‘A word after a word after a word is power’: The Hulu Adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale (2017-2025): A one-day multidisciplinary symposium.

‘A word after a word after a word is power’: The Hulu Adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale (2017-2025): A one-day multidisciplinary symposium.

Friday 13 September 2024 (University of Northumbria Campus West / Sandyford Building, Rooms 210 & 212)

This is a one-day Symposium on the Hulu Adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood’s famous 1985 dystopia. The novel was published during the challenging Ronald Reagan’s America, with second-wave feminism, anti-pornography, pro-life and pro-legal abortion campaigns, but the first season of the adaptation also came out during troubled times, a few months after the controversial election of Donald Trump as the 50th President of the USA, which created an equally tense political scene. Women across the world were protesting for female and human rights, often dressed in the now iconic Handmaid’s costume. The eerie resemblance between facts and fiction is the main reason behind the critical and popular success of both the novel and its 2017-2025 TV Adaptation.  

The Hulu adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale has enjoyed unprecedented academic and popular international success, with the first season winning eight out of thirteen Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Elizabeth Moss. Therefore, there will be a variety of papers presented, from the fields of literature, language, film studies, and fashion, by postgraduate students and academics at various stages in their career. The Symposium is supported by research funding by Northumbria University and represents two research groups, ‘Gendered Subjects’ and ‘Modern and Contemporary Writings’. It is also endorsed by The Margaret Atwood Society.

There will be a small conference fee (£15 for unwaged, £25 for waged delegates) that will cover light refreshments and lunch. Please inform the conference organiser, Dr Kiriaki (Korina) Massoura of any allergies or dietary requests (vegan, or gluten-free) or of any access assistance that you may need: kiriaki.massoura@northumbria.ac.uk

Programme of the day.

We are looking forward to seeing you on Friday 13 September 2024.