Abstract：Acclaimed as “the Queen of Canadian literature”, Margaret Atwood is renowned for her prolificacy and experimental writing techniques. 

Published in 2000, The Blind Assassin has been drawing much attention from home and abroad. Scholars have done numerous researches on it from various aspects, among which we can find some studies on its intertextual relations with previous texts; however, it’s rare to see researches that focus on parody, a writing skill used deftly in the novel. 

In light of an important textual strategy in western postmodern context－parody, the thesis attempts to manifest multi-referential relations between The Blind Assassin and traditional genres, such as Gothic novel and fairy tale to show the pluralistic and encompassing postmodern characteristics. The master use of parody in The Blind Assassin aims at revealing its high artistry and in-depth meaning, thus providing a fresh appreciation of the novel. 

Complicated and intriguing as it is, The Blind Assassin is a fantastic postmodern metafiction thickly encased in a considerable number of referential relations. Through parody, Atwood inherits and subverts the literary past, revealing the postmodern paradox: the co-presence of complicity and critique.

Key words:  Margaret Atwood  The Blind Assassin  Parody  Gothic novel  

            fairy tale pattern

Contents

Abstract

中文摘要

Chapter One Introduction-1

1.1 An Introduction to Margaret Atwood-1

1.2 An Introduction to The Blind Assassin-2

1.3 Literature Review of The Blind Assassin-3

Chapter Two The Theory of Parody-4

2.1 Origin and Definition of Parody-4

2.2 Functions of Parody as Subversive and Conservative Critical Forces-5

Chapter Three Analyses of Parodies in The Blind Assassin-6

3.1 Parody of Gothic Novel-6

3.1.1 Employment of The Gothic Elements-7

3.1.2 The Subversion of Gothic Novel-8

3.2 Parody of Traditional Fairy Tale-9

3.2.1 Employment of Fairy Tale Pattern-11

3.2.2 The Subversion of Fairy Tale Pattern-12

3.3 Significance of Parody in The Blind Assassin-13

Chapter Four Conclusion-14

References-15