REVELLING IN FOOD: An Ecofeminist Reading of Margaret Atwood’s The Edible Woman

Abstract

Margaret Atwood’s debut novel The Edible Woman follows protagonist Marian MacAlpin’s life over the span of a few months, through her engagement to, and subsequent breakup from, Peter Wollander. There are references to food on almost every page, and the relationship between women and food in particular has been extensively analysed by feminist critics of the novel. Typically, this feminist criticism has interpreted the protagonist’s rejection of food, particularly meat and other animal products, as symptomatic of anorexia. However, this criticism has assumed a dominant discourse of meat and failed to see the positive aspects of Marian’s increasingly vegetarian diet. Furthermore, by focusing either on Marian’s rejection of food or the edible woman cake, other more subtle food references are overlooked. This essay explores those seemingly insignificant mentions in order to better understand Marian’s emotional state and ideals, and the ideals of the time in which the novel is set. In addition to this, it examines Marian’s rejection of food from an ecofeminist perspective, with the aim of revealing a positive interpretation.