Abstract 5. Fulbright Lecture

Universität Rostock
Philosophische Fakultät
Institut für Anglistik/
Amerikanistik
Prof. Gabriele Linke
In Zusammenarbeit mit
der German Fulbright
Commission
Sommersemester 2012
th
9 FULBRIGHT LECTURE SERIES
Fulbright at 60: Aspects of American History and Society
ABSTRACT ZUR 5. VORLESUNG MIT
Julianne Lynch
(U Cincinnati/U Potsdam)
Warnings from The Handmaid’s Tale: What can we learn from
Dystopian Fiction?
Though Western dystopian narratives take place in imagined worlds (often marked by “unimaginable”
oppression or terror), they are remarkably similar to our own. Moreover, they address contemporary fears and
reflect humankind’s uncanny tendency to become self destructive in the wake of political or environmental
changes, war, and the ever increasing, alienating effects of technology. Among other things, Margaret
Atwood’s novel The Handmaid’s Tale warns of the potentially disastrous effects of mixing fundamentalist
ideology and politics. Nearly thirty years after the novel’s initial publication, and as we approach a US
presidential election marked by political discordance and extremist thinking, where legislation of the
(mis)treatment of women, homosexuals, and other minority groups has become a central issue, it becomes
essential to reexamine the warnings of The Handmaid’s Tale and ask ourselves the extent to which these
“unimaginable” oppressions have become a reality.
Zeit: 6. Juli 2012, 9.15-10.45 Uhr
Ort: Schwaansche Str. 3, HS 3