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THE HANDMAID’S TALE

This title explores the challenges of teaching "The Handmaid's Tale," a feminist novel focused on female characters, and its potential impact on non-literary, male students. It delves into the dangers of religious fundamentalism, potential conflicts with laicité and Catholic lycées, and questions of relevance in today's society. The title also addresses the graphic and explicit scenes of abuse and violence, pastoral concerns, and the historical and literary contexts surrounding the novel.

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THE HANDMAID’S TALE

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  1. THE HANDMAID’S TALE

  2. REASONS NOT TO TEACH IT!!! • “Feminist” novel largely focused on female characters – how will non-literary, S boys react? • Polemic on the dangers of (Christian) fundamentalism with numerous Old Testament references – could this cause problems with “laicité” or in certain Catholic lycées? • It could be seen to be rooted very firmly in the politics of 1980s’ America (television evangelism financial/sexual scandals; post-nuclear holocaust, Cold War narrative) ; is it dated? • Quite graphic, vulgar (“he is fucking the lower part of my body”) scenes of sexual abuse/violence. Are you comfortable with discussing these issues with your class? Are there any pastoral issues which may affect my choice?

  3. Once you’ve moved beyond all these reservations and decided to teach it, what will you need to consider?

  4. Historical contexts • The Cold War and the fear of nuclear apocalypse • The rise of the religious right and Christian fundamentalism in America • Television evangelism and its corruption scandals (Jim and Tammy Baker) • The Iranian revolution and the rise of theocracy (and the veiling of women) in the Middle East

  5. Literary contexts • Dystopian fiction • Science fiction • Satire on religious fundamentalism (and academia!) • Feminism and its central political dichotomy between sexual liberation and the need for censorship • Adventure/ escape narratives

  6. Why is it still relevant today? • Rise of Islamic fundamentalism and its appropriation of the female body • Explosion of pornography (and its appropriation of the (female) body) since the development of the internet • Move towards (and appeal of) the macho dictator • “me too” and women’s attempts to bring sexual violence out of the closet (and its counter-movement/consequences) • Impending apocalypse (and how might society reconstruct itself afterwards) • The Netflix adaptation and its sequel!

  7. Narrative issues • First person narrative therefore question of the unreliable narrator: “I compose myself. My self is a thing I must now compose, as one composes a speech. What I must present is a made thing not something born” • Framing of The Historical Notes and its effects on the central narrative/narrator.

  8. Themes • Patriarchy and its attempts to control women • Liberty vs regulation • Sexual freedom/liberation and its consequences • Friendship/sisterhood • Love/marriage • The present as a product of the past • Motherhood • Attraction of power/Stockholm syndrome • Resistance • Social class

  9. associated works • Dystopian fictions (“1984”, “Brave New World”) • Utopian fiction (“Herland”) • Science fiction – or “social science fiction” ("For me, the science fiction label belongs on books with things in them that we can't yet do... speculative fiction means a work that employs the means already to hand and that takes place on Planet Earth.”) (“Fahrenheit 451”, “V for Vendetta”) • The trapped feminine narrator (“The Yellow Wallpaper”, “The Bell Jar”, “The Bloody Chamber”, “Mercure”) • Other works by Atwood (“Oryx and Crake”) • Feminist non-fiction/essays (“The Female Eunuch”, “Right Wing Women”, “Pornography”)

  10. Teaching ideas for the novel • Reconstruct the past narrative to contrast its chronology with its narrative denouement and consider any effects of this • Chapter 1 as pre-reading exercise– analysis/extraction of themes/praccrit • Rewriting an episode from another character’s viewpoint (and commentary) • Using one of the associated works or extracts thereof as a comparison point • Student presentations of sections/themes or, better still, themes from within sections • Group discussion on “The Historical Notes” and their role/value • Using Virtual Learning Platforms/ internet user groups to get students to post notes/responses to themes in sections • Follow up debates (also a good revision exercise)

  11. Debates • To what extent is this a feminist novel? • Do the male characters get a fair deal? • Does the novel condone or condemn censorship? • Moira: sell out or heroine? • “I am a wimp” – how accurate is Offred’sjudgement of herself? • Would the novel be better without the historical notes? • To what extent has it proved to be prophetic?

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