Lips And Masks: The Handmaid's Tale By Margaret Atwood
Annotated Bibliography
Coad, David. "Hymens, Lips and Masks: The Veil in Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale." Literature and Psychology 47.1 & 2 (2001): 54-67. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Vol. 246. Detroit: Gale, 2008.Literature Resource Center. Web. 22 Mar. 2013.
David Coad takes an in depth look into the “veils” found in Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale. Throughout the essay, he connects these symbolic “veils” to the general theme of gender oppression, relating it to the feminism found in the novel. Coad extensively analyzes the symbols of: the literal veils worn by the Gilead women, the hymen - as a veil to a woman’s womb and reproductive organs, lips - as both a literal and metaphorical veil and the classification …show more content…
He argues that “What distinguishes Atwood's novel from those dystopian classics is its obvious feminist focus” (Malak, 1987). Malak continues to relate the idea of feminism to misogyny multiple times. He later analyzes Atwood’s writing and characterization, explaining how and why she created the dystopia of Gilead. In the last paragraph of the excerpt, Malak discusses feminism in the book and the role of men versus women.
Malak effectively develops his opinions on the dystopian traditions found in The Handmaid’s Tale. His in-depth analysis of Atwood’s writing style and use of dystopian characterization enhances his argument. His comparison between dystopian classics and the feminist focus of The Handmaid’s Tale are intriguing and concise, therefore further developing his thesis.
Many of Malak’s thoughts on feminism in The Handmaid’s Tale will easily support the ideas presented in the Independent Study Unit. The specific opinions in this essay strongly pertain to the theme of gender roles. In addition, the information regarding “the interrelationship between power and sex” could easily support the sub-theme of female oppression.
Coad, David. "Hymens, Lips and Masks: The Veil in Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale." Literature and Psychology 47.1 & 2 (2001): 54-67. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Vol. 246. Detroit: Gale, 2008.Literature Resource Center. Web. 22 Mar. 2013.
David Coad takes an in depth look into the “veils” found in Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale. Throughout the essay, he connects these symbolic “veils” to the general theme of gender oppression, relating it to the feminism found in the novel. Coad extensively analyzes the symbols of: the literal veils worn by the Gilead women, the hymen - as a veil to a woman’s womb and reproductive organs, lips - as both a literal and metaphorical veil and the classification …show more content…
He argues that “What distinguishes Atwood's novel from those dystopian classics is its obvious feminist focus” (Malak, 1987). Malak continues to relate the idea of feminism to misogyny multiple times. He later analyzes Atwood’s writing and characterization, explaining how and why she created the dystopia of Gilead. In the last paragraph of the excerpt, Malak discusses feminism in the book and the role of men versus women.
Malak effectively develops his opinions on the dystopian traditions found in The Handmaid’s Tale. His in-depth analysis of Atwood’s writing style and use of dystopian characterization enhances his argument. His comparison between dystopian classics and the feminist focus of The Handmaid’s Tale are intriguing and concise, therefore further developing his thesis.
Many of Malak’s thoughts on feminism in The Handmaid’s Tale will easily support the ideas presented in the Independent Study Unit. The specific opinions in this essay strongly pertain to the theme of gender roles. In addition, the information regarding “the interrelationship between power and sex” could easily support the sub-theme of female oppression.