Margaret Atwood Retellings to Read
A look at some lesser-known works by the Canadian author Margaret Atwood known for her interesting retellings of classic tales.
Margaret Atwood is one of Canada’s most prominent authors. Her book The Handmaid’s Tale is famous across the world, telling a dystopian yet all-too-relevant tale that rivals the works of greats such as George Orwell and Aldous Huxley.
Despite the impact and importance of The Handmaid’s Tale, and her equally famous poetry, Atwood has written numerous other novels that are lesser known outside of the literary world. This piece will outline a selection of these works, focusing on her retellings, for anyone looking to indulge in some feminist and Canadian literature this March as International Women’s Day rolls around.
This book originates from its counterpart, The Robber Bridegroom; a story from the Brothers Grimm. Atwood carefully turns the story on its head, as the evil groom in the original story is usurped by Atwood’s villainess Zenia, who disturbs the lives of three friends repeatedly. The strongest aspect of the book is its detailed characterization as the readers peer through the eyes of three complex and different women, trying to unravel the mystery of Zenia.
This is a retelling of Shakespeare’s play, The Tempest. Felix, the retelling’s version of the bard’s Prospero, puts on The Tempest with a team of inmates at Fletcher County Correctional Institute, creating a play-within-a-play. While the story’s main themes lean more into cycles of vengeance than feminist theory, the book itself is based on a true story about Laura Bates, an English professor at Indiana State University who wrote a book called Shakespeare in Shackles, outlining her experiences teaching Shakespeare to people in maximum-security prisons. Atwood’s own novel and its inspiration are both touching stories about the journey of self-discovery.
This novella is a retelling of Homer’s The Odyssey, but this time with another classic Atwood spin where the focus is on Odysseus’s long-suffering wife, Penelope. The novella ventures into a mystery left by the original myth, where Odysseus kills twelve of Penelope’s maids upon his return from his voyage. Penelope is given agency and Odysseus’s motives are questioned, making for an intriguing read.
From running a puppetry business in her high school to attending the University of Toronto’s Victoria College, Margaret Atwood has had a rich and interesting life, with the writing to show for it. So if you have time amidst the piles of readings and midterms, take the time to read some of her works!
