The Handmaid’s Tale Contemporary Reception: The Appropriation of Margaret Atwood's Novel in the United States of the 21st Century

Details

Supervisors

Bragard, Véronique

Faculty

Faculté de philosophie, arts et lettres

Degree label

Master [120] en langues et lettres modernes, orientation générale

Abstract

This dissertation presents a literary receptive study of Margaret Atwood’s novel The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) and its contemporary reception in the United States since 2016 and the election of President Trump. Receptive studies intend to analyse the knowledge obtained through receptive skills, such as listening and reading. This literary receptive study is, in other words, an analysis of the novel with an intention to understand the new interpretations and reception of a contemporary feminist dystopia. This study is conducted with the aim of answering the following question: How is Atwood’s Handmaid’s tale reread in the 21st century? The Handmaid’s Tale is one of the most famous TV series and dystopic novels since 2016. The research question explores then the feminist and political reception related to a new social context. The book, written in 1985, has started a real following for the genre and provoked concrete political reactions. The novel has experienced a second birth during the last few years because it seems to address some current social problems. The study is divided into three main parts. In the first chapter, I highlight the way Atwood facilitates the reader's recognition and plays with notions of time. I also make a literary analysis of female characters, and the multiple representations Atwood offers of the American woman. The second chapter addresses themes related to women’s oppression and politics, in order to put in relation fiction and reality. Finally, the third chapter closes the points of comparison and highlights the concrete elements of appropriation in the United States, such as Tweets and demonstrations. The conclusion brings an answer to the research question and proves that The Handmaid's Tale experienced a second reception since 2016, fuelled by literary elements encouraging a feminist appropriation and a political situation conducive to comparison.