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Spotty-Handed Villainesses
1994
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Author:
Born 1939
Nobel prize winning Canadian author
Poetry internationally acclaimed but best known for her
novels
Feminist campaigner in the 1960s
Writing praised in the1970s by feminists
A feminist supporter but criticises extremism
Not a feminist author- distances herself from that
ideological position
Worked as English lecturer at University of British
Colombia
Writer-In-Residence at numerous universities in the 70s
and 80s, e.g.
University Of Toronto, Macquarie Univ. and Trinity Univ.
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Audience:
Well-educated readers of fiction
Middle-aged, intellectual, literary women
Informed about contemporary social movements,
specifically the role of feminism in the changing
position of women in life and art
Speech said at different events throughout 1994,
e.g. American Bookseller Convention
Atwood often invited to attend literary festivals to
speak about her work as well as the role of
literature in society.
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Central Idea/Argument:
For this purpose she harnesses the personal anecdote of her young
daughters theatrical presentation, the help her illustrate what literature is
not
... Are you going to do anything except have breakfast? we said.
No they said. Then this isnt a play, we said. Something else
has to happen...
Her purpose is not to push for one side of the argument but to critique
other agendas and propose certain suggestions as to how the question of
wicked women in literature might be framed.
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Values Explored
Literature should reflect the diversity of life
and its moral complexity
Atwood is portraying the notion that literature should
have characters that reflect the variety life offers as
that is what makes a story entertaining rather than
characters that are two dimensional
Create a flawless character and you create an
insufferable one; which maybe why I am
interested in spots spots refers to the guilt
Lady Macbeth felt after influencing her husband
to kill the King
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Structure Of Speech
The speech opens with an introduction of the title and sub-title of the
speech and a Margarets use of first person opens the speech up to the
central idea and purpose; The portrayal of women in literature, in
particular evil women
Atwood then moves the speech forward and introduces a personal
anecdote of her daughters play in order to define what literature is not
Paragraph 11, is where Atwood begins to describe what a novel is, and
begins to criticises those who attempt to define what exactly a novel is
only a very foolish person would attempt to give a definitive
answer....
She then goes on to further explain what a novel is but stating what a
novel is not
Paragraph 24 introduces the notion of women in literature, and Atwood
focuses on female protagonists
Lets put a women at the centre of something-other-thanbreakfast
Throughout the remainder of the speech Atwood makes reference to
other example of literature to further highlight her intentions and ideas on
women in literature and the different roles that they can and have played.
Henry James The Turn of the Screw and Bram Stokers
Dracula ... Both revolve around notions of female sexuality
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Techniques
Allusion to Lady MacBeth she
seemed to see spots (symbols of
guilt) on her hands after she
influenced her husband to murder
the king
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Effect
Witty and lightly toned way of
saying evil women
introducing her argument that
the advent of feminism has
made a problem of the
presentation of evil women in
literature
The eternal breakfast
functions throughout her
speech as part of her system
of reasoning becomes a
motif that serves as a symbol
for the static order that she is
critiquing (illustrates through
the anecdote that in literature,
something has to happen
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Quotes
Techniques
flogging a few dead horses
Metaphor, imagery
galloping around as vigorously as
ever
Effect
The extended metaphor creates
an image in the audiences head
of deceased horses galloping
indicating that the dead horses
(settled arguments) are not dead
(settled) at all
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Quotes
Techniques
If you want power you have to Sententia
accept responsibility, and
actions produce
consequences
Effect
Conveys broader and more
philosophical truisms that go
beyond the scope of the critique
she is making on the orthodox
feminist position (referencing the
well known correlation between
power and responsibility)
Closed-off road
Metaphor
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Quotes
Techniques
Effect
Rhetorical questions
Repetition
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Critical Commentary:
Engaging in discussion of feminist ideas, some
ideas particularly through the use of literary
allusions
Necessity of evil (and often interesting) characters in
literature
Some of them will be women
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