Comments on: Half-Hanged Mary and The Handmaid’s Tale

By: Jo Rogers

Jo Rogers — Mon, 16 Jul 2018 16:34:18 +0000

In reply to Hephzi. Fantastic, thanks - I'll get onto that!

By: Jo Rogers

Jo Rogers — Mon, 16 Jul 2018 16:33:39 +0000

In reply to Ann V.

Wow, that’s an extraordinary story. I’ve had a couple of books to recommended on this: “Hitler’s Girls: Doves Amongst Eagles” and “Swastika Night”, a dystopian novel first published in 1937. I’ll be reviewing them on here soon.

By: Hephzi

Hephzi — Mon, 16 Jul 2018 13:12:25 +0000

In reply to Jo Rogers.

There was a very interesting interview with Marilynne Robinson at the weekend,
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jul/06/marilynne-robinson-interview-barack-obama-donald-trump-writer-theologian

By: Ann V

Ann V — Mon, 16 Jul 2018 12:42:43 +0000

Another stimulating read. My sons studied the Handmaiden’s Tale at school and I tried at the time to read it but found it too dark. Time has prevented a further attempt but your blog is a good prompt. Saw bits of the TV production and thought they were impressive.
I agree it is a portrayal of a fascist society, particularly the concept of baby factories. It has been a threat before. My mother, who was 17 years old when WW II broke out in 1939, was blue eyed and blond haired and heard that if the Nazis had invaded Britain, ‘types’ like her would be rounded up as baby-factories. Whatever the truth of the rumour, its dark threat lived on with her and I remember her telling me when I was a teenager, how frightened she had been. It stimulated her to join up into the Army and become a member of the frontline anti antiscraft team ACK-ACK, who shot down the pilotless V1’s, the ‘Doodlebugs’. She was based at Dungeness and managed a team of trackers, giving the order to ‘fire’ at the crucial moment.

By: Jo Rogers

Jo Rogers — Mon, 16 Jul 2018 08:38:11 +0000

In reply to Lyn Innes. Lyn, thank you so much for this. I've been meaning to read the Gilead trilogy for a long time, and will now get on with it. I'll follow up your thoughts about Adrienne Rich as well. It's all so fascinating.

By: Lyn Innes

Lyn Innes — Sun, 15 Jul 2018 21:26:46 +0000

Jo, Another fine and interesting commentary and interrogation. I think Atwood shares Adrienne Rich’s assumption that motherhood both limits women and gives them a kind of superiority and purpose beyond self-survival. True for some women, I guess, but not all, and what of women who choose not to be mothers?

It is interesting that Marilynne Robinson titled the first novel in her trilogy ‘Gilead’–it is focused on a gentle and religious patriarch. I wonder if it is deliberately set against Margaret Atwood’s Gilead. Robinson’s first novel ‘Housekeeping’ is brilliant, and is the story of three women who opt out of the social roles defined for women, including motherhood.

By: Jo Rogers (a)

Jo Rogers (a) — Sun, 15 Jul 2018 14:28:54 +0000

In reply to Hephzi.

It was a new word for me, too! The main “baddy” – Commander Fred Waterford – describes Gilead as “our Divine Republic”.

By: Hephzi

Hephzi — Sun, 15 Jul 2018 12:19:57 +0000

Jo, you have also introduced me to a new word I hadn’t heard of before—’theonomy’. I’m familiar with ‘theocracy’ (god + -cracy, meaning ‘rule or government by’, from the Greek ‘kratos’ strength) and could have guessed at ‘thearchy’, the rule or government of God or a god (-archy from the Greek ‘arkhe’, ‘beginning, origin, first place’). But ‘theonomy’? It sounded like a combination of ‘theos’ and ‘economy’. I had to look it up. The ‘-nomy’ is, indeed, in ‘economy’ (and other words), and indicates ‘a science or the laws governing a certain field of knowledge’, from the Greek ‘nomo-‘, ‘combining form of nómos law, custom; akin to némein to manage, control’. Hence ‘theonomy’, ‘the state of being governed by God’, or ‘the state of an individual or society that regards its own nature and norms as being in accord with the divine nature’. Phew! And given that rule in Gilead is by a fundamentalist religious sect, but the men who govern, as you say, ‘don’t even believe in God or the Old Testament literalisms they use to subordinate women’ – the ‘theonomy’ is a massive hoax. Hmmmm………

By: Jo Rogers (a)

Jo Rogers (a) — Sun, 15 Jul 2018 12:13:31 +0000

In reply to Jon Cook.

If I were Margaret Atwood, I’d be very pleased to see my novel developed in this way. It is indeed an important book, and has obviously had decades enjoying a fantastic reputation in its own right. It’s so exciting to see it now taken forward by actors and a production team who remain true to the spirit of the novel, and who – so far – have not dumbed it down in the pursuit of ratings.

By: Jo Rogers (a)

Jo Rogers (a) — Sun, 15 Jul 2018 12:05:21 +0000

In reply to Hephzi.

I do recommend the TV adaptation – although some say it’s gruelling to watch. The response is: many women’s lives around the world are gruelling – to deny that is to live in cloud cuckoo land.

By: Jo Rogers (a)

Jo Rogers (a) — Sun, 15 Jul 2018 12:01:14 +0000

In reply to Monique. Yes, The Handmaid's Tale is increasingly relevant, and raises the question of how much we should put up with before we resist; and at what point it may become too late.

By: Jon Cook

Jon Cook — Sun, 15 Jul 2018 11:45:05 +0000

Fascinating blogpost about an important book and, though I haven’t seen it, what sounds like a very good adaptation. Look forward to reading more on this theme.

By: Hephzi

Hephzi — Sun, 15 Jul 2018 11:29:49 +0000

Thank you Jo, yet again, for introducing me to a book/film/tv programme, which I haven’t read or watched—with enough detail for me to understand the gist of it. You raise some very interesting points, in particular how some women can suppress other women—female solidarity not guaranteed, which is uncomfortable to say the least, but a valid and realistic observation. And the other ‘in particular’, whether a woman (all women?) can fight on her own behalf, rather than only on behalf of her family. Surely each woman is a person, not a vector of a ‘selfish gene’, or a selfish society. Every review piece you have written had made me want to read or see what you have set forth—even though I don’t always manage it! I look forward to your next post.

By: Monique

Monique — Sun, 15 Jul 2018 11:12:58 +0000

I still haven’t seen the tv series but I reread the book with my bookgroup this year and was astounded to find how relevant and powerful it still is. Your comments about the right to rage and the fact that women can be abusers seem to me very perceptive. I’m going to reread the blog and mull over more of the points you have made.