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Freeforall
"Freeforall" is a 1986 dystopian short story by Margaret Atwood, often described as a gender flipped version of her novel ''The Handmaid's Tale''. Background Atwood envisioned "Freeforall" as a companion piece to ''The Handmaid's Tale'', published a year prior. Like ''The Handmaid's Tale'', "Freeforall" is set in an dystopian society. Atwood intended this dystopia to evoke responses to the then-widespread AIDS epidemic: "The solution that society has come up with is that you would have to have arranged marriages, and you would have to have sexually pure participants, otherwise everyone would just die." "Freeforall" was first published on Sept 20, 1986 in the ''Toronto Stars Life section, as part of a series called "The Family Into 2001." A year later, the story ran in the Canadian anthology series ''Tesseracts''. Atwood originally intended "Freeforall" to appear in her 1994 collection ''Good Bones and Simple Murders ''Good Bones and Simple Murders'' is a book by Canadian author ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1986 In Literature
This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1986. Events * April 29 – A major fire at Los Angeles Public Library caused by arson destroys 400,000 volumes. * July 21 – Michael Grade, Controller of BBC1, axes plans to televise Ian Curteis's '' The Falklands Play''. * September 29 – Bloomsbury Publishing is set up in London by Nigel Newton. * October 9 – '' The Phantom of the Opera'', having been the longest running Broadway show ever, opens at Her Majesty's Theatre in London. * December 19 – The Soviet dissident author Andrei Sakharov is allowed to return to Moscow after six years' internal exile. New books Fiction *Kingsley Amis – ''The Old Devils'' *V. C. Andrews – ''Garden of Shadows'' * Piers Anthony – ''Ghost'' * Jeffrey Archer – ''A Matter of Honour'' *James Axler – '' Pilgrimage to Hell'' and '' Red Holocaust'' * Iain Banks – '' The Bridge'' *Thomas Bernhard – ''Extinction'' (''Auslöschung'') *Azouz Begag – ' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dystopia
A dystopia (from Ancient Greek δυσ- "bad, hard" and τόπος "place"; alternatively cacotopiaCacotopia (from κακός ''kakos'' "bad") was the term used by Jeremy Bentham in his 1818 Plan of Parliamentary Reform (Works, vol. 3, p. 493). or simply anti-utopia) is a speculated community or society that is undesirable or frightening. It is often treated as an Opposite (semantics), antonym of ''utopia'', a term that was coined by Sir Thomas More and figures as the title of his best known work, published in 1516, which created a blueprint for an ideal society with minimal crime, violence and poverty. The relationship between utopia and dystopia is in actuality not one simple opposition, as many utopian elements and components are found in dystopias as well, and ''vice versa''. Dystopias are often characterized by rampant fear or distress , tyrannical governments, environmental disaster, or other characteristics associated with a cataclysmic decline in society. Distinct th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Short Story
A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest types of literature and has existed in the form of legends, mythic tales, folk tales, fairy tales, tall tales, fables and anecdotes in various ancient communities around the world. The modern short story developed in the early 19th century. Definition The short story is a crafted form in its own right. Short stories make use of plot, resonance, and other dynamic components as in a novel, but typically to a lesser degree. While the short story is largely distinct from the novel or novella/short novel, authors generally draw from a common pool of literary techniques. The short story is sometimes referred to as a genre. Determining what exactly defines a short story has been recurrently problematic. A classic definition of a short story ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Margaret Atwood
Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, teacher, environmental activist, and inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of non-fiction, nine collections of short fiction, eight children's books, and two graphic novels, and a number of small press editions of both poetry and fiction. Atwood has won numerous awards and honors for her writing, including two Booker Prizes, the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the Governor General's Award, the Franz Kafka Prize, Princess of Asturias Awards, and the National Book Critics and PEN Center USA Lifetime Achievement Awards. A number of her works have been adapted for film and television. Atwood's works encompass a variety of themes including gender and identity, religion and myth, the power of language, climate change, and "power politics". Many of her poems are inspired by myths and fairy tales which interested her from a very early age. Oates, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gender Flip
{{wiktionary, gender-flip A gender flip is when a fictional character is created to have a different sex in another setting or in an adaptation of a work. The Internet meme Rule 63 predicts the prevalence of this. Notable examples * Sherlock Holmes' companion Dr. Watson, Dr. John Watson (male) are in some adaptations changed to females: Joan Watson in ''Elementary (TV_series), Elementary'' (2012 TV series) or Jane Watson in ''The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1987 film), The Return of Sherlock Holmes'' (1987 film) * ''Foundation (Asimov novel), Foundation'' (1951 novel) character Gaal Dornick was changed to Gall Dornick (female) in ''Foundation (TV series), Foundation'' (2021 TV series) * ''Starship Troopers'' (1959 novel) character Dizzy Flores (male) was changed to a female in ''Starship Troopers (film), Starship Troopers'' (1997 film) * ''Dune (novel), Dune'' (1965 novel) character Liet Kynes, Liet-Kynes (male) was changed to a female in ''Dune (2021 film), Dune'' (2021 film) * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Handmaid's Tale
