The Edible Woman, Margaret Atwood: Summary & Analysis

The Edible Woman is Margaret Atwood's debut novel, first published in 1969, which played a key role in establishing her as a prominent prose writer. The story follows Marian, a young woman whose orderly and consumer-focused life begins to unravel. As her engagement progresses, Marian feels a growing separation between her body and her sense of self. She starts to perceive food with human attributes, leading to a disturbing inability to eat and a metaphorical sense of cannibalism. In a 1979 foreword for the Virago edition, Atwood described the novel as protofeminist rather than fully feminist. The novel delves into gender stereotypes through characters who either conform to or challenge these roles. The shift from first-person to third-person narrative highlights Marian's gradual disconnection from reality, with the return to first-person perspective at the end symbolizing her reclaiming control over her life. Food and clothing are significant symbols in the novel, offering insig…