xenu01

xenu01 asked Margaret Atwood:

Sometimes we love things that are problematic. What are your feelings on consuming popular culture that has anti-woman or other unhappy components?

Margaret Atwood Not all women are angelic. Women are human beings and come in every size, shape, age, and degree of moral rectitude. But maybe you meant a systematic degradation and stultification, without any mitigating factors? That would be uninteresting. As for "unhappy components," all art of any complexity has unhappy components. It's an ongoing discussion though:
what is art for? To make us better? To make us feel better? To engage us? To act out our darker sides? To reflect 'reality'? All of the above?

The artist is free to express. And the reader to comment.

More Answered Questions

Laura

Laura asked Margaret Atwood:

I studied The Handmaid's Tale as a basis for my coursework and I loved the novel. I extended on the chapter when Moira is never seen again, with a Bonnie and Clyde spin-off! From my studies, I was wondering why speech marks are not used for conversation between Offred and the Commander. As a class, we thought it might be something to do with the class/societal divide, so what was your intention behind it?

Imen Diamond

Imen Diamond asked Margaret Atwood:

Personally ,i first got introduced to the Canadian Literature through you Madam ,and through Alice Munro as well,there are only a handful of canadian writers known in the world today,why is that ? what hinders Canadian Literature from getting an international acclaim,as that of the American and British Literatures ? when will Candian literature be taken seriously?! Thank you so much :)

Eugenia (Genie In A Book)

Eugenia (Genie In A Book) asked Margaret Atwood:

I found "The Handmaid's Tale" to be such a poignant and perceptive novel which I loved! Are there any particular events or other contextual elements from the period of time which you wrote it in, which drove you to write the book? Even though it is largely classified as a dystopian novel, do you personally see any possible utopian features within it?

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Margaret Atwood

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