Class dates: Mondays, November 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 (5 weeks)
Class time: 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm
Location: Assumption, Kennedy 119
The Canadian writer Margaret Atwood has an international following and is well-known most recently in the United States as the author of the dystopian novels: The Handmaid's Tale and its sequel The Testaments . Americans, however, often miss how much Atwood's life as a Canadian infuses her work. The course will begin with her most recent book of linked short stories Old Babes in the Wood . The structure and its reflection of the 21st Century make it accessible to new and experienced readers. We will also read Cat’s Eye , a semi-autobiographical novel set in her hometown of Toronto in the 20th century. This novel demonstrates where today's Atwood came from, both as author and public figure. Throughout the course, we will refer to and utilize insights from her recently published memoir, Margaret Atwood, Book of Lives. A Memoir of Sorts .
Required reading : Old Babes in the Wood by Margaret Atwood; Vintage Books 978-0-593-46841-8; 2024 Cat's Eye ; Vintage Books
Optional reading : Margaret Atwood Book of Lives A Memoir of Sorts ; Doubleday Hardcover Ed. 978-0385547512 Dropped Threads: What We Aren't Told ; Carol Shields and Marjorie Anderson, eds. Vintage Canada, 2001 0-679-31071-1
Instructor: Marcia Tannenbaum is a longtime WISE instructor who has taught Literature in various venues since her student teacher days at Simmons (College) University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in the School of Education (1967) and a Master’s Degree in English Language and Literature (1969). Since that time, she earned a Juris Doctor at the University of Connecticut School of Law (1980) following which she resided in Canada in the Ottawa area (Quebec and Ontario) and learned about Canadian culture and literature. Her teaching experience includes courses she created and taught in the US, Israel and Canada while residing in each of those countries. Marcia recently closed her law practice in Massachusetts which focused on Family Law and Mediation after nearly forty years. She continues to read voraciously and looks forward to sharing Margaret Atwood's talent with her friends at WISE.
