Exploring the Manipulation of the Natural World within Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and MaddAddam Trilogy - Masters Thesis

Sep 11, 2026

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This thesis explores how Margaret Atwood manipulates the natural world across her literary universe, evaluating both her newer, explicitly environmental texts and her earlier traditionally feminist works. It identifies ecocritical trends by examining how exploitation of bodies, space/place, and language generates power over nature, while questioning how “nature” becomes commodified and continually reshaped. The study compares The Handmaid’s Tale and The MaddAddam trilogy and analyzes the power dynamic between humanity and the planet, considering whether a non-abusive, harmonious relationship can replace an anthropocentric one.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages112

Reading Time4 h 42 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Green theory

Ecofeminism

Ethics and the Role of Literature

Dystopian, Climate and Speculative Fiction

Literature Review

Overview of Chapters

Chapter One: Bodies and Reproduction

University of Huddersfield Repository Mellor, Rachael Exploring the manipulation of the natural world within Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and MaddAddam trilogy. Original Citation Mellor, Rachael (2020) Exploring the manipulation of the natural world within Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and MaddAddam trilogy. Masters thesis, University of Huddersfield. This version is available at [http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/35313/](http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/35313/) The University Repository is a digital collection of the research output of the University, available on Open Access. Copyright and Moral Rights for the items on this site are retained by the individual author and/or other copyright owners. Users may access full items free of charge; copies of full text items generally can be reproduced, displayed or performed and given to third parties in any format or medium for personal research or study, educational or not-for-profit purposes without prior permission or charge, provided: • The authors, title and full bibliographic details is credited in any copy; • A hyperlink and/or URL is included for the original metadata page; and • The content is not changed in any way. For more information, including our policy and submission procedure, please contact [the Repository Team at: E.mailbox@hud.ac.uk](the Repository Team at: E.mailbox@hud.ac.uk). [http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/](http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/) Exploring the manipulation of the natural world within Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and MaddAddam trilogy. Rachael Mellor A thesis submitted to the University of Huddersfield in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters by Research in English Literature University of Huddersfield 27th April 2020 Copyright Statement i. The author of this thesis (including any appendices and/ or schedules to this thesis) owns any copyright in it (the “Copyright”) and s/he has given The University of Huddersfield the right to use such Copyright for any administrative, promotional, educational and/or teaching purposes. ii. Copies of this thesis, either in full or in extracts, may be made only in accordance with the regulations of the University Library. Details of these regulations may be obtained from the Librarian. Details of these regulations may be obtained from the Librarian. This page must form part of any such copies made. iii. The ownership of any patents, designs, trademarks and any and all other intellectual property rights except for the Copyright (the “Intellectual Property Rights”) and any reproductions of copyright works, for example graphs and tables (“Reproductions”), which may be described in this thesis, may not be owned by the author and may be owned by third parties. Such Intellectual Property Rights and Reproductions cannot and must not be made available for use without permission of the owner(s) of the relevant Intellectual Property Rights and/or Reproductions. Abstract This thesis will explore the work of Margaret Atwood and will evaluate her texts to find ecocritical trends within both her newer, more explicitly environmental texts, and her older, traditionally feminist works. It will focus upon the manipulation of the natural within her literary worlds, exploring the role of literature in identifying environmental issues facing both the natural world and humanity. The primary focus will be upon both The Handmaid’s Tale and The Maddaddam trilogy, considering the exploitation of bodies, space/place and language to achieve power over the natural world. Through this, it will highlight the difficulty in truly defining ‘nature’ when nature becomes a commodified, ever-changing entity. It will also explore the dynamic between humanity and the natural world itself and analyse the relationship that Atwood portrays between the two. Through considering the power dynamic between humanity and the planet, it will question whether it is possible to c

FAQs

What primary texts does the thesis analyze?

The thesis focuses on The Handmaid’s Tale and The MaddAddam trilogy, comparing them to trace Atwood’s environmental concerns and methods.

Which ecocritical themes does the thesis investigate?

It examines ecocritical trends related to environmental issues, emphasizing how bodies, space/place, and language function in relations of power over the natural world.

What question does the thesis raise about humanity and nature?

It questions whether it is possible to change a destructive, anthropocentric, manipulative relationship into a non-abusive, harmonious connection between humans and non-human nature.

Sep 11, 2026

Uploaded by Mia