This is basically a review of a review. Sharon Wilson originally wrote a book about Atwood, and this article is about the book Sharon Wilson wrote.
"... of the female artist's transformation from patriarchal Medusa monster in Rapunzel tower to woman artist courageous enough to draw on Medusa wisdom and her own artistic vision and 'touch"
The main theme of this article is that Atwood pulls out many themes of fairy tales into many of her stories. It says that Atwood has used several fairy tale stories at some point such as "Red Riding Hood" "The Little Mermaid" and much more. It then goes to say that fairytales have been neglected by feminists mostly due to the role the women in them have played; that is, being saved by the man. Wilson then goes on to say that the artists who paint the book jackets often emphasize the fairy-tale motif used in the story, and many people are unaware of it. The last part is that with Atwood's then-new book, The Robber Bride was published, so was Wilson's, who argued that fairy-tales played a huge role in Atwood's work, but can't be seen in The Robber Bride.
Friday 14 October 2011
Critcal Article #2 Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale
This was written by Erica Dymond.
"A thing is valued, she says, only if it is rare and hard to get. We want you to be valued, girls. She is rich in pauses, which she savors in her mouth. Think of yourselves as pearls. We, sitting in our rows, eyes down, we make her salivate morally. We are hers to define, we must suffer her adjectives. I think about pearls. Pearls are congealed oyster spit"
The pearl theme is one that is constantly brought up in the story, but is also very central to the plot as well. The character, Offred, will often when she thinks of her past, or makes a comparison, will think of pearls, such as one memory when she saw a Holocaust documentry, she noticed the mistress of a Nazi was wearing pearls. Another mention of this is Offred's lust for Nick, only the pearl/oyster is used in a negative light, to show just how repulsive it is. In another chapter, the pearl underlines how things truly are in Gilead. In the ultarian Gilead, it is said that Handmaidens are unfit to adorn themselves with such finery like pearls, believing that they are not good enough. The last example used in this text is when Offred compares herself to sand (believed to help create the pearl) and that her daughter is therefore a pearl. The author says this theme binds together these points
"The pearl/oyster theme ingeniously binds the novel's central points. Serena Joy is not a Commander's wife; she is the complacent mistress of a Nazi. Offred is not an imprisoned woman; she is an object of possession, denied even the most fundamental pleasure of love. Gilead is not a fine-tuned machine journeying toward Utopia; it is an inferior military-state swarming with contradiction. Finally, Offred's abducted child is not living a more privileged and moral life but is being brainwashed into becoming a fine, baby-producing "Gileadean." All this from a pearl." (ERICA JOAN DYMOND, Lehigh University)
"A thing is valued, she says, only if it is rare and hard to get. We want you to be valued, girls. She is rich in pauses, which she savors in her mouth. Think of yourselves as pearls. We, sitting in our rows, eyes down, we make her salivate morally. We are hers to define, we must suffer her adjectives. I think about pearls. Pearls are congealed oyster spit"
The pearl theme is one that is constantly brought up in the story, but is also very central to the plot as well. The character, Offred, will often when she thinks of her past, or makes a comparison, will think of pearls, such as one memory when she saw a Holocaust documentry, she noticed the mistress of a Nazi was wearing pearls. Another mention of this is Offred's lust for Nick, only the pearl/oyster is used in a negative light, to show just how repulsive it is. In another chapter, the pearl underlines how things truly are in Gilead. In the ultarian Gilead, it is said that Handmaidens are unfit to adorn themselves with such finery like pearls, believing that they are not good enough. The last example used in this text is when Offred compares herself to sand (believed to help create the pearl) and that her daughter is therefore a pearl. The author says this theme binds together these points
"The pearl/oyster theme ingeniously binds the novel's central points. Serena Joy is not a Commander's wife; she is the complacent mistress of a Nazi. Offred is not an imprisoned woman; she is an object of possession, denied even the most fundamental pleasure of love. Gilead is not a fine-tuned machine journeying toward Utopia; it is an inferior military-state swarming with contradiction. Finally, Offred's abducted child is not living a more privileged and moral life but is being brainwashed into becoming a fine, baby-producing "Gileadean." All this from a pearl." (ERICA JOAN DYMOND, Lehigh University)
Themes of Alias Grace
Sexuality is probably the biggest one.
