The Handmaid’s Tale An Introduction A level literature Unit 2 1945+ Texts in Shared Contexts

Introductory points (1) A nightmarish vision of the future Bleak futuristic scenario American fundamentalist Republic of Gilead Invented dystopian world with totalitarian regime In Gilead, privacy, individuality and unorthodox beliefs are punishable offences A tale of resistance…and survival First person epistolary form (letter/diary) Offed retains psychological freedom through her story of resistance. Offred’s voice is a testimony to the survival of the human spirit.

Introductory points (2) A fragmented narrative Framing device – Historical Notes Gender politics All women are survivor’s of ‘the time before’ and represent women’s roles if society past and present from late 1960s Women’s Liberation Movement to Gilead forced surrogacy – the ‘two legged-wombs’ Political and social comment Writing in the 1980s, Atwood drew on a range of issues – violence against women/pollution/extreme right ideologies and religious fanaticism

Consider as you read (or 2nd reading) Narrative style and structure Past, present and future Women’s place in society Importance of identity Religious fundamentalism Violence, control and fear Language and power Atwood’s intention

AO3 – key context point The fundamentalist Republic of Gilead is named after a place in the Old Testament. The biblical Gilead is closely connected with the history of Jacob (2 wives – Leah and Rachel (sisters) + 2 handmaidens as Rachel could not bare children). Gilead for Atwood projects the ideal image for an embattled state (see Genesis 31:21) “And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children. Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die. And Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in God’s stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb? And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her” Atwood collected ideas from news clippings in 1981 – this contributed directly to her work. What key issues can you identify as you read and which are still relevant (or more so) to readers in 2017? (think point)

Puritanism/epigraph (turn to epigraphs) The Puritans were English Protestants who believed the Church of England needed reform. Many Puritans settled in North America in 17th century. The word ‘puritan’ is associated with strict moral codes, plain clothing and a form of worship they considered ‘pure’. Atwood references her puritan ancestor Mary Webster in an epigraph and also Perry Miller – her professor at Harvard. THT is set in and around Harvard University in Massachusetts. The Sufi proverb is another epigraph – the proverb suggest that in the natural world, the human instinct for survival can be trusted. It is a comment on the polluted world of Gilead where balance of nature has been destroyed, and it is also an implied criticism of the state’s over regulation of human social and sexual activities.

Genre A feminine Dystopia Feminised dystopia – female storyteller Highly regulated systems of control and punishment Patriarchal rule Totalitarianism ‘collective good’ Censorship Propaganda Gilead’s invented biblical rhetoric and collective rituals Language to silence and smother dissenting voices as apposed to communication and freedom A novel that examines role in society – those that wield power and those that have none.

Critic - discuss Krishan Kumar: “they are imaginary places that nevertheless exist tantalisingly (or frighteningly) on the edge of possibility, somewhere just beyond the boundary of the real”

Narrative Structure Fragmented – echoes Offred’s shock and disorientation Disjointed and broken narrative Abrupt shifts between memory and reality/past and present Memory narrative – resistance/survival mechanism We view Offred’s story through a lens of her own history

Storytelling – an act of resistance Atwood’s comments as a writer: “I’m an artist….and in any monolithic regime I would be shot. They always do that to artists. Why? Because the artists are messy. They don’t fit. They make squawking noises. They protest” (conversations) Offred’s narrative is a reconstructed transcript after her escape to freedom – her words are historical artefact; her story, a voice of protest against oppression.

Section1 Night Chapter 1 extract analysis (AO1/2) First impressions and method – highlight/annotate/share

Section 2 Shopping (chapters 2 – extract close analysis) Her room/life as a Handmaid – identify images of violence/the past/confinement/narrative voice to piece together Offred’s present situation (analysis of lexis and method)

Chapter 3 flashback Offred’s first meeting with Commander’s wife. How does Atwood establish the contrast between Offred and the Serena Joy? Analysis of AO2 – tension/power dynamic between Serena Joy and Offred/objectification of Offred/threat/fear. Detailed annotation of extract ‘Cold’ Write Task (AO2 focus) How is are Offred and Serena Joy presented in chapter 3? Highlight methods explored

Identity Roles Clothing Aunts Marthas Handmaids Isolation and segregation created through clothing – uniform dictates role Colour/style – effect? Modern reader interpretation? Links to Atwood’s research (Iran/religious fundamentalism) Women’s bodies – state control (modern reader/current concerns?)

Feminism – an introduction (2nd wave) Congressional endorsement of Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) 1972 Legalisation of abortion (USA) 1973 However, lobbying by New Right and pro-life campaigners meant ERA failed to be ratified in 1982 – defeat for feminism Wider reading from 2nd wave feminist movement: The Second Sex (Simone de Beauvoir 1952) The Feminine Mystique (Betty Friedan 1963) The Female Eunuch (Germaine Greer, 1970) The focus of 2nd wave feminism was on women’s bodies and female sexuality; on issues around motherhood, abortion and reproductive technologies; pornography and violence against women; and environmentalism and peace campaigns.

Feminism in THT Offred’s memory narrative includes rise of second wave feminism and the anti-feminist backlash of the New Right Christian fundamentalism. The voices of the women in the novel represent a range of new feminist positions. Offred’s mother, a single parent, belongs to an early activist group which campaigns for sexual freedom, holds pro-choice rallies and pornographic magazine burnings. Atwood (and Offred) show concern for the apathy of young women in contrast to the activism of the past. What is your position on this in 2017? Consider recent political events in USA and worldwide response. The Commander’s Wife and Aunts represent opposition to feminism and cooperation to regress back to traditional gender roles.

Feminism – discussion point Atwood identifies herself as a feminist. Consider the following (Conversations, 1982): “ Feminist is now one of the all purpose words. It really can mean anything from people who think men should be pushed off cliffs to people who think it’s ok for women to read and write…..Thinking it’s ok for women to read and write would be a radically feminist position in Afghanistan. So what do you mean?”