Many readers are surprised to hear Atwood's novel labeled science fiction, but it belongs squarely in the long tradition of near-future dystopias which has made up a large part of SF since the early50s. SF need not involve technological innovation: it has been a long-standing principle that social change can provide the basis for SF just as well as technical change. The Handmaid's Tale is partly an extrapolation of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, attempting to imagine what kind of values might evolve if environmental pollution rendered most of the human race sterile. It is also the product of debates within the feminist movement in the 70s and early 80s. Atwood has been very much a part of that movement, but she has never been a mere mouthpiece for any group, always insisting on her individual perspectives. The defeat of the Equal Rights Amendment, the rise of the re....

Number Of Pages: 17

Number Of Words: 4487

Got a term paper due soon and need some help quick? You have come to the right place. Essay Galaxy has over 50,000 essays, papers, and reports available for download right now! Get ideas from thousands students just like you to help make that essay perfect. Don't hesitate. Join today and get instant access to our enormous database.

Membership Options Price Savings   1 month subscription    $19.95 recurring * 3 months subscription    $39.95 recurring $19.90 6 months subscription    $69.95 non-recurring $49.75