The Handmaid’s Tale | The Handmaid’s Tale

At a glance:

Author: Margaret Atwood
First Published: 1985
Type of Work: Antiutopian fantasy
Time of Work: The future, late in the twentieth century
Setting: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Principal Characters: Offred, The Commander, Serena Joy, Nick, Luke, Ofglen, Moira
Genres: Long fiction, Dystopian fiction, Near future and distant future fiction
Subjects: Dictators, Freedom, United States or Americans, Power, personal or social, Sexism, Sex or sexuality, Gender roles, Self, Slavery or slaves, Revolutions, Future, Twenty-first century, Prostitution or prostitutes, Religion, Feminism, Oppression, Women, Conservatism, Infertility, Childbirth, Totalitarianism, Women’s rights
Locales: Gilead

In the late years of the twentieth century, Protestant Fundamentalists, with the tacit approval of the military, have assassinated the president and the Congress, suspended the Constitution, and established the Republic of Gilead. Under the new regime, women have no rights: They cannot hold jobs, they are not permitted to have money or property, and they have no public role. Since the birthrate has fallen, men in high positions, if their own wives are barren or are past childbearing, are assigned “Handmaids” from a pool of trained women who have already borne...

The Handmaid’s Tale | The Handmaid’s Tale

At a glance:

The Novel

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