The Handmaid's Tale by Margret Atwood
Jan. 2nd, 2006 10:39 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
juushikaTitle: The Handmaid's Tale
Author: Margaret Atwood
Published: Anchor Books, New York, 1998 (1986)
Pages: 311
Total pages: 9649
Text number: 29
Read for: my own enjoyment over Christmas break.
In brief: I asked for this book for Christmas because of my fondness of dystopias, it's appearance on top-100 lists, and my love of Atwood's short stories and poetry. I enjoyed the book, in particular the writing style and stunning descriptions that Atwood is so good at, but wasn't overly impressed with the text, in particular the realism of the dystopic/sci-fi aspects. I would recommend this is a book, but as a part of the dystopic genre I would recommend Fahrenheit 451 and 1984, as well as others, first.
The joy of Atwood, in my opinion, is her writing style, in particular her descriptions. Her attention to detail, her need to describe everything important to a character, no matter how easily passed over by author or audience, and her use of unique metaphors provides a very cutting, personal understanding of the situations within the text. In a vaguely sci-fi, truly dystopic novel where life is so removed from our society, that level of description is necessary for providing a personal connection to the text. Situations are more realistic when she describes them, and we know the character better through her words. It makes the book a joy to read and is truly the best part of Atwood's writing.
The dystopia, the very point of the Handmaid's Tale, is a heavily patriarchal society where women's roles are divided into groups of individual women: Martha's cook and clean, Handmaids breed, and Wives rule over the home. The human experience within that dystopia is realistic, terrifying, and emotional because of Atwood's talented story telling, and the transition from our society to the dystopia is realistically told. The realism is necessary because, in a world where births are down, creating strict ceremonies around and classes for breeding makes no sense at all. The science in this science-fiction is lacking, or at least the common sense, and that fact bothered me throughout my reading. It may be an interesting situation to be in and explain, a situation that can reveal a lot about human nature, but to be entirely honest the dystopia doesn't make sense and that fact is a huge drawback to the book.
If you want to read a true, scientifically-justified dystopia, read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury or 1984 by George Orwell, not the Handmaid's Tale. But female dystopias are harder to find and the description and realism of the experience itself saves this book, so I do recommend it. Just take the drawbacks under consideration when reading.
Author: Margaret Atwood
Published: Anchor Books, New York, 1998 (1986)
Pages: 311
Total pages: 9649
Text number: 29
Read for: my own enjoyment over Christmas break.
In brief: I asked for this book for Christmas because of my fondness of dystopias, it's appearance on top-100 lists, and my love of Atwood's short stories and poetry. I enjoyed the book, in particular the writing style and stunning descriptions that Atwood is so good at, but wasn't overly impressed with the text, in particular the realism of the dystopic/sci-fi aspects. I would recommend this is a book, but as a part of the dystopic genre I would recommend Fahrenheit 451 and 1984, as well as others, first.
The joy of Atwood, in my opinion, is her writing style, in particular her descriptions. Her attention to detail, her need to describe everything important to a character, no matter how easily passed over by author or audience, and her use of unique metaphors provides a very cutting, personal understanding of the situations within the text. In a vaguely sci-fi, truly dystopic novel where life is so removed from our society, that level of description is necessary for providing a personal connection to the text. Situations are more realistic when she describes them, and we know the character better through her words. It makes the book a joy to read and is truly the best part of Atwood's writing.
The dystopia, the very point of the Handmaid's Tale, is a heavily patriarchal society where women's roles are divided into groups of individual women: Martha's cook and clean, Handmaids breed, and Wives rule over the home. The human experience within that dystopia is realistic, terrifying, and emotional because of Atwood's talented story telling, and the transition from our society to the dystopia is realistically told. The realism is necessary because, in a world where births are down, creating strict ceremonies around and classes for breeding makes no sense at all. The science in this science-fiction is lacking, or at least the common sense, and that fact bothered me throughout my reading. It may be an interesting situation to be in and explain, a situation that can reveal a lot about human nature, but to be entirely honest the dystopia doesn't make sense and that fact is a huge drawback to the book.
If you want to read a true, scientifically-justified dystopia, read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury or 1984 by George Orwell, not the Handmaid's Tale. But female dystopias are harder to find and the description and realism of the experience itself saves this book, so I do recommend it. Just take the drawbacks under consideration when reading.
