010038 SE Feminist Hermeneutics: Atwood through the eye of Kristeva (2026S)
Continuous assessment of course work
Labels
Registration/Deregistration
Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).
- Registration is open from Mo 02.02.2026 10:00 to We 25.02.2026 10:00
- Deregistration possible until Su 15.03.2026 10:00
Details
max. 30 participants
Language: English
Lecturers
Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N
Note: The seminar will include two screening sessions of The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu series) during regular seminar hours. Attendance of these two sessions is obligatory.
Please note that students who do not attend the first class will be automatically deregistered.
- Friday 06.03. 09:45 - 11:15 Seminarraum 5 (Kath) Schenkenstraße 1.OG
- Friday 13.03. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 5 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
- Friday 20.03. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 6 Franz König Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
- Friday 27.03. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 5 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
- Friday 17.04. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 16 Hauptgebäude, Hochparterre, Stiege 5
- Friday 24.04. 09:45 - 11:15 BIG-Hörsaal Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 1 Hof 1
- Friday 08.05. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 6 Franz König Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
- N Friday 15.05. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 6 Franz König Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
- Friday 22.05. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 6 Franz König Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
- Friday 29.05. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 6 Franz König Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
- Friday 05.06. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 6 Franz König Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
- Friday 12.06. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 16 Hauptgebäude, Hochparterre, Stiege 5
- Friday 19.06. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 16 Hauptgebäude, Hochparterre, Stiege 5
- Friday 26.06. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 6 Franz König Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
Information
Aims, contents and method of the course
Assessment and permitted materials
Assessment Components• Active participation in discussions (30%)
• Written assignments (30%)
• Short written reflection (20%)
• Discussion about the written reflection (20%)The deadline for the short written reflection will be August 31, 2026. The final discussion about the written reflection will take place between September 7 and 25, 2026.This seminar is conducted entirely in English. All course materials, including screenings and readings, are in English. Students are expected to complete all assignments and written reflections in English. Discussions of the written reflections will also be conducted in English.Permitted resources for each component:
Primary and secondary sources, including the two Hulu TV screenings of The Handmaid’s Tale, notes from the class.Guidelines for the Use of AI:When AI-generated text passages are incorporated in written assignments, these must be cited: The name of the AI tool, prompt, and date must be provided. Failure to do so will be considered plagiarism and will be penalised according to the University of Vienna's regulations.The use of AI must be documented in a dedicated list of resources (always required) at the end of written assignments. In a tabular overview, you must indicate which AI tool was used for which purpose.Should academic dishonesty be suspected, a discussion regarding grades will be held.
• Written assignments (30%)
• Short written reflection (20%)
• Discussion about the written reflection (20%)The deadline for the short written reflection will be August 31, 2026. The final discussion about the written reflection will take place between September 7 and 25, 2026.This seminar is conducted entirely in English. All course materials, including screenings and readings, are in English. Students are expected to complete all assignments and written reflections in English. Discussions of the written reflections will also be conducted in English.Permitted resources for each component:
Primary and secondary sources, including the two Hulu TV screenings of The Handmaid’s Tale, notes from the class.Guidelines for the Use of AI:When AI-generated text passages are incorporated in written assignments, these must be cited: The name of the AI tool, prompt, and date must be provided. Failure to do so will be considered plagiarism and will be penalised according to the University of Vienna's regulations.The use of AI must be documented in a dedicated list of resources (always required) at the end of written assignments. In a tabular overview, you must indicate which AI tool was used for which purpose.Should academic dishonesty be suspected, a discussion regarding grades will be held.
Minimum requirements and assessment criteria
Basic requirements:
• Regular attendance at the seminar (Up to three excused absences allowed).
• Active participation in discussions
• Four written assignments (1 page length), 2 based on the series screening, 2 based on the in-class readings
• Submission of the short written reflection (max. 2000 words)
• Final discussion about the short written reflectionGrading Scale
Excellent: All submitted work demonstrates a sophisticated, intensive, and independent engagement with the course topics.
Good: All work is well thought out and well developed
Satisfactory: The course topics were treated with sufficient critical analysis.
Sufficient: The minimum requirements for a passing grade have been met.
Insufficient: The minimum requirements for a passing grade have not been met.
• Regular attendance at the seminar (Up to three excused absences allowed).
• Active participation in discussions
• Four written assignments (1 page length), 2 based on the series screening, 2 based on the in-class readings
• Submission of the short written reflection (max. 2000 words)
• Final discussion about the short written reflectionGrading Scale
Excellent: All submitted work demonstrates a sophisticated, intensive, and independent engagement with the course topics.
