Critical theory Flashcards
What inspired the idea of organised religion for Atwood?
‘Catholics said cult is taking over’
What happened in Ceausescu which Atwood took inspiration from?
Women forced to have babies. If a negative pregnancy test had to explain why.
What did feminists do after fear of male control?
Attack artificial birth control.
What did Crenshaw say about intersectionality?
‘Intersectionality is simply about how certain aspects of who you are increase your access to good things or exposure to bad.’
‘Handmaids stand as a symbol of the proletariat subjugated by the bourgeoise to the point of slavery’ What ideas does this express?
Marxist views
‘Handmaids stand as a symbol of the proletariat subjugated by the bourgeoise to the point of slavery’ Who said it?
THT through the lens of Marxism
‘Gilead adopts measures aimed against woman their individuality and identity’ Who said it?
Identity, complicity and resistance
What did Hansot say about Offred’s rebellion?
‘Although Offred is drawn to the subversive potential her isolation and fear limit her involvement’
How is Atwood similar to Offred with rebellion?
States ‘She is not a real activist’ but still wants ‘Laws to be written and enacted.’
What is Dahl’s concept of power?
‘A has power over B that he can get B to do something B would not otherwise do’
‘choice of a female narrator turns the traditionally masculine dystopian genre upside down’ Who said it?
Howell
What else did Howell say in relation to Orwell?
‘instead of Orwell’s analysis of state opression, Atwood gives us an account by a Handmaid who has been relegated to the margins of political power’
‘Offred uses ‘caricature’ to portray the Aunts, as an act of resistance’ Who said it?
Dvorak
A physcoanalytic approach says her failed escape is her ‘One central traumatic memory’ Who says this?
Howell
Pettersson
‘Offred is a rather weak person’
