Margaret Atwood
"There is so much silence between the
words..." SOCI 4019 September
29, 1999. An Overview of Works, Styles, and
Themes Margaret Atwood has written a
great number of novels and other forms
of literature. The major press editions
are as follows: ~ WORKS~ Poetry ¨
1964, The Cirle Game ¨ 1968, The Animals in
That Country ¨ 1970, The
Journals of Susanna Moodie ¨ 1970, Procedures for
Underground ¨ 1971,
Power Politics ¨ 1974, You are Happy ¨ 1978, Selected
Poems ¨ 1978,
Two-Headed Poems ¨ 1981, True Stories ¨ 1984, Interlunar ¨
1987, Selected
Poems II: Poems Selected and New, 1976-1986 ¨ 1990, Selected
Poems
1966-1975 ¨ 1995, Morning in the Burned House Short Fiction ¨ 1977,
"Dancing
Girls" ¨ 1983, "Murder in the Dark" ¨ 1983,
"Bluebeard's Egg" ¨ 1991,
"Wilderness Tips" ¨ 1992,
"Good Bones" Novels ¨ 1969, The Edible Woman 1985,
The Handmaid's
Tale ¨ 1972, Surfacing 1988, Cat's Eye ¨ 1976, Lady Oracle
1993, The Robber
Bride ¨ 1979, Life Before Man 1996, Alias Grace ¨ 1981,
Bodily Harm Children's
Books ¨ 1978, Up in the Tree ¨ 1980, Anna's Pet ¨
1990, For the Birds ¨
1995, Princess Prunella and the Purple Peanut
Non-Fiction ¨ 1972, Survival: A
Thematic Guide to Canadian Literature ¨
1977, Days of the Rebels 1815-1840 ¨
1982, Second Words: Selected
Critical Prose ¨ 1995, Strange Things: The
Malevolent North in Canadian
Literature Edited ¨ 1982, The New Oxford Book of
Canadian Verse in
English ¨ 1986, The Oxford Book of Canadian Short Stories in
English ¨
1987, The Canlit Foodbook ¨ 1989, The Best American Short Stories ¨
1995,
The New Oxford Book of Canadian Short Stories in English ~ STYLE
~
Although many have used Margaret Atwoods style of writing poetry, not
one has
yet to compete with her words. Typically, Margaret sticks to formal
style of
poetry, using original text with separated stanzas. Margarets stlye
of writing
gives an overwhelming effect to the reader; moreover, her style of
writing
adjusts to the theme of the particular piece. ~ THEMES ~ The
essential features
of Atwood’s fictions and poetry has been described as a
search for a personal
and national identity. Survival is a central theme
throughout her works, as is
the quest for self unity. Biography Margaret
Atwood was born in Ottawa, Ontario,
on November 18, 1939. Because her father
was a forest entomologist, Atwood spent
most of her childhood living in the
Canadian Wilderness. During the eight months
of each year that her father did
insect research in the forest, the Atwood
family lived in "a cabin with a
wood stove and several kerosene lanterns.
There were bears and wolves and
moose and loons" ( qtd. in "Author
Profile"). While this lifestyle was
exciting, she did not have most modern
conviences and technology. To
entertain herself, Atwood read books. They became
her only means for
entertainment and escape. "I read them all, even when they
weren’t supposed
to be for children" (qtd. in "Author Profile"). During
this childhood of
reading, Atwood also began to write. By the age of six, ATwood
was writing
poems, morality plays, comic books, and an unfinished novel about an
ant. Ten
years later, Atwood decided that she only wanted to write. She wanted
to live
a double life; to go places she had not been before; to examine life
on
earth; to come to know people in ways, and at depths, that were
otherwise
impossible; to be surprised; and to give something of what she had
received. Two
years after this life-altering decision, Atwood entered
Victoria College at the
University of Toronto. She received her
bachelor’s degree from Victoria
College in 1961, and then went on to
receive her Master’s degree from
Radcliffe College in Cambridge,
Massachusetts. Atwood also received education
from Harvard University in
Cambridge, Massachusetts, during 1962-63 and 1965-67.
Atwood began her
career through self-publication. She sold these books for fifty
cents each.
