Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale

A Companion to Science Fiction assembles essays by an international range of scholars which discuss the contexts, themes and methods used by science fiction writers. * This Companion conveys the scale and variety of science fiction. * Shows how science fiction has been used as a means of debating cultural issues. * Essays by an international range of scholars discuss the contexts, themes and methods used by science fiction writers. * Addresses general topics, such as the history and origins of the genre, its engagement with science and gender, and national variations of science fiction around the English-speaking world. * Maps out connections between science fiction, television, the cinema, virtual reality technology, and other aspects of the culture. * Includes a section focusing on major figures, such as H.G. Wells, Arthur C. Clarke, and Ursula Le Guin. * Offers close readings of particular novels, from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein to Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale.