Revisiting The Handmaid's Tale: reading the novel through a scientific lens

Atwood’s novel The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) has enabled us to see how science can be used to interpret, analyze and relate to the various aspects highlighted in it. Prompted by the seminal reading of this text by June Deery (1997), this article revisits the scientific approach relating to physics to e...

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Main Authors: Wan Yahya, Wan Roselezam, Chin, Koon Poh
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Contemporary Research Center 2013
Online Access:http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/27944/1/Revisiting%20The%20Handmaid%27s%20Tale%20reading%20the%20novel%20through%20a%20scientific%20lens.pdf
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author Wan Yahya, Wan Roselezam
Chin, Koon Poh
author_facet Wan Yahya, Wan Roselezam
Chin, Koon Poh
author_sort Wan Yahya, Wan Roselezam
collection UPM
description Atwood’s novel The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) has enabled us to see how science can be used to interpret, analyze and relate to the various aspects highlighted in it. Prompted by the seminal reading of this text by June Deery (1997), this article revisits the scientific approach relating to physics to explore different elements in the novel. The representation of time and its relation to space and matter is explored in a manner that casts new light on the understanding of: how time could actually affect characters’ past, present and future; how the effects of the space-time relation could affect one’s energy by relating it to the characters’ disorientated state of mind; how science makes a connection between nature and male dominance, and the portrayal of women and men based on Newtonian mechanics and quantum physics. From this novel, much can be analyzed and explored using science as an instrument, thus offering many possibilities and a different perspective to readers consider and which revolve around the issue of how men and women are viewed.
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spelling upm.eprints-279442016-03-07T01:44:54Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/27944/ Revisiting The Handmaid's Tale: reading the novel through a scientific lens Wan Yahya, Wan Roselezam Chin, Koon Poh Atwood’s novel The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) has enabled us to see how science can be used to interpret, analyze and relate to the various aspects highlighted in it. Prompted by the seminal reading of this text by June Deery (1997), this article revisits the scientific approach relating to physics to explore different elements in the novel. The representation of time and its relation to space and matter is explored in a manner that casts new light on the understanding of: how time could actually affect characters’ past, present and future; how the effects of the space-time relation could affect one’s energy by relating it to the characters’ disorientated state of mind; how science makes a connection between nature and male dominance, and the portrayal of women and men based on Newtonian mechanics and quantum physics. From this novel, much can be analyzed and explored using science as an instrument, thus offering many possibilities and a different perspective to readers consider and which revolve around the issue of how men and women are viewed. Contemporary Research Center 2013-07 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/27944/1/Revisiting%20The%20Handmaid%27s%20Tale%20reading%20the%20novel%20through%20a%20scientific%20lens.pdf Wan Yahya, Wan Roselezam and Chin, Koon Poh (2013) Revisiting The Handmaid's Tale: reading the novel through a scientific lens. International Journal of Education and Research, 1 (7). pp. 1-8. ISSN 2201-6333; ESSN: 2201-6740 http://www.ijern.com/July-2013.php
spellingShingle Wan Yahya, Wan Roselezam
Chin, Koon Poh
Revisiting The Handmaid's Tale: reading the novel through a scientific lens
title Revisiting The Handmaid's Tale: reading the novel through a scientific lens
title_full Revisiting The Handmaid's Tale: reading the novel through a scientific lens
title_fullStr Revisiting The Handmaid's Tale: reading the novel through a scientific lens
title_full_unstemmed Revisiting The Handmaid's Tale: reading the novel through a scientific lens
title_short Revisiting The Handmaid's Tale: reading the novel through a scientific lens
title_sort revisiting the handmaid s tale reading the novel through a scientific lens
url http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/27944/1/Revisiting%20The%20Handmaid%27s%20Tale%20reading%20the%20novel%20through%20a%20scientific%20lens.pdf
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