Winner of the 2023 Atwood Society Award for Best Book on Atwood and Her Work
Margaret Atwood is one of the most significant writers working today. Her writing spans seven decades, is phenomenally diverse and ambitious, and has amassed an enormous body of literary criticism.
In this invaluable guide, Fiona Tolan provides a clear and comprehensive overview of evolving critical approaches to Atwood's work. Addressing all of the author's key texts, the book deftly guides the reader through the most characteristic, influential, and insightful critical readings of the last fifty years. It highlights recurring themes in Atwood's work, such as gender, feminism, power and violence, fairy tale and the gothic, environmental destruction, and dystopian futures.
This is an indispensable companion for anyone interested in reading and writing about Margaret Atwood.
Arvustused
A valuable and necessary book for students, researchers, and enthusiastic readers of Margaret Atwoods novels. It offers both a substantial study of her fiction and a comprehensive overview of Atwood criticism up to the present, unequalled in any other publication. Covering all relevant thematic, genre, narrative, and contextual issues, it deftly guides readers through the rich diversity of critical responses to her work. * Coral Howells, Senior Research Fellow, Institute of English Studies, University of London, UK * A timely exploration and overview of one of the most successful and critically acclaimed writers working today. * Modern Language Review *
Muu info
This is an indispensable companion for anyone interested in reading and writing about Margaret Atwood, providing a clear and comprehensive overview of evolving critical approaches to Atwoods work.
Introduction
Chapter 1: Early Works and Early Reception
Chapter 2: A Developing Canon and Developing Themes: Lady Oracle, Life Before
Man, and Bodily Harm
Chapter 3: Are There Any Questions?: A Focus on The Handmaids Tale
Chapter 4: Spotty-handed Villainesses: Cats Eye and The Robber Bride
Chapter 5: History, Memory and Recovering the Past
Chapter 6: Atwoods Dystopian Futures: The MaddAddam Trilogy
Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Fiona Tolan is Reader in Contemporary Womens Writing at Liverpool John Moores University, UK. She is the author of Margaret Atwood: Feminism and Fiction (Rodopi, 2007) and has published widely on Atwoods work.
