Ciliophora. A subphylum of the Protozoa. The ciliates are a fairly homogeneous group of highly differentiated, unicellular organisms. Over 5000 species have been described, and many more surely exist but remain to be discovered. Typically, ciliates are larger than most other protozoans, ranging from 10 to 3000 micrometers (about 1/2500 to 1/8 in.).
First published in 1985, The Handmaid's Tale is a novel of such power that the reader is unable to forget its images and its forecast. With more than two million copies in print, it is Margaret Atwood's most popular and compelling novel.
time and place written Â· Early 1980 s, West Berlin and Alabama. date of first publication Â· 1986. publisher Â· McClelland & Stewart in Canada, Houghton Mifflin in the United States. narrator Â· Offred, a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. point of view Â· The Handmaidâs Tale is told from Offredâs point of view. She tells the story in the immediate present tense but frequently shifts to past tense for flashbacks to life before Gilead and to her time in the Red Center.