Good: All work is well thought out and well developed
Satisfactory: The course topics were treated with sufficient critical analysis.
Sufficient: The minimum requirements for a passing grade have been met.
Insufficient: The minimum requirements for a passing grade have not been met.
Examination topics
Assessment Material and Grading
The assessment material encompasses the following texts and conceptsPrimary Texts (selected chapters)
Margaret Atwood: The Handmaid's Tale and The Testaments
Julia Kristeva: Possessions
Margaret Atwood: Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts (2025)
The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu series, selected episodes)Theoretical Concepts and Key Texts
Julia Kristeva: Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection (selected chapters)
Kristeva's concepts: semiotic and symbolic orders, abjection, melancholia, the archaic mother
Margaret Atwood: Survival: A Thematic Guide to Canadian Literature (1972, selected concepts)
Atwood's "Basic Victim Positions" and their critical reinterpretationSeminar Content
Section I: Theoretical foundations of Kristeva and Atwood within psychoanalytic feminism
Section II: Gilead's female hierarchy as manifestation of abjection; psychic mechanisms of violence and control
Section III: Chiasmic hermeneutics—bidirectional reading practices between literary and philosophical interpretation
Seminar notes and discussions from all 14 weeks
The assessment material encompasses the following texts and conceptsPrimary Texts (selected chapters)
Margaret Atwood: The Handmaid's Tale and The Testaments
Julia Kristeva: Possessions
Margaret Atwood: Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts (2025)
The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu series, selected episodes)Theoretical Concepts and Key Texts
Julia Kristeva: Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection (selected chapters)
Kristeva's concepts: semiotic and symbolic orders, abjection, melancholia, the archaic mother
Margaret Atwood: Survival: A Thematic Guide to Canadian Literature (1972, selected concepts)
Atwood's "Basic Victim Positions" and their critical reinterpretationSeminar Content
Section I: Theoretical foundations of Kristeva and Atwood within psychoanalytic feminism
Section II: Gilead's female hierarchy as manifestation of abjection; psychic mechanisms of violence and control
Section III: Chiasmic hermeneutics—bidirectional reading practices between literary and philosophical interpretation
Seminar notes and discussions from all 14 weeks
Reading list
LiteratureBasic literature (selected chapters)
Margaret Atwood
Atwood, Margaret. 1998. The Handmaid’s Tale: New York, NY: Random House.
Atwood, Margaret. 2017. The Testaments. New York, NY: Random House.
Atwood, Margaret. 2025. Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts. New York: Doubleday.
Atwood, Margaret. 1972. Survival: A Thematic Guide to Canadian Literature. Toronto: Anansi.Julia Kristeva
Kristeva, Julia. 2024. Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection. Oakland: University of California.
Kristeva, Julia. 1998. Possessions. New York: Columbia UniversityThe Handmaid’s Tale Series
Miller, Bruce, creator. 2017–2024. The Handmaid's Tale. Hulu.Additional Sources
Atwood, Margaret. 1996. Alias Grace. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart.
Atwood, Margaret. 1969. The Edible Woman. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart.
Atwood, Margaret. 2015. The Heart Goes Last. London: Virago.
Atwood, Margaret. 2017. "Introduction." In The Handmaid's Tale. New York: Penguin Random House.
Atwood, Margaret. 2018. "The Handmaid's Tale Is Being Read Very Differently Now." Penguin UK. https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/2018/04/margaret-atwood-interview.
Howells, Coral Ann (ed.). 2021. The Cambridge Companion to Margaret Atwood. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Kristeva, Julia. 1989. "About Chinese Women." In The Kristeva Reader, edited by Toril Moi, 138–59. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
Kristeva, Julia. 2024. Revolution in Poetic Language. New York: Columbia University.
Kristeva, Julia. 1989. "Stabat Mater." In The Kristeva Reader, edited by Toril Moi, 160–86. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
Kristeva, Julia. 1981. "Women's Time." Signs 7, no. 1: 13–35.
Moi, Toril (ed.). 1989. The Kristeva Reader. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
Margaret Atwood
Atwood, Margaret. 1998. The Handmaid’s Tale: New York, NY: Random House.
Atwood, Margaret. 2017. The Testaments. New York, NY: Random House.
Atwood, Margaret. 2025. Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts. New York: Doubleday.