During this period, Atwood married Graeme Gibson, a fellow writer
who was
born in London, Ontario, in 1934. Togehter, they have three grown
children
and two cats. Although Atwood both grew up and resides presently
in
Canada, she ahs lived in numerous cities throughout the world. The
Canadian
residences include Ottawa, Sault Ste. Marie, Toronto, Montreal,
Edmonton,
Alliston, and Vancouver. In the United States, Atwood has lived
in Boston,
Massachusetts, and in Alabama. She has also lived and
travelled in England,
France, Italy , and Germany. Geographical,
Historical, Political and Social
Influences With respect to the fact that
Atwood was raised, and spent most of
her childhood in the Canadian
wilderness, it is safe to say that her
geographical surroundings influenced
her in several ways. While residing in the
wilderness of Canada, Atwood
discovered her ture passion - literature. Some say
that if Atwood had not
been in the wilderness, but rather around the arising
technology others were
surrounded by, perhaps we would not have such magical
works in our presence
today. Although Atwood has struck upon many touchy
subjects in literature,
she has yet to be significantly influenced by historical
perspectives. She
may look to her past for a historical standpoint, or other
significant women
of the past; however, Atwood is known well for her futuristic,
and her ‘in
the now’ approach to writing. As far as literature and internet
resources
today, it appears the Atwood was not influenced in any means by a
political
outlook. The closest that one may come to assuming her political
influence
would be in her 1979 novel, "Life Before Man". For many
individuals in todays
society, it is quite hard to avoid being socially
influenced in everyday
life; therefore, to believe that no one author is
socially influenced in
their writing is simply unfathomable. Awards, Critical
and Reader Reviews
AWARDS Margaret Atwood has received a great number of awards
and honarary
degrees: 1961, E.J. Pratt Medal 1965, President’s Metal,
University of
Western Ontario 1966, Governor Generals Award, Circle Game
1967,
Centennial Commision Potry Competition, First 1969, Union Poetry
Prize, Poetry (
Chicago) 1974, The Bess Hoskins Prize, Poetry (Chicago)
1977, The City of
Toronto Book Award 1977, The Canadian Bookseller’s
Association Award 1977,
Periodical Distributors of Canada Short Fiction
1978, St.Lawrence Award for
Fiction 1980, Radcliffe Graduate Medal 1981,
Molson Award 1981, Guggenheim
Fellowship 1981, Companion of the order of
Canada 1982, Welsh Arts Council
Internationl Writer’s Prize 1983,
Periodical Distributors of Canada and the
Foundation for The Advancement
of Canadian Letters Book of the Year Award 1986,
Ida Nudel Humanitarian
Award 1986, Toronto Arts Award 1986, Governor General’s
Award, The
Handmaids Tale 1986, Los Angeles Times Fiction Award 1986, Ms.
Magazine,
Woman of the Year 1987, Shortlisted for the Booker Prize (England)
1987,
Shortlisted for the Ritz Hemingway Prize (Paris) 1987, Arthur C.
Clarke
Award for best Science Fiction 1987, Commonwealth Literary Prize,
Regional
Winner 1987, Council for Advancement and support of Education,
Silver Medal,
Best Article of the Year 1987, Humanist of the Year Award
1987, Fellow of the
Royal Society of Canada 1988, YWCA Women Distinction
Award 1988, National
Magazine Award for Environmental Journalism, First
Prize 1988, American Academy
of Arts and Sciences, Foreign Honorary member,
Literature (cont’...) 1989,
Torgi Talking Book (CNIB), Cat’s Eye 1989,
Foundation for the Advancement of
Canadian Letters in conjuction with the
periodical Maketers’ of Canada Book of
the Year, Cat’s Eye 1989, Shortlisted
for the Booker Prize of the Year,
Cat’s Eye, (England) 1990, Order of
Ontario 1990, Centennial Medal, Harvard
University 1992, Trillium Award
for Excellence in Ontario Writing, Wilderness
Tips 1992, John Hughes
Prize, from the Welsh Development Board 1992, Book of the
Year Award from
the Periodical Marketers of Canada, Wilderness Tips 1993,
Canadian
Authors’ Association Novel of the Year, The Robber Bride
1994,
Commerative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of Canadian
Confederation 1994,
Trillium Award for Excellence in Ontario Writing, The
Robber Bride 1994,
Government of France’s Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts
st des lettres 1994,
Sunday Times Award for Literary Excellence, (London,
UK) 1995, Swedish Humour
Association’s Internatioinal Humerous Writer
Award 1995, Best Local Author,
NOW Magazine Readers’ Poll 1995, Trillium
Award for EXcellence in Ontario
Writing, Morning in the Burned House
1996, Norwegian Order of Literary Merit
1996, Shortlisted for the Booker
Prize, Alias Grace, (England) 1996, Best Local
Author, NOW Magazine
Readers’ Poll 1996, The Giller Prize; for Alias Grace