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THT Critical Context - Coggle Diagram
THT Critical Context
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Critic's quotes
The novel is a prediction of the horrors of cultures so frightened by normal sexuality - Linda W. Wagner-Martin
"The republic of Gilead justifies its sexist policies with the socio-biological theory of natural polygamy" - Coomi S. Vevaina
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"The 'Ceremony' follows the scriptural 'and she shall bear upon my knees/ and grotesquely requires the presence of Wife, Handmaid, and Commander. It synthesises the institutionalised humiliation, objectification, and ownership of women in Gilead."- Cavalcanti
The work women do, conspires to maintain the subjection of their own kind."- Patricia Goldblatt
Since the dystopian regime denies its subjects' free will, the central character cannot be made responsible for his or her ultimate failure- Erika Gottlieb
power constrains sex only through a taboo that plays on the alternative between two non-existences- Micheal Foucault
portrayal of a state that in theory claims to be founded on Christian principles. Yet in practice miserably lacks spirituality and benevolence. - Amin Malak
woman is denied the right to possess or to have control over he own body. Her body is segmented and her value is determined on the basis of her reproductive capability- Reshmi
Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale – A Feminist Postmodernist Dystopia – An Overview- Asra Sultana Mouda (2012)
projects the culmination of the feminist issue where the identity of a woman has been dragged down to the nadir hardly leaving any scope for its retrieval
envisages a bleak scenario of a totalitarian state of theocracy reflecting abnegation of moral values.
their almost personal incarceration are perspicuously and vividly narrated by the protagonist coupled with expectations for a relief. Freedom is denied to them.
recollection of her happy past, her husband Luke and her daughter vindicates the veracity of their carefree life in striking contrast to the present despondent predicament.
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the ruthless scenario of dogmatic, authoritarian and despotic form of repression in the name of religious values is instrumental for the social isolation of women, depriving them of their basic human rights
body is transformed into an object of repression, exploitation and containment
In any totalitarian take over, writers, singers and journalists are the first to be suppressed... The aim of all such suppression is to silence the voice.
There is a postmodern paradox in the incompatibility between Offred’s mastery of language and her position of subjugation. When such narrative intelligence could be subjugated and enslaved, anyone can b
Orality and Literacy as Gender-Supporting Structures in Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale"- Mario Klarer (1995)
Atwood adopts this dichotomy of literacy and orality in a new gendered way: she depicts not only a comprehensive power structure but one which is designed to suppress women by restricting them to an oral cultural tradition
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giving the male leadership all the advantages of a highly developed text processing culture and of using these advantages purposefully against the women who are condemned to morality.
Gilead "know[ing] the power of words" forbids Offred to read or write so "personal talk is the only means left for communication and information transfer"
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"The 'real world,'" says Klarer, "is to a large extent unconsciously built up on the language habits of the group
the leading class is able to consolidate the basis of its monolithic state and keep all others in their assigned positions