Margaret Atwood | |
Margaret AtwoodMargaret Atwood, "The Female Body" Margaret Atwood (1939- ) was born in Ottawa, Ontario. She earned
a B.A. from the University of Toronto in 1961 and an A.M. from
Radcliffe College in 1962. She's taught at the University of British
Columbia, Vancouver, the University of Toronto, and New York University.
Her numerous stories, novels, and poems are complemented by her
editorial and critical work, which includes the Oxford Book
of Canadian Verse. One of her best-known novels, The Handmaid's
Tale (1986), which was made into a successful film in 1990,
describes life in a future world where women suffer severe repression.
Her most recent novel is The Blind Assassin (2000). Her
work also appears frequently in periodicals such as The American
Historical Review, the New York Times Book Review,
and Parnassus: Poetry in Review. Atwood is the recipient
of dozens of awards and honors, including a Guggenheim fellowship
and several honorary degrees. "The Female Body" is an
excerpt from Good Bones (1992) and was reprinted in Good
Bones and Simple Murders (1994).
| QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION | CONTENT - Describe the main subject of section six.
- Discuss the types of "accessories" described in
paragraph three.
- Who are the "He" and "She" characters
in paragraphs six through eleven? What are they talking about?
- Discuss the types of "uses" described in paragraphs
twelve through fifteen.
- According to the author, in what two ways "does a woman
know"? What's the difference between the two?
- What are the differences between "female brains"
and "male brains"?
STRATEGY AND STYLE - How does the substitution of the word topic for the
word body in the second paragraph reflect the author's
view of the female body?
- Discuss how this piece can be classified as a definition
essay. Make sure that you make clear the author's main definition
and her types of support.
- Review your answer to "Content" question c.) above.
How many "She" characters did you come up with? What
point is the author making about women in general here?
- Atwood divides her piece into seven sections and numbers
them. What is the effect of this decision? What would the reading
lose without this numbering and these divisions?
| ENGAGING THE TEXT | - Imagine changing sexes. What effect would the switch have
on your self-identity? Can you link these thoughts with your
reading? If so, how? If not, why not?
- How content are you with your body shape? If you could change
one thing about it, what would it be, and why would you change
it? How can you relate your body image to your reading?
| SUGGESTIONS FOR SUSTAINED WRITING | - Write an essay in seven sections called "The Male Body,"
following the organization of Atwood's divisions.
- Pick one specific difference you've noticed between men and
women. Using your reading and your own experiences, write an
essay about that difference, detailing its nature and possible
origins.
| FOR FURTHER RESEARCH | Find Atwood's poem "Helen of Troy Does Countertop Dancing"
and study it. (It is available online.) What similarities can
you find between the poem and your reading? What's different?
| WEB CONNECTION | Interested in putting Atwood's work into the broader cultural
context of feminist literature? This page
of literary resources about feminism and women's literature will
help you do just that.
| LINKS | Biographical Atwood's own site has
a biography, information about her books, and FAQ, among other
sources of information. It's a great place to start learning more
about the author. Another excellent starting point, Atwood's page
at the Academy of American Poets site, has a biography, and links
to poems and other web pages. What's different in the nature of
the biography here as opposed to the one on her own site? This is the homepage
of the Margaret Atwood Society's site, maintained by "an
international association of academics who study and teach the
works of the Canadian writer." You'll find lots of links
and some pictures here.
Bibliographical Here is an interview
with the author at Salon.com. It centers on her historical novel,
Alias Grace. What does the title of the interview, "Blood
and Laundry," mean? This is a speech
by Atwood called "Spotty-Handed Villainesses: Problems of
Female Bad Behaviour in the Creation of Literature." What
kinds of audiences heard this speech, do you think? How could
you find out? Click here
to read excerpts from the novel The Blind Assassin. A movie
adaptation is currently in the works.
Cultural This profile
from the University of Calgary puts Atwood into the company of
99 other Canadian poets. It has a photo of her and some links. Atwood's influence extends beyond the literary world. There's
a band from England that took their names from her novel Alias
Grace. Read more about them at their entry
from Allmusic.com. Did you know that Atwood has appeared in several films? Here's
her filmography
from imdb.com.
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