Margaret Atwood in Spanish Academia: Themes, Approaches, and Critical Evolution

Abstract

This article provides a comprehensive review of Margaret Atwood’s academic reception in Spain over the past four decades, tracing thematic trends and evolving critical approaches. Since Canadian literary studies emerged in Spain in the 1980s, Atwood has been a key figure, with over two hundred scholarly studies investigating her and her works. Initially, research focused on postmodernism, feminism and Canadian identity led by a group of young female researchers. Over time, interest has expanded to include her dystopian narratives, intertextuality and the representation of power structures. Notably, interest in Atwood’s work has intensified, stimulated by the TV series adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale. Transmedia and audiovisual analyses have been conducted amidst a deeper engagement with contemporary socio-political issues such as ecocriticism, posthumanism, and feminist debate.