Margaret Atwood Spotty Handed Villainesses
MARGARET ATWOOD: “SPOTTY-HANDED VILLIANESSES: PROBLEMS OF FEMALE BAD BEHAVIOUR IN THE CREATION OF LITERATURE”
BUI
CONTEXT
Margaret Atwood is once of Canada’s best known literary composers. She is best known for her ability as an author of novels such as Alias Grace, Bodily Harm, Hairball, Rape Fantasies, and the highly acclaimed The Handmaid’s Tale, which was later made into a movie. These works establish her as a feminist writer, raising issues of women in literature, the difficulties associated with being female and the role of women in society.
The feminist movement began in the 1960s, as women’s groups searched for equality in the workplace. The movement resulted in the increased participation of women in the paid workforce, and the widening of career opportunities from traditional occupations such as teaching, nursing and secretarial work.
Atwood was influential during this movement. Through her literary work, she expressed her views about, and generated support for feminism. She campaigned against the oppression of women and pushed for equal rights in all aspects of life. However, she opposed extremist feminist ideals such as dressing like men and having male hairstyles in order to demonstrate the fact that men and women could be the same.
In Spotty-handed Villainesses, Atwood raises the issue of the role women should take in society, as portrayed through literature. She raised the issue during the ongoing clash between the feminist and anti-feminist movement, making it a very topical and widely discussed oration.
JENNIFER
PURPOSE
Spotty-handed Villainesses deals with the issue of feminism and the perceived view of it being evil. She attempted to provide her audience with an entertaining insight into the portrayal of women, especially female villains in novels, short stories and plays. In delivering her oration, she also found it necessary to outline the aims of fiction and trace the process by which it is created. Her purpose in the first part of
BUI
CONTEXT
Margaret Atwood is once of Canada’s best known literary composers. She is best known for her ability as an author of novels such as Alias Grace, Bodily Harm, Hairball, Rape Fantasies, and the highly acclaimed The Handmaid’s Tale, which was later made into a movie. These works establish her as a feminist writer, raising issues of women in literature, the difficulties associated with being female and the role of women in society.
The feminist movement began in the 1960s, as women’s groups searched for equality in the workplace. The movement resulted in the increased participation of women in the paid workforce, and the widening of career opportunities from traditional occupations such as teaching, nursing and secretarial work.
Atwood was influential during this movement. Through her literary work, she expressed her views about, and generated support for feminism. She campaigned against the oppression of women and pushed for equal rights in all aspects of life. However, she opposed extremist feminist ideals such as dressing like men and having male hairstyles in order to demonstrate the fact that men and women could be the same.
In Spotty-handed Villainesses, Atwood raises the issue of the role women should take in society, as portrayed through literature. She raised the issue during the ongoing clash between the feminist and anti-feminist movement, making it a very topical and widely discussed oration.
JENNIFER
PURPOSE
Spotty-handed Villainesses deals with the issue of feminism and the perceived view of it being evil. She attempted to provide her audience with an entertaining insight into the portrayal of women, especially female villains in novels, short stories and plays. In delivering her oration, she also found it necessary to outline the aims of fiction and trace the process by which it is created. Her purpose in the first part of