On Fri, 28 Nov 1997, Geoffrey D. Sperl wrote:
> I'm sorry, Pat, but I disagree. The time in which a work was written is
> an important part of research. While it would do good to look at all of
> American history, it's the fact that Atwood saw the US as having the
> potential to fall into a theocracy just as Iran did. I think any
> individual who looks over the historical context in which a book was
> written is overlooking an important influence over the book itself.
>
> Ever the non-poststructuralist,
>
> Geoffrey
>
I agree America had that potential. But as I see it, it has had
that potential waiting in the wings for a long time, and once in
everyone's lifetime it bursts out like a plague of boils. That the book
was written in the mid-eighties is interesting - that she saw such a thing
on the horizon then, when gender roles were about as feminist as they've
been all century - is interesting. But we should all be aware of the
undercurrents contributing to it.
Patricia (Pat) Mathews
mathews @unm.edu
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