With Grace, she is accused of doing sexual favours for James in order to have him kill Kinnear and Thomas. Also, it is suspected Grace and Jamie had a sexual encounter in the orchard, whereas according to Grace, it was just an innocent interaction. Grace often would flirt with Kinnear in hopes that maybe she would get an elavated position. She must also fend off sexual predators in the prison.
With Nancy, she actually had a sexual relationship with Kinnear in hopes of a marriage contract, an evalation in position,
Mary had a sexual relationship with her employers son, George. When she became pregnant, she was then jilted and had an abortion. She later died from it.
For Rachel, she begins a sexual relationship with Dr. Jordan after her husband leaves her.
Dr. Jordan also faces this when he is in bed with Rachel, thinking about Lydia, or fantasizing about Grace.
In many ways, the characters are driven by the sexuality or sexual desire. This is often a re-occuring theme is Atwood's writing as well.
With Grace, she is accused of doing sexual favours for James in order to have him kill Kinnear and Thomas. Also, it is suspected Grace and Jamie had a sexual encounter in the orchard, whereas according to Grace, it was just an innocent interaction. Grace often would flirt with Kinnear in hopes that maybe she would get an elavated position. She must also fend off sexual predators in the prison.
With Nancy, she actually had a sexual relationship with Kinnear in hopes of a marriage contract, an evalation in position,
Mary had a sexual relationship with her employers son, George. When she became pregnant, she was then jilted and had an abortion. She later died from it.
For Rachel, she begins a sexual relationship with Dr. Jordan after her husband leaves her.
Dr. Jordan also faces this when he is in bed with Rachel, thinking about Lydia, or fantasizing about Grace.
In many ways, the characters are driven by the sexuality or sexual desire. This is often a re-occuring theme is Atwood's writing as well.
Conflicts in Alias Grace
The biggest conflicts is Grace vs Nancy Montgumery and Thomas Kinnear.
The problem is, did Grace kill Nancy? The novel doesn't answer this, so its up in the air as to who did, but in the end, Grace is pardoned and marries Jamie.
Grace vs Jamie
The relationship between them was in Grace's telling, innocent. Jamie helped convict Grace, despite the fact that he loved her. However, he also helped release Grace from prison.
Grace vs James
Grace and James both worked for Kinnear, and neither liked Nancy. It was said that Grace did sexual favors for James to get him to kill Kinnear and Nancy.
Grace vs Dr. Jordan
Initially piqued by Grace's story, he listens to her side of it. Later, however, he leaves because of stress.
Rachel vs Jordan
Rachel falls in love with him, and they begin a relationship. When he leaves, she writes to his mother to find his whereabouts.
Lydia vs Jordan
Lydia later developes a crush on Dr. Jordan, while flattered, he stays with Rachel.
Mary vs George
Mary and George have a relationship, which ends up with Mary becoming pregnant. George leaves Mary, and Mary gets an abortion and dies from it.
The problem is, did Grace kill Nancy? The novel doesn't answer this, so its up in the air as to who did, but in the end, Grace is pardoned and marries Jamie.
Grace vs Jamie
The relationship between them was in Grace's telling, innocent. Jamie helped convict Grace, despite the fact that he loved her. However, he also helped release Grace from prison.
Grace vs James
Grace and James both worked for Kinnear, and neither liked Nancy. It was said that Grace did sexual favors for James to get him to kill Kinnear and Nancy.
Grace vs Dr. Jordan
Initially piqued by Grace's story, he listens to her side of it. Later, however, he leaves because of stress.
Rachel vs Jordan
Rachel falls in love with him, and they begin a relationship. When he leaves, she writes to his mother to find his whereabouts.
Lydia vs Jordan
Lydia later developes a crush on Dr. Jordan, while flattered, he stays with Rachel.
Mary vs George
Mary and George have a relationship, which ends up with Mary becoming pregnant. George leaves Mary, and Mary gets an abortion and dies from it.
Characters in Alias Grace
Agnes: The chambermaid at the Parkinsons'. She defends Grace against accusations of Grace not telling the truth about Mary.
Dr. Bannerling: The director of the asylum. He thinks Grace is pretending to be ill and believes she did commit murder. He attempts to keep her in the asylum.
Mrs. Burt: Rents a room to Grace's family when they come to Toronto. She befriends Grace's father and introduces Grace to the Parkinsons' as a maid.
