This introduction covers Atwood's work from the end of the 1960s to the present, drawing out her recurring themes of Canadian identity and the wilderness, the representation of women and female bodies, and history and its narration. Winner of the Margaret Atwood Society Best Book in 1997, the second edition is thoroughly revised and updated. It includes new chapters covering Atwood's recent novels Alias Grace, The Blind Assassin, and Oryx and Crake, and her 2002 book on writing Negotiating with the Dead.