Margaret Atwood: Writer and Feminist
Margaret Atwood was born in Ottawa, Ontario, in 1939. By the age of five years old, she began writing, and by the time she was in her teens, had begun to consider writing as a profession--though she was first known as a poet, publishing her first book of poetry The Circle Game, in 1966, which gained her the prestigious Canadian Governor's Award.
By 1961, Atwood was graduated from the University of Toronto before going on to matriculate at Radcliffe and Harvard. By the time she was a graduate student, Atwood began writing fiction. Bluebeard's Egg was published in 1983, as was Murder in the Dark, followed by The Handmaid's Tale in 1985, Wilderness Tips in 1991, and Good Bones, in 1992. Atwood is a "dedicated feminist" and her work reflects her convictions. Explaining the title of Dancing Girls, her first collection of short fiction, she remarked that the title "alluding to women who are forced to move in patters determined by a patriarchal society" (Kennedy/Gioia 498). The author has since gained even more widespread notoriety since her novel, The Handmaid's Tale has gained popular currency, being translated to film in 1990, and then as a television series on the streaming service, Hulu.
The Handmaid's Tale, for which the author is most widely known, is a work of speculative fiction. Speculative fiction, a subgenre of Science Fiction, imagines future worlds with a "what if" sensibility. The genre poses questions concerning what might happen if current events, trends, or practices continue toward fruition, often resulting in either a utopian or dystopian consequence. The Handmaid's Tale concerns a futuristic New England town of Gilead, ruled by an all-powerful patriarchal dictator who repopulates the world with his progeny. The women who inhabit this dystopia are stripped of their original identities, being forced to assume new names with the prefix "Of," as in Offred, the protagonist, whose name reflects her role as a possession. These women serve as breeders to the overlord, who uses them to repopulate the world with his progeny. The social commentary that can be gleaned from this speculative novel concerns the role of women in society: their condition set in horrifying hyperbole allows us to observe more clearly the implications of sexism and gender discrimination.
Atwood's short story, "Happy Endings" can be described both as an example of "Flash Fiction," Fiction that offers a mere glimpse, or "slice of life" into the lives of its characters, and is, by comparison, quite short. Its style also might be referred to as Metafiction, which means writing about writing. The numerous versions the author offers us of John and Mary's relationship begs the question of what constitutes a happy ending--and whether that is even possible. After having read "Happy Endings," consider the questions:
What does the narrator assert as the 'only authentic ending'?
What does she say about plot?
Where does humor appear in the narrative? Does it work effectively for or against the story?
How would you describe the tone of the narrator? Who is this speaker?
Photo: Paris Review
By 1961, Atwood was graduated from the University of Toronto before going on to matriculate at Radcliffe and Harvard. By the time she was a graduate student, Atwood began writing fiction. Bluebeard's Egg was published in 1983, as was Murder in the Dark, followed by The Handmaid's Tale in 1985, Wilderness Tips in 1991, and Good Bones, in 1992. Atwood is a "dedicated feminist" and her work reflects her convictions. Explaining the title of Dancing Girls, her first collection of short fiction, she remarked that the title "alluding to women who are forced to move in patters determined by a patriarchal society" (Kennedy/Gioia 498). The author has since gained even more widespread notoriety since her novel, The Handmaid's Tale has gained popular currency, being translated to film in 1990, and then as a television series on the streaming service, Hulu.
Photo: MetroUS
The Handmaid's Tale, for which the author is most widely known, is a work of speculative fiction. Speculative fiction, a subgenre of Science Fiction, imagines future worlds with a "what if" sensibility. The genre poses questions concerning what might happen if current events, trends, or practices continue toward fruition, often resulting in either a utopian or dystopian consequence. The Handmaid's Tale concerns a futuristic New England town of Gilead, ruled by an all-powerful patriarchal dictator who repopulates the world with his progeny. The women who inhabit this dystopia are stripped of their original identities, being forced to assume new names with the prefix "Of," as in Offred, the protagonist, whose name reflects her role as a possession. These women serve as breeders to the overlord, who uses them to repopulate the world with his progeny. The social commentary that can be gleaned from this speculative novel concerns the role of women in society: their condition set in horrifying hyperbole allows us to observe more clearly the implications of sexism and gender discrimination.
Atwood's short story, "Happy Endings" can be described both as an example of "Flash Fiction," Fiction that offers a mere glimpse, or "slice of life" into the lives of its characters, and is, by comparison, quite short. Its style also might be referred to as Metafiction, which means writing about writing. The numerous versions the author offers us of John and Mary's relationship begs the question of what constitutes a happy ending--and whether that is even possible. After having read "Happy Endings," consider the questions:
What does the narrator assert as the 'only authentic ending'?
What does she say about plot?
Where does humor appear in the narrative? Does it work effectively for or against the story?
How would you describe the tone of the narrator? Who is this speaker?
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