Dr. Jerome Dupont: He is a charlatan who is in love with Grace and asks her to leave the Kinnear manor to come travelling with him. He appears in several disguises in the novel.
Govenor's Wife: She employs Grace, but does not trust her.
Mrs. Rachel Humphreys: She begins a personal relationship with Dr. Jordan after her husband leaves her. When Dr. Jordan leaves her, she writes to his mother to find his whereabouts.
Dr. Sime Jordan: He becomes interested in Grace's case a few years after she has been imprisonned, but leaves without having made any conclusions. He later starts a relationship with Rachel Humphreys, but leaves to Europe where life is less stressful for him. He later returns to America and is involved in the Civil War.
Mr. Thomas Kinnear: He is Grace's second employer. He is well-to-do, and had an affair with his housemaid, Nancy Montgumery. He is a known womanizer, and Grace openly flirts with him, which causes his arousal, and Nancy's jealousy. He is later killed with a bullet to the head, presumably by James McDormant.
Miss Lydia: The oldest of the govenor's two daughters. She has a crush on Dr. Jordan and openly flirts with him. Despite his arousal and slightly flattered, he doesn't go after her.
Kenneth McKenzie: He is Grace's lawyer and tells her to pretend to be stupid. According to him, he believes Grace is guilty.
Grace Marks: She is the main character of the novel, and is accused of killing Nancy Montgumery. She then relates her story to Dr. Jordan, and often maintains a somewhat innocent manner. Grace was told by her lawyer to pretend to be mad, even though he believes she is guilty. In the end of the story, it is so imcomplete no one knows if she is lying or not, so she wins her pardon and later marries Jamie, a boy who had a crush on her.
James McDermott: The young stable boy at the Kinnear house. He is often short of temper, and Nancy decided to ask him to leave, which angered him. He is accused of killing Nancy and Thomas, and is then hanged.
Nancy Montgumery: The housemaid at the Kinnear house. She often puts on airs that she is better than Grace, and has a relationship with Thomas Kinnear. When Thomas leave for two days, she warms up to Grace, but later dismisses her again. She is then found dead in the cellar by strangulation and her throat slit.
Mrs. Alderman Parkinson: The mistress of the house where Grace finds her first job.
Mr. George Parkinson: The son of Mrs. Parkinson. He is very weak, and starts a relationship with Mary Whitney, impregnanted her, then left her.
Aunt Pauline: The sister of Graces' mother. She lives in Ireland and often would send money to Grace's family. But when she has her own family, her husband, Roy, tells her to stop so they can support themselves. She later sends enough money so they can move to Toronto for a better future.
Mrs. Quennell: A famous hypnotist who tries to find out the spirit who inhabits Grace at the time of the murder. She believes it is someone else talking through Grace.
Uncle Roy: Grace's uncle who helps pay to support Graces' family until his own wife has a family.
Reverend Verringer: Part of an organization to help free Grace from prison. Later, he is successful.
Jamie Walsh: A young servant boy at the Kinnear household who developes a crush on Grace. Later, he is instrumental to both her conviction and release. Once Grace is freed, he marries her, and to take care of her.
Mary Whitney: A girl whom Grace befriends at the Parkinson household. When Mary becomes pregnant from Mr. George, she gets an abortion but dies from it . Later, its believed that her spirit stayed with Grace.
Nancy Montgumery
Grace Marks and James McDormott
Dr. Bannerling: The director of the asylum. He thinks Grace is pretending to be ill and believes she did commit murder. He attempts to keep her in the asylum.
Mrs. Burt: Rents a room to Grace's family when they come to Toronto. She befriends Grace's father and introduces Grace to the Parkinsons' as a maid.
Dr. Jerome Dupont: He is a charlatan who is in love with Grace and asks her to leave the Kinnear manor to come travelling with him. He appears in several disguises in the novel.
Govenor's Wife: She employs Grace, but does not trust her.
Mrs. Rachel Humphreys: She begins a personal relationship with Dr. Jordan after her husband leaves her. When Dr. Jordan leaves her, she writes to his mother to find his whereabouts.
Dr. Sime Jordan: He becomes interested in Grace's case a few years after she has been imprisonned, but leaves without having made any conclusions. He later starts a relationship with Rachel Humphreys, but leaves to Europe where life is less stressful for him. He later returns to America and is involved in the Civil War.
