The Handmaid's Tale (AO3) Flashcards
What was first wave feminism?
- A legal protest with a strong emphasis on women’s rights to vote, within the western world.
- Challenged laws relating to suffrage.
- Started around 1848, and granted white women rights but took a few more years for other women to gain such rights.
What was second wave feminism?
- A broader range of protesting, including issues such as: Sexuality, Domesticity and reproductive rights.
- (1963-1980)
What is third wave feminism?
- The broadest protest of the three which is still continuing (1990- present)
- Focus on inclusivity and celebrates individuality.
Why did fertility occur in The Handmaid’s Tale?
- Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki could be an inspiration for the radioactive waste
- Inorganic farming techniques (chemicals / pesticides)
- Environmental pollution
What was Religious fundamentalism? (1980s)
- A coalition of white, northern Protestants united to oppose theological liberalism in America.
- They defended the authority of the bible and wanted to seperate themselves from the “sinful” world.
- Christian Conservatives who fought Abortion laws and the Women’s liberation movement.
What are the features of “Postmodern” literature?
- Unreliable narrator
- Intertextuality
- Historical and Political ideas
- Metafiction (self-aware)
What are the features of “Dystopian” literature?
- Opression
- Surveillance
- Indoctrination
- Totalitarianism
- Patriarchy
- Desensitisation to what we would consider as “violent” or “wrong”
- Appear as a warning from the author - shows what the future could be like.
How does Puritan history influence THT?
- Mary Webster - implicated in witchcraft and survived an attempted hanging in 1683, novel dedicated to her due to family history.
- Attitude - Women were restricted from using things such as combs and mirrors and “functional” clothing.
- Perry Miller - Atwood’s university teacher that provided information on Puritanism.
How is Language controlled in THT?
- Gilead theocracy - The control of language through religious concepts, “Gilead is within you” etc.
- Offred’s narration - Unreliable narration controls the reader (Narrative is not linear/chronological)
Where was Margaret Atwood born?
Ottowa in Canada, the place which is north to Gilead in the novel.
When was The Handmaid’s tale set?
Near-future New England (dystopian), with a date that is not mentioned within the novel.
What was the National Women’s Liberation Conference in 1978?
A Women’s Liberation Movement in the United Kingdom which introduced the seventh demand: An end to discrimination against lesbians, end to rape and domestic violence.
Something of which is the opposite in THT.
How is Ronald Reagan relevant to The Handmaid’s Tale?
During Reagan’s presidency, religious right-wing fundamentalist groups gained significant political influence, and Atwood wrote THT during this era.
This included the American New Right, which expressed ideas around: Abortion, Divorce and Gay rights.
How is Boston used in THT?
Boston is seen as a place of higher education, being one of the Harvard campuses, a place that now suppresses literacy and freedom (ironic)
What is the underground railroad and how is it used in THT?
A network of secret routes and safehouses used to help enslaved African Americans escape from the American South/North or even to Canada.
In THT, the Underground Femaleroad members offer shelter in safe houses and provide courier services to smuggle fugitives out of Gilead.