Atwood, Margaret. 1972. Survival: A Thematic Guide to Canadian Literature. Toronto: Anansi.Julia Kristeva
Kristeva, Julia. 2024. Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection. Oakland: University of California.
Kristeva, Julia. 1998. Possessions. New York: Columbia UniversityThe Handmaid’s Tale Series
Miller, Bruce, creator. 2017–2024. The Handmaid's Tale. Hulu.Additional Sources
Atwood, Margaret. 1996. Alias Grace. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart.
Atwood, Margaret. 1969. The Edible Woman. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart.
Atwood, Margaret. 2015. The Heart Goes Last. London: Virago.
Atwood, Margaret. 2017. "Introduction." In The Handmaid's Tale. New York: Penguin Random House.
Atwood, Margaret. 2018. "The Handmaid's Tale Is Being Read Very Differently Now." Penguin UK. https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/2018/04/margaret-atwood-interview.
Howells, Coral Ann (ed.). 2021. The Cambridge Companion to Margaret Atwood. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Kristeva, Julia. 1989. "About Chinese Women." In The Kristeva Reader, edited by Toril Moi, 138–59. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
Kristeva, Julia. 2024. Revolution in Poetic Language. New York: Columbia University.
Kristeva, Julia. 1989. "Stabat Mater." In The Kristeva Reader, edited by Toril Moi, 160–86. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
Kristeva, Julia. 1981. "Women's Time." Signs 7, no. 1: 13–35.
Moi, Toril (ed.). 1989. The Kristeva Reader. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
Association in the course directory
für 011 (15W) FTH 17 oder FTH 26, 198 418 BA UF RK 16, 199 518 MA UF RK 02 oder RK 05, 033 195 (17W) BRP 18krp, BRP 18ktb, 066 800 M21
Last modified: Th 09.04.2026 14:25
This seminar engages students in psychoanalytical feminist hermeneutics through dual lenses of literary and philosophical interpretation. By treating these hermeneutical traditions as both departure points and constant dialogue partners, the seminar illuminates productive tensions and convergences between modes of reading the psyche, text, and world. Through sustained close reading, students will trace psychoanalytic thought's resonances in everyday experience and literature, understanding how psychoanalytic insights illuminate the quotidian while revealing literature's capacity to theorise the unconscious.Course Content
The seminar centres on Margaret Atwood and Julia Kristeva—figures whose work embodies psychoanalytic inquiry's transdisciplinary potential. Atwood enters from literature, Kristeva from philosophy; each ventures into the other's territory. Together they exemplify how psychoanalytic feminist thought moves across disciplinary borders while remaining attentive to gendered dimensions of subjectivity, language, and interpretation.Methods and Overview:
The seminar unfolds across three interconnected sections:
Section I: Foundations (Weeks 1-4, March 2026)
This section introduces students to psychoanalytical feminist hermeneutics through Kristeva's key concepts (semiotic/symbolic orders, abjection, melancholia) and Atwood's literary-critical practice. Through instruction in hermeneutical methods and chiasmic reading practice, the section establishes the theoretical tools and vocabularies necessary for subsequent interpretive work while foregrounding shared feminist concerns. Content includes Kristeva's psychoanalytic theory, Atwood's engagement with Book of Lives, and screening of The Handmaid's Tale.Section II: Atwood through Kristeva (Weeks 5-9, April-May 2026)
This section examines Margaret Atwood's dystopian fiction—The Handmaid's Tale and The Testaments—through Julia Kristeva's abjection theory from Powers of Horror. Through close reading exercises, students analyze Gilead's female hierarchy as manifestations of abjection and explore how the regime's violence operates through psychic mechanisms: dissolution of subject/object boundaries, reduction of persons to biological resources, reproductive violence, instrumentalization of female bodies, and systematic destruction of maternal bonds. Students also examine narrative resistance and women's relationships within Gilead's hierarchy.Section III: Kristeva through Atwood (Weeks 10-14, May-June 2026)
This section reverses hermeneutical direction, reading Kristeva's detective novel Possessions through theoretical frameworks derived from Atwood's work. Students construct multifaceted readings drawing on Atwood's Book of Lives (2025) and Survival (1972), exploring how Atwood's reflections on trauma, memory, and creative transformation illuminate Kristeva's exploration of murder and motherhood. Through critical engagement with Survival's victim positions and chiasmic hermeneutics, students demonstrate how literary criticism generates new readings of philosophical fiction, culminating in course synthesis and final discussion.