re: #21 MsJ

I recall that in the novel of The Handmaid’s Tale, there’s a metafictional epilogue, a panel of historians discussing how Offred’s tapes (which form the narrative of the book) were recorded at the beginning of the Republic of Gilead and that ultimately, Gilead collapsed and a more equal society re-emerged with a restoration of full rights for women and freedom of religion. I don’t recall now if the historians stated how long Gilead lasted before it fell apart; it’s been a long, long time since I read the novel.