Mr. Thomas Kinnear: He is Grace's second employer. He is well-to-do, and had an affair with his housemaid, Nancy Montgumery. He is a known womanizer, and Grace openly flirts with him, which causes his arousal, and Nancy's jealousy. He is later killed with a bullet to the head, presumably by James McDormant.
Miss Lydia: The oldest of the govenor's two daughters. She has a crush on Dr. Jordan and openly flirts with him. Despite his arousal and slightly flattered, he doesn't go after her.
Kenneth McKenzie: He is Grace's lawyer and tells her to pretend to be stupid. According to him, he believes Grace is guilty.
Grace Marks: She is the main character of the novel, and is accused of killing Nancy Montgumery. She then relates her story to Dr. Jordan, and often maintains a somewhat innocent manner. Grace was told by her lawyer to pretend to be mad, even though he believes she is guilty. In the end of the story, it is so imcomplete no one knows if she is lying or not, so she wins her pardon and later marries Jamie, a boy who had a crush on her.
James McDermott: The young stable boy at the Kinnear house. He is often short of temper, and Nancy decided to ask him to leave, which angered him. He is accused of killing Nancy and Thomas, and is then hanged.
Nancy Montgumery: The housemaid at the Kinnear house. She often puts on airs that she is better than Grace, and has a relationship with Thomas Kinnear. When Thomas leave for two days, she warms up to Grace, but later dismisses her again. She is then found dead in the cellar by strangulation and her throat slit.
Mrs. Alderman Parkinson: The mistress of the house where Grace finds her first job.
Mr. George Parkinson: The son of Mrs. Parkinson. He is very weak, and starts a relationship with Mary Whitney, impregnanted her, then left her.
Aunt Pauline: The sister of Graces' mother. She lives in Ireland and often would send money to Grace's family. But when she has her own family, her husband, Roy, tells her to stop so they can support themselves. She later sends enough money so they can move to Toronto for a better future.
Mrs. Quennell: A famous hypnotist who tries to find out the spirit who inhabits Grace at the time of the murder. She believes it is someone else talking through Grace.
Uncle Roy: Grace's uncle who helps pay to support Graces' family until his own wife has a family.
Reverend Verringer: Part of an organization to help free Grace from prison. Later, he is successful.
Jamie Walsh: A young servant boy at the Kinnear household who developes a crush on Grace. Later, he is instrumental to both her conviction and release. Once Grace is freed, he marries her, and to take care of her.
Mary Whitney: A girl whom Grace befriends at the Parkinson household. When Mary becomes pregnant from Mr. George, she gets an abortion but dies from it . Later, its believed that her spirit stayed with Grace.
Critical Article #1 Lady killer - The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood
"Come on, you're not a baby," Zenia tells Charis. "He loves your a--. Or some other body part, how would I know? Anyway, for sure it's not your soul, it's not you....Believe me, there's only one thing any man ever wants from a woman, and that's sex. How much you can get them to pay for it is the important thing."
The author of this article summerizes Atwood's novel, The Robber Bride, to be a Nietzschean fairy tale, (The definition of this is: German philosopher who reasoned that Christianity's emphasis on the afterlife makes its believers less able to cope with earthly life. He argued that the ideal human, the Übermensch, would be able to channel passions creatively instead of suppressing them. His written works include Beyond Good and Evil (1886) and Thus Spake Zarathustra (1883-1892).) in which this story is a moral allgorism, in which it is a feminist fairytale, which portrays that men do not love women, but love only one thing: sex, as the above quote suggests.
The story introduces Zenia, the perfect, beautiful, Barbie-esque man stealer, or every womans' nightmare. She wishes to show that love does not truly exist. Then the three good girls: Tony, the war historian, Roz, the rich business woman, and Charis, the airhead. Each of these women are happy with their men until Zenia comes along.
Zenia comes along to prove that love does not exist between men and women, only the sexual desire. Basically, Zenia represents the truths most women don't want to face; when a man has tired of you, he will move on, and that love is every man's fantasy. The only characters exempt from such pain are Boyce, who is the only nice man in the story, who turns out to be a homosexual, and Roz's son, Larry, who ends up being Boyce's lover, and her two twin daughters. To Atwood, it seems the only nice man is a gay man, since he is not in a relationship with a woman, and therefore can never hurt her. Only Tony manages to keep her man, but not how she imagined him, and the other two, Roz and Charis lose theirs to Zenia. The message to those two girls is: "You don't need men to be happy."
