Year of the Flood

English and Literature

Paper instructions:
Year of the Flood: The Saints named by the Gardeners in this novel are actually real people, historical figures who made meaningful contributions to science, philosophy, or another field of human intellectual endeavor. Pick a Saint name that figures prominently in a Saint Day chapter of the novel. Research the name and see what you can discover about the significance of that real life person, then re-read the associated chapter again, interpreting the text in light of your new understanding of that Saint’s contributions to humanity. How does an understanding of that Saint enhance your understanding of Atwood’s text, the main characters, literary Darwinism and evolutionary theory, or the landscape of this dystopic world?