AO3 Flashcards
Who was one of Atwood’s ancestors? Why are they significant?
Mary Webster - she was hanged as a witch in Connecticut in 1683 and survived and was freed; like Offred she successfully flouted the law of the Puritan state.
How does Gilead relate to The New Right ideology?
The American New Right developed in response to the growing liberal ideology of the 1980s, and gained ground under President Reagan and the Republican Party
Gilead satirises the most extreme version of American New Right ideology
What was Second Wave Feminism also called?
The Women’s Liberation Movement.
What did Second Wave Feminism want?
Greater economic, political and social rights for women
When did Feminism really gain attention?
Feminism made huge gains in 1970s (US Supreme Court legalised abortion against fundamentalist Christians and pro-life campaigners)
What did feminists want in terms of reproduction?
Wanted women’s reproductive rights to be at the centre of political discussion (irony that Gilead embodies this)
Why is ‘Herstory’ significant?
‘Herstory’ developed in the 1970s as a term for history written from the female perspective. This is deeply ironic given the transition from ‘Herstory’ to ‘History’ in the ‘Historical Notes’ told from the masculinist perspective of Professor Piexioto’s.
What was Atwood writing in response to?
Events in the 1980s, such as the rise in second wave feminism and its backlash from the New Right. She set her novel in the near future.
When was A Handmaid’s Tale written?
1985
When was A Handmaid’s Tale set?
2005 (purely speculation)
