Laura
asked
Margaret Atwood:
I studied The Handmaid's Tale as a basis for my coursework and I loved the novel. I extended on the chapter when Moira is never seen again, with a Bonnie and Clyde spin-off! From my studies, I was wondering why speech marks are not used for conversation between Offred and the Commander. As a class, we thought it might be something to do with the class/societal divide, so what was your intention behind it?
Margaret Atwood
Hello: Thank you and I'm glad you enjoyed it! Texts on the page are a way of rendering the voice, including "speech;" speech marks are a textual convention. (Roman writing for instance did not have a lot of punctuation, making it harder for us to read today.) Sometimes one can use an initial dash; sometimes an inset. Probably I didn't use quotes for some reason having to do with the fact that the speeches in question are reported from memory. Something like that. I must have had my reasons at the time…
More Answered Questions
Michael
asked
Margaret Atwood:
When I read Cat's Eye for the first time, it resonated with something deep within me and made me think about many different episodes growing up. I always wondered what writing that novel was like for you. Do you find it emotionally draining to tap into those kinds of memories/thoughts? Do you ever find a scene too difficult to write about?
Danny Miller
asked
Margaret Atwood:
Margaret, To take just two of your Dystopian worlds--that of The Handmaid's Tale and that of the MaddAddam trilogy--each holds a place of exile, whether it's the Pleeblands or the Colonies. Do you think this (perhaps post-colonialist) trait is necessary for Dystopian fiction? What other traits are? A caste-system, surely, but what are less obvious elements that you think make up a Dystopian society?
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