4.2.2
Links to Dystopian Fiction
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Links to Dystopian Fiction
Atwood claims that The Handmaid's Tale is a work of "speculative fiction".
Parallels to Orwell
- Atwood was quoted as saying that Science Fiction was all "monsters and spaceships" whereas speculative fiction, like The Handmaid's Tale, "could really happen".
- The Handmaid's Tale is part of a long literary tradition of dystopian fiction.
- It shares many parallels one of the most iconic dystopian novels of the 20th century, Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell.
Dystopian fiction
- Dystopian fiction is literature which presents a sense of warning or danger to the reader.
- Authors set their stories in worlds similar to our own or in nightmarish visions of the future.
- Dystopian fiction is often satirical and aims to criticise the world as the author sees it by showing what might happen in the future if we don't change problems in society.
Nineteen Eighty Four
- Nineteen Eighty Four was written in 1949,
- The novel is about the everyman protagonist Winston Smith, who tries to survive in the totalitarian society of Oceania. Everyone is constantly watched by Big Brother, the omnipotent faceless authority that rules all.
Parallels with Nineteen Eighty Four
Parallels between The Handmaid's Tale and Nineteen Eighty Four are:
The use of neologisms (new words)
- Atwood: Compucheck/Particicutions/Unwomen.
- Orwell: Newspeak/Doublethink/Facecrime.
Constant threat of surveillance
- Atwood: Under his Eye.
- Orwell: Big Brother is watching you.
Political context
- Atwood: rise of New Right and Fundamentalist Christianity in 1980s.
- Orwell: post World War 2, Cold war setting and rise of Stalin/Communism.
Use of violence for control
- Use of violence as a way of controlling the masses and deflecting the focus away from those in charge:
- Atwood: Salvaging and Particicutions.
- Orwell: Two Minutes Hate ritual.
Protagonists
- Both protagonists are beaten down by the totalitarian regime and willing to say anything or incriminate anyone to surivie:
- Atwood: "I'll say anything they like. I'll incriminate anyone. It's true, the first scream, whimper even, and I'll turn to jelly, I'll confess to any crime, I'll end up hanging from a hook on the Wall"
- Orwell: "Do it to Julia! Do it to Julia! Not me! Julia! I don't care what you do to her. Tear her face off, strip her to the bones. Not me! Julia! Not me!"
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 Links to Dystopian Fiction
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- 1What does Atwood claim _The Handmaid's Tale_ is a work of?Multiple choice
- 2Complete the words made up by Atwood and Orwell:Fill in the list
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