The Handmaid’s Tale: Three Literary Perspectives

CHICAGO – In connection with One Book One Northwestern, Northwestern University School of Professional Studies (SPS) hosted "The Handmaid’s Tale: Three Literary Perspectives," a special lunchtime table talk that explored Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale. The event was held on February 28^th and brought together a fiction writer, an independent bookseller, and a literary critic to reflect on the ways in which the novel has made its mark in their respective fields. 

To start off the event, each panelist spoke to an aspect of The Handmaid’s Tale relevant to their field. Co-Founder of Women & Children First bookstore Linda Bubon spoke to the selling history of The Handmaid’s Tale and its impact on dialogues about feminism and patriarchy. Literary critic Kasey Evans surveyed literary criticism of the novel from its publication in 1985 through its recent resurgence as a television series and an allegory in contemporary political discourse. Fiction writer Juan Martinez discussed how influential The Handmaid’s Tale has been for creative practitioners like himself who straddle the speculative and literary.

Afterwards, panelists opened up the conversation to field question from the audience. Questions like “Why do you think the Hulu series has really resonated with young people?” and “What were your personal reactions to the novel?” sparked engaging dialogue amongst panelists and audience members.

The lecture was the fourth in SPS’s new Lunchtime Table Talk series, a monthly lecture and Q&A series over lunch that highlights the interdisciplinary research and conversation occurring at the School of Professional Studies. The lectures are free and open to Northwestern University staff, students, and faculty, as well as the general public.

If you are interested in learning more about the Northwestern University School of Professional Studies Lunchtime Table Talk series, please contact us at SPS@northwestern.edu and ask to be added to our email list. 

Panelist biographies:  

Juan Martinez is a fiction writer and Assistant Professor of English and Creative Writing at Northwestern University.  He teaches in Northwestern's MA in Writing and MFA in Prose and Poetry programs. He was born in Bucaramanga, Colombia, and has since lived in Orlando, Florida, and Las Vegas, Nevada. His acclaimed short story collection Best Worst American was published by Small Beer Press in 2017 and received the Neukom Institute Literary Arts Award for Debut Speculative Fiction as well as was named one of the Best Fiction Books of 2017 by Chicago Review of Books. He holds a PhD from the University of Nevada and is currently at work on a novel.

Linda Bubon is the co-founder and former owner of Women & Children First bookstore in Andersonville. She continues to work there part-time. She has an MA in Literature from the University of Illinois at Chicago and loves performing stories for children and adults.

Kasey Evans is an associate professor of English at Northwestern as well as the Faculty Director of the Liberal Studies program at the School of Professional Studies. She is a scholar and teacher of Renaissance Literature and Gender & Sexuality Studies. Her book Colonial Virtue: The Mobility of Temperance in Renaissance England was published in 2012 by the University of Toronto Press. Evans received her PhD from the University of California, Berkeley.