chapter 39

2.13Chapter 40: Night XIII

2.13.1Chapter 40

2.14Chapters 41-45: Salvaging XIV

2.14.1Chapter 41

2.14.2Chapter 42

2.14.3Chapter 43

2.14.4Chapter 44

2.14.5Chapter 45

2.15Chapter 46: Night XV

2.15.1Chapter 46

2.16Historical Notes

2.16.1Historical Notes

3Dedications & Epigraph

3.1Dedications & Epigraph

3.1.1Dedications

3.1.2Epigraph

4Context

4.1Setting

4.1.1Setting

4.2Literary Context & Genre

4.2.1The Canterbury Tales & The Scarlet Letter

4.2.2Links to Dystopian Fiction

4.3Political Context

4.3.1Berlin & Iran

4.3.2The New Right in America

4.4Historical Context

4.4.1Puritan New England

4.5Parallels: Read World & Gilead

4.5.1The Underground Femaleroad

4.5.2Children of Ham & Soul Scrolls

4.5.3Offred's Tattoo, Salvaging & Illegal Abortions

4.5.4Unwomen, Colonies & Giving Away Offred's Daughter

4.6Religious Context

4.6.1Religious Context

5Narrative Structure & Literary Techniques

5.1Narrative Structure

5.1.1Narrative Structure

5.2Literary Techniques

5.2.1Literary Techniques

5.2.2Colour Symbolism

6Themes & Imagery

6.1Themes

6.1.1Survival & Language

6.1.2The Female Body

6.2Imagery

6.2.1The Garden & Doubles

7Characters

7.1Female Characters

7.1.1Offred & Moira

7.1.2Offred's Mother, Ofglen & Ofwarren

7.1.3Serena Joy & Aunt Lydia

7.2Male Characters

7.2.1The Commander

7.2.2Nick & Luke

8Readings

8.1Readings of The Handmaid's Tale

8.1.1Eco-Criticism

8.1.2Complacency

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