The author of this article summerizes Atwood's novel, The Robber Bride, to be a Nietzschean fairy tale, (The definition of this is: German philosopher who reasoned that Christianity's emphasis on the afterlife makes its believers less able to cope with earthly life. He argued that the ideal human, the Übermensch, would be able to channel passions creatively instead of suppressing them. His written works include Beyond Good and Evil (1886) and Thus Spake Zarathustra (1883-1892).) in which this story is a moral allgorism, in which it is a feminist fairytale, which portrays that men do not love women, but love only one thing: sex, as the above quote suggests.
The story introduces Zenia, the perfect, beautiful, Barbie-esque man stealer, or every womans' nightmare. She wishes to show that love does not truly exist. Then the three good girls: Tony, the war historian, Roz, the rich business woman, and Charis, the airhead. Each of these women are happy with their men until Zenia comes along.
Zenia comes along to prove that love does not exist between men and women, only the sexual desire. Basically, Zenia represents the truths most women don't want to face; when a man has tired of you, he will move on, and that love is every man's fantasy. The only characters exempt from such pain are Boyce, who is the only nice man in the story, who turns out to be a homosexual, and Roz's son, Larry, who ends up being Boyce's lover, and her two twin daughters. To Atwood, it seems the only nice man is a gay man, since he is not in a relationship with a woman, and therefore can never hurt her. Only Tony manages to keep her man, but not how she imagined him, and the other two, Roz and Charis lose theirs to Zenia. The message to those two girls is: "You don't need men to be happy."
Monday 10 October 2011
People Compared to Atwood and Critical Articles
In one article, the author, goes on to say that Canadian writes, especially female ones, have the power to evoke drama and reveling and captivating stories; Atwood is mentioned alongside L.M Montgumery (Anne of Green Gables) Nellie McLung and Pauline Johnson.
In another article, Margaret is paired alongside such famous authors such as Steven King, Charles Dickens, this time, for her novel The Blind Asssassin.
To be honest, I love Steven King's work, and his works and opinions are quite valid. To be listed amoungst one of the best authors along side him, that just goes to show how well-written Atwood's work is.
Critical Articles:
http://literature.proquestlearning.com/critRef/displayItem.do?QueryType=criticism&ResultsID=132698E596C2&forAuthor=2561&ItemNumber=52
http://literature.proquestlearning.com/critRef/displayItem.do?QueryType=criticism&ResultsID=132696749212&forAuthor=2561&ItemNumber=100
http://literature.proquestlearning.com/critRef/displayItem.do?QueryType=criticism&ResultsID=13255A491582&forAuthor=2561&ItemNumber=99
Sources:
http://literature.proquestlearning.com/critRef/displayItem.do?QueryType=criticism&ResultsID=13255A491582&forAuthor=2561&ItemNumber=9
http://literature.proquestlearning.com/critRef/displayItem.do?QueryType=criticism&ResultsID=13255A491582&forAuthor=2561&ItemNumber=6
In another article, Margaret is paired alongside such famous authors such as Steven King, Charles Dickens, this time, for her novel The Blind Asssassin.
To be honest, I love Steven King's work, and his works and opinions are quite valid. To be listed amoungst one of the best authors along side him, that just goes to show how well-written Atwood's work is.
Critical Articles:
http://literature.proquestlearning.com/critRef/displayItem.do?QueryType=criticism&ResultsID=132698E596C2&forAuthor=2561&ItemNumber=52
http://literature.proquestlearning.com/critRef/displayItem.do?QueryType=criticism&ResultsID=132696749212&forAuthor=2561&ItemNumber=100
http://literature.proquestlearning.com/critRef/displayItem.do?QueryType=criticism&ResultsID=13255A491582&forAuthor=2561&ItemNumber=99
Sources:
http://literature.proquestlearning.com/critRef/displayItem.do?QueryType=criticism&ResultsID=13255A491582&forAuthor=2561&ItemNumber=9
http://literature.proquestlearning.com/critRef/displayItem.do?QueryType=criticism&ResultsID=13255A491582&forAuthor=2561&ItemNumber=6
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