The Handmaid's Tale Companion: Extensive Chapter-by-Chapter Study Guide

By far the most comprehensive study guide available on The Handmaid's Tale — much greater detailed than SparkNotes, CliffNotes, LitCharts, or any other online guide. (This took me four years to complete!)

The chapter-by-chapter literary guide is written as if I’m having a conversation with students about the novel. I was teaching the book for the fourth year just as the pandemic hit, so I started a series of typed notes in lieu of classroom discussions. As the notes kept expanding, I rewrote it in the form of a connected, comprehensive book.

The primary aim is to draw attention to the many subjects, themes, and literary devices used throughout the text. I also explain the many allusions made to historical circumstances, pop culture, the Bible, and other intertextual references, often with helpful graphic illustrations. I provide a helpful appendix with all the devices, symbols, colors, and allusions listed out for each and every chapter.

Most of the allusions I point out are accepted ones within literature, history, and the arts. The notes about popular culture will hopefully make interesting points for classroom discussion (and bring back memories for the Gen Xers and baby boomers among us).

The secondary purpose is to relate the events of the narrative in a simpler, chapter-by-chapter, manner since students often find the frequent flashbacks in the storyline difficult to follow. I also explain the layers of narrative that are intriguing, though difficult, and have interesting intersections throughout the text.

Finally, I point out many areas of research a student could explore for papers at the high school and university levels.