The Handmaid's Tale

✍ Scribed by Mary Ellen Snodgrass

• Publisher: Cliffs Notes
• Year: 1994
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 98
• Series: Cliffs Notes
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

For every utopia, there's a corresponding dystopia. This tale of a bleak future depicts a time where women are valued only for their reproductive capacities. While the novel is horrifying, there are moments of poetic warmth and humor. It is a brilliant satire.

✦ Table of Contents

The Handmaid’s Tale......Page 2
CONTENTS......Page 4
The Early Years......Page 6
Developing the Poet’s Voice......Page 7
A Critical Success......Page 8
PUBLISHED WORKS......Page 10
INTRODUCTION TO THE NOVEL......Page 13
THE DYSTOPIAN NOVEL......Page 16
CHARACTER LIST......Page 18
TIMELINE......Page 24
A BRIEF SYNOPSIS......Page 27
Epigraphs......Page 30
I Night......Page 32
II Shopping......Page 34
III Night......Page 38
IV Waiting Room......Page 39
V Nap......Page 42
VI Household......Page 44
VII Night......Page 48
VIII Birth Day......Page 50
IX Night......Page 55
X Soul Scrolls......Page 57
XI Night......Page 60
XII Jezebeus......Page 61
XIII Night......Page 65
XIV Salvaging......Page 67
XV Night......Page 70
HISTORICAL NOTES ON THE HANDMAIDS TALE......Page 74
Literary Analysis......Page 78
Literary Devices......Page 81
Women in The Handmaids Tale......Page 85
Themes......Page 86
Setting......Page 87
A Note on the Film Version of The Handmaids Tale......Page 90
REVIEW QUESTIONS AND ESSAY TOPICS......Page 92
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 95