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rexe at 01:46am on 09/10/2003
rexe at 01:46am on 09/10/2003School Stuff move along
"Death by Landscapes"
by Margaret Atwood
Analysis by
Stephanie Williams
10-08-03
Mrs. Gavin
)(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((
Margaret Atwood was born in 1939 in Ottawa, Canada. Her father was an entomologist, which lead to her family spending a lot of time in the wilderness while he did field research. Later her family moved to Toronto but still continued to spend time in the wild each year. In high school she became influenced by the works of Edgar Allen Poe. Which in turn led her to decide that writing would consume her life. Northrup Frye's findings on mythic themes in the written word influences her greatly while she attended Victoria College of the University of Toronto. William Blake's own mythology that "humankind's desires for pleasure and expression...are thwarted by repressive institutions that humans themselves
have created." This mythology of Blake has also been an important influence on Atwood's writings. After receiving her master's degree at Radcliffe College, Atwood won a Woodrow Wilson fellowship, which enabled her to continue her studies at Harvard University. She concentrated on Victorian literature and the gothic romance which is yet another influence on her own work.
Atwood was a social and political activist whose ideas of feminism and nationalism made her work even more controversial. When she was younger she had noticed the lack of Canadian literature, let alone female Canadian literature. She believed "that there is a tendency on the part of Canada's authors to portray Canada's people and landscapes as victims of the forces of nature and exploitation." Furthermore she also said that "women are often victims and like Canada itself often participate in their own victimization." Other issues that show up in her writings are introspective into a woman's own self and friendships with others. Duality and polarity both play a major role in many of Atwood's works. Whether it is female/male or urban wilderness/Canadian wilderness Atwood almost always inserts such ideas into her novels and poetry. Due to her controversial writings she has become both a prominent novelist and poet.
)()()()()()()()()()())()())))()()(
People take landscapes for granted. They see them in doctor's offices, lobbies, hotel rooms, and above mantlepieces in their friends'
houses. They even have them in their own homes. Just a nice quaint addition to the furniture to make the house look even nicer. For Lois this was
not the case. Landscapes to her were more then just pictures on the wall, an addition to the furniture. They were puzzles and riddles. If they were
solved then she would gain the one fact she has been longing to know. She would learn the secret of what happened to Lucy when she
disappeared into the landscape of the Canadian wilderness.
The 'cheap' landscapes are the only way that Lois could experience the wilderness. She avoids the vast forests of Canada like the plague.
When Rob, who we assume was her husband, died she moved away from her lawn, the ivy, and the squirrels which could symbolize a small
part of nature and wilderness that was all that Lois could stand. She moved to an urban condo where the only wilderness was potted plants. She
had made sure that there would be enough room for her landscapes in the new condo. When one would think of landscapes they would think of the sleepy, quaint European countryside. Lois assures us that these pictures are nothing like it. They are a maze or rather a puzzle for one to get ost in. Just as Lucy gets lost in the landscape of the Canadian wilderness. The landscapes had made her feel uneasy, as if someone was
watching her, following her every move. She hears a yell of joy after recounting the story of Camp Manitou which is reminecent of the scream Lois hears in the wood when Lucy leaves to go to the bathroom. She sees Lucy in all the landscapes, hiding behind a rock or a tree. Lucy was never lost she was with Lois the whole time, hiding in the landscapes that belong to Lois.
Atwood uses biographical strategies in her "Death by Landscape." Atwood grew up in Canada, and would spend time in the wilderness
with her family for quite a long time. She uses these experiences for the setting of her story. In many of her stories she uses polarity to set off
different issues. Lois and Lucy are both quite different fro each other when you are introduced to them. Another duality is Lois's urban
apartment and the wilderness landscapes of her condo. Atwood's "Death by Landscape" is a sad, supenseful story about how a woeful accident in one's childhood could affect one for the rest of their life.
"Death by Landscapes"
by Margaret Atwood
Analysis by
Stephanie Williams
10-08-03
Mrs. Gavin
)(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((
Margaret Atwood was born in 1939 in Ottawa, Canada. Her father was an entomologist, which lead to her family spending a lot of time in the wilderness while he did field research. Later her family moved to Toronto but still continued to spend time in the wild each year. In high school she became influenced by the works of Edgar Allen Poe. Which in turn led her to decide that writing would consume her life. Northrup Frye's findings on mythic themes in the written word influences her greatly while she attended Victoria College of the University of Toronto. William Blake's own mythology that "humankind's desires for pleasure and expression...are thwarted by repressive institutions that humans themselves
have created." This mythology of Blake has also been an important influence on Atwood's writings. After receiving her master's degree at Radcliffe College, Atwood won a Woodrow Wilson fellowship, which enabled her to continue her studies at Harvard University. She concentrated on Victorian literature and the gothic romance which is yet another influence on her own work.
Atwood was a social and political activist whose ideas of feminism and nationalism made her work even more controversial. When she was younger she had noticed the lack of Canadian literature, let alone female Canadian literature. She believed "that there is a tendency on the part of Canada's authors to portray Canada's people and landscapes as victims of the forces of nature and exploitation." Furthermore she also said that "women are often victims and like Canada itself often participate in their own victimization." Other issues that show up in her writings are introspective into a woman's own self and friendships with others. Duality and polarity both play a major role in many of Atwood's works. Whether it is female/male or urban wilderness/Canadian wilderness Atwood almost always inserts such ideas into her novels and poetry. Due to her controversial writings she has become both a prominent novelist and poet.
)()()()()()()()()()())()())))()()(
People take landscapes for granted. They see them in doctor's offices, lobbies, hotel rooms, and above mantlepieces in their friends'
houses. They even have them in their own homes. Just a nice quaint addition to the furniture to make the house look even nicer. For Lois this was
not the case. Landscapes to her were more then just pictures on the wall, an addition to the furniture. They were puzzles and riddles. If they were
solved then she would gain the one fact she has been longing to know. She would learn the secret of what happened to Lucy when she
disappeared into the landscape of the Canadian wilderness.
The 'cheap' landscapes are the only way that Lois could experience the wilderness. She avoids the vast forests of Canada like the plague.
When Rob, who we assume was her husband, died she moved away from her lawn, the ivy, and the squirrels which could symbolize a small
part of nature and wilderness that was all that Lois could stand. She moved to an urban condo where the only wilderness was potted plants. She
had made sure that there would be enough room for her landscapes in the new condo. When one would think of landscapes they would think of the sleepy, quaint European countryside. Lois assures us that these pictures are nothing like it. They are a maze or rather a puzzle for one to get ost in. Just as Lucy gets lost in the landscape of the Canadian wilderness. The landscapes had made her feel uneasy, as if someone was
watching her, following her every move. She hears a yell of joy after recounting the story of Camp Manitou which is reminecent of the scream Lois hears in the wood when Lucy leaves to go to the bathroom. She sees Lucy in all the landscapes, hiding behind a rock or a tree. Lucy was never lost she was with Lois the whole time, hiding in the landscapes that belong to Lois.
Atwood uses biographical strategies in her "Death by Landscape." Atwood grew up in Canada, and would spend time in the wilderness
with her family for quite a long time. She uses these experiences for the setting of her story. In many of her stories she uses polarity to set off
different issues. Lois and Lucy are both quite different fro each other when you are introduced to them. Another duality is Lois's urban
apartment and the wilderness landscapes of her condo. Atwood's "Death by Landscape" is a sad, supenseful story about how a woeful accident in one's childhood could affect one for the rest of their life.