English Lit Essay - The Handmaids Tale and Frankenstein

They both create an atmosphere of mystery and suspense through with holding information, and dropping in movements of foreshadowing. Both of texts also follow a non-linear structure (there is some logic to it but HMT swaps constantly between flashbacks and the present and Frankenstein we go back a bit with the creature’s narrative) which could create a sense of uncertainty. You could also look at the difference in what sort of fear they create; Frankenstein draws a lot on gothic literature useing things like hyperbolic languege and pathetic fallacy to make the text quiet dramatic which suits the almost supernatural themes. The HMT is more physiological, Atwood focuses in great detail on the day to day things in life (I seem to remember her spending half a page on a description of an egg) which reflects how close her society is to our own yet so different- its recognisable but also not, which creates more of a physiological terror. Sorry I rambled a bit, hopefully this helped