Thinking Aloud: The Handmaid’s Tale
17th October at 6pm, Byre Studio
The Handmaid’s Tale, the best-selling novel by Margaret Atwood is more than a dystopian fiction, it is a cultural touchstone. Published in 1985, it has been adapted multiple times over: as a film (Volker Schlöndorff’s 1990 The Handmaid’s Tale); as a Hulu television programme headed for its fourth series, as a radio drama, as a stage play, as ballet, and even, disturbingly and controversially, as a ‘sexy’ Halloween costume. Touching on the subjects like environmental crisis, totalitarianism, misogyny, and fundamentalist theocracy, the book feels more prophecy than speculative fiction. So much so that the red-cloak of the handmaids has become expression of global feminist and political resistance.
In this event, we take the book and its multiple cultural and political expressions as launchpad for a discussion between scholars from Film Studies, International Relations, Philosophy, and Russian as well as with you, the audience. We will explore ways of approaching this phenomenon (and Atwood’s recently released sequel, The Testaments) so that we may investigate its significance and show thinking in action.
The event is FREE but ticketed. To arrange a place:
Book at byretheatre.com, call 01334 475 000 or pop in to the Byre Theatre, Abbey Street, St Andrews
