The Handmaid's Tale, Part 1: Crash Course Literature 403

In which John Green teaches you about Margaret Atwood's speculative fiction novel, The Handmaid's Tale. John looks at some of the themes in this classic dystopian novel, many of which are kind of a downer. The world of Gilead that Atwood created looks at a lot of the issues that we deal with today, and the very human impulse to return to an imagined golden era, thereby solving all of our modern world's problems. Yeah, it doesn't work like that.

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[justopher]

John Green, 2017: Because reading isn’t illegal…yet
The Handmaid’s Tale in 2022: *on a ban list*

[TheGabador]

Atwood said in an interview that everything in the Handmaid's tale is based off of something that did happen before. Every torture, situation, punishment, is something that is brought back from History into her story.

[Mimi-xibm]

As an English Literature university student, I wish everyone taught novels like John Green

[centreoftheselights]

The first time I read the Handmaid's Tale, I was quite young - around 14 - and I had found the book in my school library. Fatefully, it had been misshelved in the non-fiction section. As the book is written in documentary style, I spent the whole experience of reading uncertain of whether the story was fiction, as I hoped, or whether this was a true tale of some far-off country I had never heard of. I think it says a lot about the quality of the writing that in spite of the extremes depicted, I still wasn't entirely convinced that the story wasn't real.

[AndromedaKai]

This story terrified me even more then 1984 because it was from a perspective of a woman. It made me feel alone and vulnerable and very much scared of the future.

[aymeahrens]

What's always creepy about dystopian fiction are the little whispery echoes of reality you read between the lines of the story. I keep thinking about how much our culture prizes, even worships, women's power to bear children, yet elevates infant and fetal care over maternal, and marginalizes and dehumanizes mothers.

[elizaashley]

It's okay John, you can say J. K. Rowling

[Jason-mgfk]

English classes in high school and college: spend an hour to slowly drone on about a book.
John Green: spends 10 minutes gripping my attention and making me want to, and in many cases, actually read these books.
Why can’t professors make us this excited about books

[Summer-qvmf]

I HAVE BEEN WATCHING THIS MAN FOR YEARS AND NEVER REALIZED HE WAS THE JOHN GREEN. ALL HAIL TO THIS LEGEND WHO TAUGHT ME 8TH AND 9TH GRADE HISTORY.

[unktheunk]

john's admiration for Margret Atwood is palpable

[horseenthusiast]

By the way, Margaret Atwood is definitely a literary genius. Her prose is absolutely gorgeous, and if you’ve only seen the tv show, go read a copy of the Handmaid’s Tale. It’s horrifyingly beautiful.

[paularodriguez]

This book completly broke my heart. I truly had to recover before reading another book. I believe it's fantastic and enjoyed it sooo much

[oliverpaszkowski]

Offred

She is Of fred
She is Offered
Handmaidebs wear red, she is off-red.

[Kaotiqua]

Handmaid's Tale was always horrifying. In the current climate, it's _terrifying_ .

[armorsmith]

Is there a noncreepy word for having a professional crush on someone? Like where you are all “ohmygod I want to learn all the things from you”, but in an entirely boundary-respecting way? Because I feel like John has that about Atwood.

I want there to be a word for this, because I’ve felt it.

[FirstRisingSouI]

Why wasn't I required to read this in school? It sounds awesome!

[kayeeelelwhyyy]

second year doing this book in my lit class and its so life changing. favourite quotes are when she goes off on a tangent and then says 'that didnt actually happen, heres another version' or 'you dont tell a story to yourself, theres always someone, even when there is no one' also the PLOT TWIST in the historical notes

[qtheplatypus]

Reading is not illegal yet.
Fahrenheit 451 .?

[amy-fepp]

Covering two of my favourite books back to back... so satisfied

[merrittanimation]

I read this book early this year and it horrified me to learn how closely it resembled Afghanistan under the Taliban. Mostly because when the book was written they were just one of many groups in the Mujahideen and had as much chance to be in power as the others