NOTES ON FORM, STRUCTURE AND LANGUAGE IN 'THE HANDMAIDS TALE' WHICH I USED TO HELP ME ACHIEVE AN A* - AQA ENGLISH LITERATURE B - This document provides a brief and concise analysis of form, structure and language in 'The Handmaids Tale.' The ideas within this document can be incorporated and adapte...
The Handmaid's Tale AO5 Key Critical Quotes Revision Grid
Important Quotes from the Handmaid's Tale by Atwood
EDEXCEL ENGLISH LITERATURE- An essay on the presentation of setting in The Handmaid's Tale and Frankenstein
All for this textbook (40)
Written for
A/AS Level
AQA
English Literature B
Elements of Political and Social Protest Writing
All documents for this subject (82)
1
review
By: ellaslingerland • 2 months ago
Seller
Follow
HelpWithHumanities
Reviews received
Content preview
FORM STRUCTURE AND LANGUAGE IN ‘THE HANDMAIDS TALE’
FORM AND GENRE
Dystopian ction:
Context:
• The word ‘dystopia’ comes from the Greek, meaning ‘not a good place’ and is the direct
inversion of the word ‘utopia’.
• Typical motives include: totalitarian governments, a disregard among the ruling elite for the
human rights of an individual, the aftermath of some kind of epic environmental disaster: ‘the
Handmaid’s tale’ employs all three of these core dystopian themes.
• Coral Ann Howells: sees Atwood’s use of a female protagonist as a ‘satiric function and on
the themes of patriarchal tyranny and absolute social control.’
• Atwood as in fact described ‘the Handmaids tale’ as a ‘negative utopia.’
Parallel novels:
• George Orwell’s ‘1984’: explores the political, military and institutional horrors of a
dysfunctional future society, whilst Atwood describes: sex, shopping, childbirth and clothes.
Speculative ction:
Context:
• In 1987, ‘the Handmaids tale’ won the rst Arthur C. Clarke award for the best science ction
novel published in the UK that year.
• Atwood: ‘nothing inconceivable takes place… so I think of The Handmaids Tale not as a
science ction but as a speculative ction.’
• Atwood: ‘nothing happens that the human race has not already done at some time in the
past, or that it is not doing now.’
Slave narrative:
Contextual parallels:
• Malala Yousafzai became the youngest ever winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 for
testifying to the oppressive in uence of the Taliban in Pakistan.
• Similar to O red, Malala’s struggle to tell her story of misogyny, repression and religious
injustice represents the struggle that many women have experienced, especially those such as
O red who is, too, oppressed under a theocratical and patriarchal regime.
Romance ction:
Within the novel:
• There a three key males within the novel which are all a love interest of O red’s…
1. Luke: O red’s supposed ‘real love’; her husband, and father to their daughter.
2. The Commander Fred: O red’s distant romance, whom has a powerful control over her and
her future.
3. Nick: O red’s illicit love, and communion in crime whom is speculated to have saved her at
the end of the novel.
ff
fffffi fififffi ff fl fifi ff fi
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller HelpWithHumanities. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $4.56. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
