Title: The Handmaid's Tale
Description: The Handmaid's Tale is a dystopian novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood, published in 1985. It is set in a near-future New England, in a strongly patriarchal, totalitarian theonomic state, known as the Republic of Gilead, which has overthrown the United States government. The central character and narrator is a woman named Offred, one of the group known as "handmaids", who are forcibly assigned to produce children for the "commanders" — the ruling class of men in Gilead.

The novel explores themes of subjugated women in a patriarchal society, loss of female agency and individuality, and the various means by which they resist and attempt to gain individuality and independence.

The Handmaid's Tale won the 1985 Governor General's Award and the first Arthur C. Clarke Award in 1987; it was also nominated for the 1986 Nebula Award, the 1986 Booker Prize, and the 1987 Prometheus Award.


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Also contained in:
[Novels](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL24301311W)
Subjects: brothels, Canadian authors, Canadian fantasy fiction, Canadian fiction (fictional works by one author), Christian fundamentalism, Dystopian fiction, Dystopias, fantasy fiction, Fiction, Fiction, dystopian, Fiction, fantasy, general, handmaids, Large type books, Man-woman relationships, Man-woman relationships, fiction, military dictatorship, Misogyny, New York Times bestseller, nyt:e-book-fiction=2017-01-22, nyt:trade-fiction-paperback=2017-02-26, Old Testament, Political, political fiction, pregnancy, religious fanaticism, revolution, science fiction, Scrabble, Social aspects, theocracy, theonomy, totalitarianism, United States Congress, Women, Study guides, History and criticism, Handmaid's tale (Atwood, Margaret), Roman canadien de langue anglaise, Misogynie, collectionID:EanesChallenge, Romans, nouvelles, Femmes, collectionID:ConroeChallenge, FICTION / Dystopian, FICTION / Political, FICTION / Science Fiction, Teen fiction, World literature, Fiction subjects, Science fiction & fantasy, Comics & graphic novels, adaptations, Comics & graphic novels, literary, Comics & graphic novels, fantasy, Dystopian, Foreign relations, Neutrality, Long Now Manual for Civilization, collection:otherwise_tiptree_award=retrohonor, English literature
Places: Republic of Gilead, New England, United States of America, Canada, Jezebel's, Colonies
People: Margaret Atwood (1939-), Offred, Commanders, Rachel, Bilhah, Aunts, Handmaids, Marthas, Econowives, Moira, Serena Joy, Ofglen, Nick, Eyes of God, Luke, Professor Pieixoto