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Chapter 2 - Margaret Atwood on Questions of Power

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 March 2021

By
Pilar Somacarrera
Edited by
Coral Ann Howells
Coral Ann Howells
Affiliation:
Institute of English Studies, University of London
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Summary

The central focus of this chapter is on variations in Atwood’s perennial theme of sexual power politics, with extensive analysis of early poems in The Circle Game, Power Politics, and Bodily Harm, developing into an extended exploration of the interface between power politics in the personal and public worlds in The Handmaid’s Tale with its current sociopolitical relevance for women’s rights and human rights. This chapter concludes with an interpretation of The Heart Goes Last, reading it through Ahmed’s theory of affectivity, eliding personal and wider political resonances.

Keywords

power politicsThe Circle GamePower PoliticsBodily HarmThe Handmaid’s TaleThe Heart Goes Lastaffect theory
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Companion to Margaret Atwood , pp. 32 - 46
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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