"The Handmaid's Tale" was well received by critics, helping to cement Atwood's status as a prominent writer of the 20th century. Not only was the book deemed well-written and compelling, but Atwood's work was notable for sparking intense debates both in and out of academia. Atwood maintains that the Republic of Gilead is only an extrapolation of trends already seen in the United States at the time of her writing, a view supported by other scholars studying "The Handmaid's Tale". Indeed, many have placed "The Handmaid's Tale" in the same category of dystopian fiction as "Nineteen Eighty-Four" and "Brave New World", with the added feature of confronting patriarchy, a categorization that Atwood has accepted and reiterated in many articles and interviews.