The dates and events shown here are dynamically displayed from Stud.IP.

Therefore, if you have any questions, please contact the person listed under the item Lehrende/DozentIn (Lecturers) directly.

Lecture: 3.02.980 S Reading Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale

Semester: Winter term 2025

3.02.980 S Reading Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale -  


Event date(s) | room

  • Dienstag, 14.10.2025 14:00 - 16:00 | A13 0-027
  • Dienstag, 21.10.2025 14:00 - 16:00 | A13 0-027
  • Dienstag, 28.10.2025 14:00 - 16:00 | A13 0-027
  • Dienstag, 4.11.2025 14:00 - 16:00 | A13 0-027
  • Dienstag, 11.11.2025 14:00 - 16:00 | A13 0-027
  • Dienstag, 18.11.2025 14:00 - 16:00 | A13 0-027
  • Dienstag, 25.11.2025 14:00 - 16:00 | A13 0-027
  • Dienstag, 2.12.2025 14:00 - 16:00 | A13 0-027
  • Dienstag, 9.12.2025 14:00 - 16:00 | A13 0-027
  • Dienstag, 16.12.2025 14:00 - 16:00 | A13 0-027
  • Dienstag, 6.1.2026 14:00 - 16:00 | A13 0-027
  • Dienstag, 13.1.2026 14:00 - 16:00 | A13 0-027
  • Dienstag, 20.1.2026 14:00 - 16:00 | A13 0-027
  • Dienstag, 27.1.2026 14:00 - 16:00 | A13 0-027

Description

In this course, we will study the dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) by Canadian author Margaret Atwood, focusing on the generic traditions of utopia and dystopia in particular, or what Atwood herself calls “ustopia”. We will, therefore, begin by studying two literary predecessors of the genre for a better understanding of Atwood’s postmodern and imaginative play with the genres' literary conventions and intellectual problems: Thomas More’s Utopia (1516) and George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949). One major aim of the course is to craft handouts for these literary predecessors that include specific repertoires of themes, motifs, and situations that different generations of artists in diverse cultures combine in ever new ways and contexts at different historical junctures. Indeed, students will create handouts much like the well-known handouts that the introductory classes to literary and cultural studies use, only that this time the students will work on the contents of these handouts themselves. Once we have completed this useful task, we will turn to Atwood’s Gilead and Offred’s—the protagonist's—experience of its claustrophobia, misogyny, and terror.

Please purchase and read:
Thomas More’s Utopia (1516) [Oxford UP edition by Susan Bruce, Three Early Modern Utopias, ISBN 0-19-283885-7; either the book or the EBook version]
George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) [Penguin edition, ISBN 978-0241416419; either the book or the EBook version]
Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) [no specific version is required here].

lecturer

Study fields

  • Studium generale / Gasthörstudium

SWS
--

Lehrsprache
englisch

Anzahl der freigegebenen Plätze für Gasthörende
2

Für Gasthörende / Studium generale geöffnet:
Ja

Hinweise zum Inhalt der Veranstaltung für Gasthörende
In this course, we will study the dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) by Canadian author Margaret Atwood, focusing on the generic traditions of utopia and dystopia in particular, or what Atwood herself calls “ustopia”. We will, therefore, begin by studying two literary predecessors of the genre for a better understanding of Atwood’s postmodern and imaginative play with the genres' literary conventions and intellectual problems: Thomas More’s Utopia (1516) and George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949). One major aim of the course is to craft handouts for these literary predecessors that include specific repertoires of themes, motifs, and situations that different generations of artists in diverse cultures combine in ever new ways and contexts at different historical junctures. Indeed, students will create handouts much like the well-known handouts that the introductory classes to literary and cultural studies use, only that this time the students will work on the contents of these handouts themselves. Once we have completed this useful task, we will turn to Atwood’s Gilead and Offred’s—the protagonist's—experience of its claustrophobia, misogyny, and terror. Please purchase and read: Thomas More’s Utopia (1516) [Oxford UP edition by Susan Bruce, Three Early Modern Utopias, ISBN 0-19-283885-7; either the book or the EBook version] George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) [Penguin edition, ISBN 978-0241416419; either the book or the EBook version] Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) [no specific version is required here].

(Changed: 26 Jul 2025)  |  Kurz-URL:Shortlink: https://uole.de/en/students/lehrveranstaltungen/va-details?cHash=98689134a210e874be7916a6dfaf0b7f&course_id=220a6194f82ed9964d722ec997f9ba70
Zum Seitananfang scrollen Scroll to the top of the page