Abstract

This paper discusses the role of fairy tales as intertexts in Margaret Atwood's work through a selection of texts from her novels, short stories and poetry. The incorporation and intermingling of different genres in Atwood's novels brings about a strong focus on intertexuality. The texts echo and recall earlier writing, in a constant process of displacement and revision. The importance attributed to genres here demonstrates that a genre does not consist simply of a set of rules that have to be observed. A genre can provide a useful frame of reference for the writer and for the reader. The creation of a generic framework within the text allows the writer to point out the generic norms and at the same time to subvert them in a recognisable way.