The Amazing MEEF class
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GUESS !!!!
| Doc. A | Doc. B | Doc. C | |
| Context | Writer = prophet of doom ®religious connotation / above the rest
Realities (our future) = dystopia Associating dystopia with reality cancels the assumed dichotomy /antagonism between fiction and reality Visions ¹ imagined Article on Margaret Atwood, a Canadian writer of fiction + famous writer of dystopian fictions The New Yorker ® cultural weekly magazine and an institution in the US press. 2017 ® repercussions of the election of Donald Trump: women’s March on Inauguration Day in January of the same year. |
Book review ® ¹ doc A which discusses Atwood as an influential author
® a critic of the novel TheHandmaid’s tale (message + style) Þ assessing the way it comes across to readers ® contemporary with the releasee of the novel Þanalysed as fiction, not as a piece of writing describing the future of North American societies 1986 ® Reagan presidency Þan unprecedented influence of the Religious Right on federal policies with discussions of prayer in schools + appointments of conservative judges. Female literary critic, Mary McCarthy writing in the progressive/ liberal daily newspaper The New York Times ® not necessarily liberal: her critique may reflect conservative positions ® she is quoted in Doc A as an example of an old-fashioned reception of Atwood’s novel Þ judgement by the author of Doc A: she was too focused on analysing the work as fiction, unlikely to materialise in a modern society |
Title ® not singly focused on The Handmaid’s Tale (unlike A and B) but rather addresses the reasons behind the public’s taste for dystopian fiction. Atwood’s novel is mentioned in the piece, along with others, but its presence still indicates that it is one of the references when it comes to dystopian fiction. |
| Key concepts | Fiction always based on history or present facts ®method for Atwood (“scrupulous” l.1)
® Truthfulness (L.18) ¹ speculative fiction ® grounded in extrapolation of historical facts or Biblical passages |
Cautionary tale which implies recognition (LL. 1,22)
“Satiric bite” (l. 68) is necessary for dystopian novels to display “destructive force” For her, Atwood has been insufficiently creative Þ not assessed as a prophet, but as a writer ® “Insufficiently imagined” (l. 75) |
Reasons behind the appeal of dystopian fiction ®“morbid strain of escapism” (l. 15) Þ readers don’t look for reality, but on the contrary, they want to escape the present
“Therapeutic value” (l. 19) “Canonical” + “required reading” (LL. 38, 39 doc A) Þ urgency for the next generations to be taught about dystopian fiction But in reality, to find “comfort” (l. 50) that their worldview is validate[d] (l. 47) by the fiction they read. This is why dystopian fiction I not just consumed but thought (LL. 26, 31-32) |
| Limits + consequences | Yes: “prophet”; LL. 21-23 “essential question”
Authors of dystopian fictions see themselves as having a mission |
Do readers of dystopian fiction necessarily look for warnings?
® not only: recognition but also prompting readers to action |
¹ Satire escapism ý pleasure rather than fear
Assumption that heroes always prevail Authors’ role is to offer readers possible solutions to problems (LL. 21-22, 24-25, 26-27) |
Published: Oct 12, 2022
Latest Revision: Oct 12, 2022
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