The Handmaid’s Tale is a novel by Margaret Atwood published in 1985. This is her first dystopia. It is a science fiction novel that describes a world where religion is higher than politic in a totalitarian coalition. Women are « endegered ». They are divided into three classes. Frist the Wives, the only women who have power, they dominate the House. Then the Marthas who maintain the house and finally the Handmaid’s Tale whose role is reproduction. All the other women (too old, infertile, …) are deported to the colonies where they handle toxic waste. Themain character of the novel Defred is a Handmaid. She can not seduce and her role is reproduction. She gradually tells his story, recalls his time with his family. She only lives for her memories.

There is a french version translated by Sylviane Rué and a film adaptation by Volker Schlöndorff.