Margaret Atwood's versatility as a writer and her use of a variety of novel forms from Gothic romance to science fiction are explored in this comprehensive introductory study of her work. Coral Ann Howells arches over and doubles back between Margaret Atwood's writing from the 1970s to the present day in order to indicate the significant continuities beneath her constant shifts of emphasis. Noted for her strong awareness of her own cultural identity as Canadian and a woman, Atwood's fiction nevertheless challenges the limits of such categories.