I was reading through tributes to Ray Bradbury when I came across this observation:
Without Bradbury there’s no Michael Chabon, no Cormac McCarthy, no Margaret Atwood.Great. Now I have to build a time machine, go back and kill Mrs Bradbury before she conceives him.
2 comments:
Somehow, I don't think Ray was too fond of Atwood's work. Seeing that unlike her, he wasn't wrapped up in a seething hatred of the United States, capitalism, Christianity, and the male half of humanity in general.
Which is exactly why "The Handmaid's Tale" reads like a bad parody of John Norman. (I know, how can you do a bad parody of Norman, who already is one?)
cheers
eon
The Handmaid's Tale is a good example of complete misunderstanding of the Mosaic Law and fundaments of both Judaism and Christianity.
A Christian Fundamentalist state simply would not be anything like Atwood described. It would be similar as Calvin's Geneve, which wasn't really that bad.
Atwood doesn't understand that you cannot apply Mosaic Law in practise without Talmud. Talmud is essential for understanding the Law. Without understanding the Mishna, the Mosaic Law becomes nothing but an irrational and incohesive rambling of chapters. Without understanding the Gemara, it all falls as a soulless set of regulations.
Atwood attempts to separate the Mosaic Law from Talmud, and fails miserably. No wonder her dystopia sounds so pathetic.
Post a Comment