4.2.1
The Canterbury Tales & The Scarlet Letter
Literary Context: The Canterbury Tales
Literary Context: The Canterbury Tales
According to the Historical Notes, the title of the novel - The Handmaid's Tale - is an intertextual allusion to Chaucer's work, The Canterbury Tales.
Title: job of the narrator
Title: job of the narrator
- "The superscription "The Handmaid's Tale" was appended to it by Professor Wade, partly in homage to the great Geoffrey Chaucer"
- In the Canterbury Tales, the many stories are titled by the job of the narrator, like The Knight's Tale. So The Handmaid's Tale makes sense.
- A "tale" is often fictional, which throws doubt on Offred's authenticity.
The oral tradition
The oral tradition
- Atwood may be referencing the oral tradition of storytelling.
- Women would share their experiences by speaking to family and friends because they were not educated enough to be able to write down their stories.
- We are told that Offred records her voice on a series of cassette tapes. This gives the oral tradition of storytelling to legitimise women's experiences a more technological twist.
Literary Context: The Scarlet Letter
Literary Context: The Scarlet Letter
Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter in 1850. The novel is set in Puritanical Massachusetts in the 17th century and clearly influenced Atwood's novel.
Hester Prynne
Hester Prynne
- Hawthorne's protagonist, Hester Prynne, is an unmarried mother who refuses to say who the father of her child is.
- As punishment, she is forced to stand on a stage in front of the townsfolk to be ridiculed and humiliated. She has to wear a red letter A (standing for Adultery) for the rest of her life.
Significance of red
Significance of red
- The colour red symbolises sin and links both of the texts together.
- The Handmaids wear red habits. This links to the idea of shaming and humiliating women for their sexuality and bodies: “Everything except the wings around my face is red: the color of blood, which defines us.” (Offred)
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
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
Unlock your full potential with GoStudent tutoring
Affordable 1:1 tutoring from the comfort of your home
Tutors are matched to your specific learning needs
30+ school subjects covered