Myth And Fantasy in Margaret Atwood’s Maddaddam Trilogy

Abstract

This paper discusses the use of myth and fantasy in Margaret Atwood’s apocalyptic science fiction trilogy Maddaddam. While the plot of the first novel in this trilogy unremittingly moves in a linear direction towards total destruction, the final novel reconnects the end with the beginning of human origins and as such, the trilogy reveals also a cyclic structure. It is especially in the connection between the apocalyptic future and the past of human origins that elements of myth and fantasy are foregrounded. Just like science, myth is a mode of understanding and making sense of the world and the way Atwood employs myth and fantasy underscores her engagement with the question pertaining to the nature of what it means to be human. Referring to Mircea Eliade’s concept of humanity as a species marked by a desire to distinguish the sacred from the profane, Atwood, in the last novel of her trilogy, Maddaddam, increasingly drawsparallels between biblical beginnings and her post-apocalyptic fictional world, as the narrative places the fate of the human survivors within the context of the Old Testament. Sharing postmodernism’s anti-humanist stance, mainly revealed in the relentless direction humanity takes towards total annihilation, Maddaddam simultaneously advocates humanist values such as self-determination and the ability to consciously opt for the good. The humanist ideals are significantly connected with elements of myth and fantasy and thus with transcendence. Through the use of myth and fantasy, Atwood advocates humanist values, because in view of increasing global violence and exploitation, responsible moral action becomes the only alternative to ward off the dangers of a disastrous future awaiting humanity