''The Handmaid's Tale'' is a futuristic dystopian novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood and published in 1985. It is set in a near-future New England in a patriarchal, totalitarian theonomic state known as the Republic of Gilead, which has overthrown the United States government. Offred is the central character and narrator and one of the "handmaids", women who are forcibly assigned to produce children for the "commanders", who are the ruling class in Gilead. The novel explores themes of subjugated women in a patriarchal society, loss of female agency and individuality, suppression of women's reproductive rights, and the various means by which women resist and try to gain individuality and independence. The title echoes the component parts of Geoffrey Chaucer's ''The Canterbury Tales'', which is a series of connected stories (such as "The Merchant's Tale" and "The Parson's Tale"). It also alludes to the tradition of fairy tales where the central character tells her story. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Companion Piece
''Companion Piece'' is an original novella written by Robert Perry and Mike Tucker and based on the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It features the Seventh Doctor and Catherine Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria. In the early Christ .... It was released both as a standard edition hardback and a deluxe edition () featuring a frontispiece by Allan Bednar. Both editions have a foreword by Colin Midlane. 2003 British novels 2003 science fiction novels Doctor Who novellas Novels by Mike Tucker Novels by Robert Perry Telos Publishing books {{DoctorWho-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
AIDS Epidemic
The global epidemic of HIV/AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) began in 1981, and is an ongoing worldwide public health issue. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of 2021, HIV/AIDS has killed approximately 40.1 million people, and approximately 38.4 million people are infected with HIV globally. Of these 38.4 million people, 75% are receiving antiretroviral treatment. There were about 770,000 deaths from HIV/AIDS in 2018, and 680,000 deaths in 2020. The 2015 Global Burden of Disease Study estimated that the global incidence of HIV infection peaked in 1997 at 3.3 million per year. Global incidence fell rapidly from 1997 to 2005, to about 2.6 million per year. Incidence of HIV has continued to fall, decreasing by 23% from 2010 to 2020, with progress dominated by decreases in Eastern Africa and Southern Africa. , there are approximately 1.5 million new infections of HIV per year globally. According to the World H ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Toronto Star
The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. The newspaper's offices are located at One Yonge Street in the Harbourfront, Toronto, Harbourfront neighbourhood of Toronto. The newspaper was established in 1892 as the ''Evening Star'' and was later renamed the ''Toronto Daily Star'' in 1900, under Joseph E. Atkinson. Atkinson was a major influence in shaping the editorial stance of the paper, with the paper having reflected his values until his death in 1948. The paper was renamed the ''Toronto Star'' in 1971. The newspaper introduced a Sunday edition in 1973. History The ''Star'' was created in 1892 by striking ''Toronto News'' printers and writers, led by future mayor of Toronto and social reformer Horatio Clarenc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Good Bones And Simple Murders
''Good Bones and Simple Murders'' is a book by Canadian author Margaret Atwood, originally published in 1994. Although classified with Atwood's short fiction, it is an eclectic collection, featuring parables, monologues, prose poems, condensed science fiction, reconfigured fairy tales, as well as Atwood's own illustrations. Much of the book is a reprint of two earlier Atwood works, '' Good Bones'' and '' Murder in the Dark''. The story ''Gertrude Talks Back'' sees Gertrude, mother of Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ... setting her son straight about Old Hamlet's murder: "It wasn't Claudius, darling, it was me!"Thompson and Taylor (2006a, 126–132). References * Pratt, Laura. "Heather Reisman's little list of literary party favours." ''National Post'' D ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sexually Transmitted Disease
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), also referred to as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and the older term venereal diseases, are infections that are spread by sexual activity, especially vaginal intercourse, anal sex, and oral sex. STIs often do not initially cause symptoms, which results in a risk of passing the infection on to others. Symptoms and signs of STIs may include vaginal discharge, penile discharge, ulcers on or around the genitals, and pelvic pain. Some STIs can cause infertility. Bacterial STIs include chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis. Viral STIs include genital herpes, HIV/AIDS, and genital warts. Parasitic STIs include trichomoniasis. STI diagnostic tests are usually easily available in the developed world, but they are often unavailable in the developing world. Some vaccinations may also decrease the risk of certain infections including hepatitis B and some types of HPV. Safe sex practices, such as use of condoms, having a smaller n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1986 Short Stories
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal enter the European Community, which becomes the European Union in 1993. *January 11 – The Gateway Bridge in Brisbane, Australia, at this time the world's longest prestressed concrete free-cantilever bridge, is opened. * January 13– 24 – South Yemen Civil War. * January 20 – The United Kingdom and France announce plans to construct the Channel Tunnel. *January 24 – The Voyager 2 space probe makes its first encounter with Uranus. * January 25 – Yoweri Museveni's National Resistance Army Rebel group takes over Uganda after leading a five-year guerrilla war in which up to half a million people are believed to have been killed. They will later use January 26 as the official date to avoid a coincidence of dates with Dictator Idi Amin's ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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