The Handmaid’s Tale | Beyond Belief
Margaret Atwood tells Ernie Rea about the role of faith in her seminal novel and how her fiction, written nearly 40 years ago, resonates in a post-Roe v Wade world. Panellists also discuss the role of religion in Atwood's Gilead, why her vision has struck a chord today and its influence on culture and politics.
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- Clip length: 27'28''
- Broadcast year: 2022
- English Literature | 20th-century texts | The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood | Theme
Licence: ERA Licence required
UK only
Staff and students of licensed education establishments only
Cannot be adapted
- Provider: BBC
- Channel: BBC Radio 4
- Programme: Beyond Belief
- Episode: The Handmaid's Tale
Governmental procreation | Simon Schama Meets
Margaret Atwood cites Romania and Nazi Germany who, like ''The Handmaid's Tale'', have been historically inclined to enforce particular procreation of certain groups or peoples.
Handmaid's history | Simon Schama Meets
Margaret Atwood describes how history is cyclical and contemporary leaders or movements are based on nostalgic whims of the past. ''The Handmaid's Tale'' spoke of the theocracy of New England's Puritan's past.