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The Terror of Utopia: Examining Doubles as the Source for Cognition in Margaret Atwood’s Fiction

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Date Issued:
2016
Summary:
Much has been written about the effectiveness of speculative fiction, especially utopian works. In this thesis I will examine the source of fear in Margaret Artwood’s works The Handmaid’s Tale and Oryx and Crake using Sigmund Freud’s “The Uncanny” to illustrate the terror of doubles as they appear in the novels. The terror in The Handmaid’s Tale comes from the descriptions of distorted physical environments, while the horror in Oryx and Crake emanates from the familiar yet twisted animals and characters found inside the corporate compounds. Through the recognition of these doubles as uncanny, Atwood’s work moves readers to cognition and social action.
Title: The Terror of Utopia: Examining Doubles as the Source for Cognition in Margaret Atwood’s Fiction.
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Name(s): Toulas, Rosemary, author
McGuirk, Carol, Thesis advisor
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Department of English
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Date Created: 2016
Date Issued: 2016
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 37 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: Much has been written about the effectiveness of speculative fiction, especially utopian works. In this thesis I will examine the source of fear in Margaret Artwood’s works The Handmaid’s Tale and Oryx and Crake using Sigmund Freud’s “The Uncanny” to illustrate the terror of doubles as they appear in the novels. The terror in The Handmaid’s Tale comes from the descriptions of distorted physical environments, while the horror in Oryx and Crake emanates from the familiar yet twisted animals and characters found inside the corporate compounds. Through the recognition of these doubles as uncanny, Atwood’s work moves readers to cognition and social action.
Identifier: FA00004781 (IID)
Degree granted: Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016.
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Includes bibliography.
Subject(s): Uncanny, The (Psychoanalysis), in literature.
Doubles in literature.
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Sublocation: Digital Library
Links: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004781
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004781
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.