Overview
The Canadian novelist and poet Margaret Atwood is among the most acclaimed writers working today. Atwood's best-known novel, The Handmaid's Tale, depicts one woman's struggle to survive in a futuristic society in which women have become property. This new collection of critical essays examines that work and others, including Oryx and Crake, Cat's Eye, The Robber Bride, and more.Synopsis
The Canadian novelist and poet Margaret Atwood is among the most acclaimed writers working today. Atwood's best-known novel, The Handmaid's Tale, depicts one woman's struggle to survive in a futuristic society in which women have become property. This new collection of critical essays examines that work and others, including Oryx and Crake, Cat's Eye, The Robber Bride, and more.
VOYA
This volume, part of the Modern Critical Views series, begins with a brief essay, written by series editor Bloom, that analyzes the contemporary political overtones of Margaret Atwood's novel of dystopia, The Handmaid's Tale (McClelland & Stewart, 1985). Thirteen essays by different scholars follow, each of which examines a fairly specific topic, such as the Gothic strains in Atwood's poetry, visionary metaphors in Cat's Eye (Doubleday, 1988), and the relationship between The Handmaid's Tale and Jonathan Swift's satirical essay, "A Modest Proposal." Five essays discuss issues in The Handmaid's Tale, with others on Atwood's poetry, The Robber Bride (McClelland & Stewart, 1993), Bodily Harm (McClelland & Stewart, 1969), The Edible Woman (McClelland & Stewart, 1964), and more general topics in Atwood's writing. Three of her earlier novels are touched on only briefly, and there is no mention of her most recent novel, Alias Grace (McClelland & Stewart, 1996). Because of the scholarly, complex issues discussed in these essays, this volume is best-suited for serious Atwood researchers. A thorough bibliography will lead such persons to further scholarly critiques of Atwood's varied and extensive body of writing. Index. Biblio. Chronology. VOYA CODES: 4Q 2P S A/YA (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; For the YA with a special interest in the subject; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12; Adult and Young Adult). 2000, Chelsea House, Ages 16 to Adult, 256p, $34.95. Reviewer: Florence H. Munat