Margaret Atwood

Why should Margaret Atwood’s speech, ‘Spotty Handed Villainess’ be studied?
Margaret Atwood’s “Spotty Handed Villainesses” speech is both passionate and insightful in its addressing of the unjust representation of female characters in literature. At the time of it original oration Atwood’s speech was deemed extremely significant and relevant speech as it dealt with issues surrounding gender inequality and female empowerment which were, and still are, deemed unjust within the modern world. During the time of her address, society was going through a contemporary movement driven by feminist views of the portrayal of women in life and art. Atwood’s purpose in delivering this speech was to advocate for change within the literary world, which she saw as being filled with patriarchal values. She incites her audience of fiction enthusiasts, to go beyond the stereotype of women in literature to create a genuine character, resembling those in real life. As such The Spotty Handed Villainess was, and still is, regarded as an archetype on the passionate debate for more transparent and authentic perceptions of women in literature.  

Atwood frequently uses literary allusions and references within her speech to convey examples to her audience of the limited roles women have played in literature by categorizing female characters as spotted or spotless. She suggests the need for spottiness in female characters by developing complex female characters that defy the binary opposed categorization of pure or evil. Instead she suggests that an anomalous category is required that caters to the ‘speckled’ woman. To develop this idea she uses the Shakespearean allusion to Lady Macbeth by highlighting that, in literature, there only appears to be two representations of women: pure or evil as opposed to male characters who would appear to fit the demand of any character. The Shakespearean allusion is highlighted when Atwood states “Lady Macbeth was spotted… both came to sticky ends…” where...