Is Atwood overly pessimistic about the future?
One hears this critique, that my work is 'pessimistic.' I prefer to think of it as realistic, or perhaps, more accurately, as a form of informed caution. The future, after all, is a fork in the road. My narratives often highlight the darker paths we might take, based on observed human behavior and historical patterns. However, the very act of depicting these possibilities, of showing the mechanisms of oppression or ecological collapse, is intended to provoke thought and, hopefully, to inspire a different course. The stories are not prophecies, but warnings and inquiries.
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