1. Spotty-Handed Villainesses
By Jenny, Isabella, Zahra and Emma

3. BIOGRAPHY
Margaret Atwood is a Canadian author born in 1939, Ottawa, and grew up in northern Ontario and Quebec.
Until she was eleven, she spent half of each year between Toronto, her family’s residence, and northern Canada, where her father, an entomologist, conducted his research.
At the age of six, she began writing morality plays, poems, comic books, and had started writing a novel.
Her favourite writer as a teenager was Edgar Allan Poe, who was famous for his dark mystery stories.
Earned a master’s degree in English literature from Radcliffe College, in 1962.
In her early poetry collections, Atwood ponders human behaviour, celebrates the natural world, and begins to condemn materialism
Role reversal and new beginnings are frequently shown throughout her novels, all centred around women and seeking their relationship to both the world and the individuals around them.
She campaigned against the oppression of women and pushed for equal rights in all aspects of life for women
She supports feminism, but criticises it for its extremism.

4. PURPOSE
Margaret Atwood delivers the speech in a way that aims to reposition audience, and question their ability to open up to the idea of equality.
Her speech is made to determine whether the feminist movements have been successful in influencing society to view women in literature differently.
She has incorporated literary and biblical allusions in the speech in order to appeal to logos, by representing herself as a knowledgeable speaker, alongside pathos by using words to shift perspective.

5. CULTURAL CONTEXT
Margaret Atwood, a well-known Canadian writer, gave her speech “Spotty handed Villainesses” to various groups in This speech has many literary allusions, and thus appeals to an educated audience. During the time of her address, society was going through a contemporary movement, particularly in regard to feminist views of women in life and art.
In a time of change, her speech aimed to challenge the views of women in society. This was accomplished as she delivered an entertaining, yet informative argument, exploring the dichotomy(contrast) of the representations of women in literature.

6. HISTORICAL CONTEXT
In the 1960’s, there was a feminist push, known as the second wave feminism. It aimed to fight against the oppression of women in society, in hope for equal rights.
Atwoods speech was delivered in 1994, and by this point, society had encountered it’s third wave feminism. The historical purpose of this speech was to question what feminism really was, as dispute arose between the extreme feminists and counter feminists.

7. RELIGIOUS CONTEXT
Margaret Atwood is a “strict agnostic” who uses religious allusion to appeal to logos within her speeches. This is effective as Margaret discusses the hypothetical effects of removing God from human consciousness- yet by using phrases such as “virgin mary”, she proves relatable analogies to the audience.
Through the use of satire, Atwood challenges her fan base that ask her “why don't you make men stronger”, by stating “i think this is a matter that should be taken up with God.” Just like her, God is an author to the world, and thus he is one that holds the responsibility to make men stronger, not her. Ultimately, by stating “he too is an author”, Atwood foreshadows her religious context, as she equalises herself with God, and does not portray him as a superior being, but one with responsibility different to her.

8. Rhetorical devices- Technique/quote/explanation
Personal anecdote – in the opening of her speech she makes a personal connection with the audience whilst introducing the issue of literature & the way it portrays women –“little girl who had a curl”.
Colloquialisms – make her speech more accessible to the audience & the humour of them is engaging – “flogging a few dead horses”.
Rhetorical question – “what is a novel?” - in order to challenge audience perception, and highlight her coming point about the placement of women in novels.
Humorous metaphor & religious allusion– compares the job of a novelist to God’s task of creating the world, “one detail at a time” – emphasises the difficulty of writing & appeals to the religious beliefs of the audience.
Historical & literary references – allows her to validate her points & appeal to logos. She explains the role of women & how they are portrayed in literature (good & bad).. this is evident through her comparison to Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Shakespeare – Lady Macbeth. Makes the point that female authors should not be restricted to using only good female characters- thus pushing the agenda of women in literature- and fighting for equality.

9. Rhetorical devices- Technique/quote/explanation
She Criticises the women’s movement through a paradox to illustrate the divide which has been created between “women who wore high-heels and make-up” and “those in overalls”.
Repetition – “novels are not” – emphasises her point about the expectations surrounding what a novel should be. She challenges audience by demonstrating the real purpose of a novel is to tell a realistic story of all points of views. (Thus not just objectifying women to good characters)
Spotty handed villainess- allusion to Lady Macbeth – portrayed as flawed character – killed King Duncan with her husband Macbeth. Illustrating the idea that women can be bad too.

10. Arrangements
The speech opens with an introduction of the title of the speech
Margaret’s use of first person opens the speech up to the central idea and purpose; The portrayal of women in literature, in particular evil women
Atwood then moves the speech forward and introduces a personal anecdote of her daughters play in order to define what literature is not.
Paragraph 11, is where Atwood begins to describe what a novel is, and begins to criticise those who attempt to define what exactly a novel is
“only a very foolish person would attempt to give a definitive answer....”
She then goes on to further explain what a novel is by stating what a novel is not→ paradox
Paragraph 24 introduces the notion of women in literature, and Atwood focuses on female protagonists
“Let's put a women at the centre of something-other-than-breakfast”
Throughout the remainder of the speech Atwood makes reference to other examples of literature to further highlight her intentions and ideas on women in literature and the different roles that they can and have played.
“Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw and Bram Stoker’s Dracula ... Both revolve around notions of female sexuality”

11. VALUES/IDEAS Role of Women in Society
Explores the changing role of women in society
Exploration takes place through her investigation of the portrayal of female characters in literature, and the changes they have undergone over time
Traces the history of significant fictional women in literature through modern female characters
Congratulates women’s movement for expanding the roles of women in literature and simultaneously society although she does also criticise them for limiting the reality of this portrayal
Literature Reflecting Reality
Discusses the relationship between literature and reality
Fundamental difference is that in literature there is a requirement that ‘something has to happen’
In reality we don’t necessitate action and are satisfied with the absence of the ‘something’ that we require in literature- we are happy with a kind of ‘eternal breakfast’ and ‘we ask for nothing’ to really happen
Atwood believes that the essence and foundations of literature stem from reality, as literature grapples with the ‘human condition’ which is inevitably a reflection of the writer’s world