MMLA Nov 14 – 16, 2025
Marquette University
Milwaukee, WI
40 Years of The Handmaid’s Tale
In 1985, Margaret Atwood’s sixth novel was published. The Handmaid’s Tale was a finalist for the Booker Prize and won the inaugural Arthur C. Clarke Prize. Impressive, yes, but the novel would not reach the height of its cultural relevance until decades later. The Handmaid’s Tale has been reimagined in numerous ways, including a 1990 film (with Natasha Richardson and Elizabeth McGovern), as an opera, a stage play, a streaming series (a format unimaginable at the time of the novel’s release), a ballet choreographed by Lila York, art and immersive exhibits, and a graphic novel adapted by Renée Nault. And it compelled Atwood to write its sequel, published 34 years later.
This panel invites papers that explore the rich and varied imprints The Handmaid’s Tale has made on the humanities: how audiences interact with it, how it inspires conversation and protest, and what parts of its legacy have yet to be written.
Please submit your 250-word abstract and brief biography to Denise Du Vernay, dduvernay@luc.edu, by April 15.
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