The Handmaid's Tale was originally published in 1985 and was critically acclaimed. It is a novel that has consistently been considered one of Margaret Atwood's best. However, though it was made into a movie in 1990, The Handmaid's Tale has never been more prominent and recognized than it has been since the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

This panel, sponsored by the Margaret Atwood Society, would potentially look at the novel from a variety of angles: How do the novel's elements work together? How was the novel received in 1985 and how is it read now? (For example, how do readers respond to the novel differently given the current political climate?) How is the novel reflected in the various adaptations: the 1990 movie, the current Hulu television series, the opera, the ballet and the graphic novel? And, finally, how does the story continue and change in the sequel to The Handmaid's Tale entitled The Testaments (and why has Atwood only now decided a sequel is warranted)?