The Handmaid’s Tale Halloween Special: Mary Webster Survives the Hanging | Banned Books Podcast
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RSS Feed It’s a Halloween special, so there’s no chapter this time. Jennifer reads Margaret Atwood’s poem “Half-Hanged Mary,” about the real woman The Handmaid’s Tale is dedicated to. Mary Webster was accused of witchcraft in the 1680s, hanged by a mob, and somehow lived to tell it.
Join us live: Today, Thursday, October 29, at noon Pacific (3:00 PM Eastern) on Facebook at facebook.com/bannedcamppodcast. We’ll tell two true ghost stories from our road trip and read from Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. A bonus episode of the live show drops right here in this feed on Saturday, Halloween.
This episode includes AI-voiced content, including our trusty fact-checking robot, Robot.
Banned Camp is a comedy podcast where we read banned books chapter by chapter. We don’t read ahead, so you’re discovering the story with us.
Things To Listen For:
- Robot’s quick catch-up on Mary Webster: a Boston jury found her not guilty in 1683, and her neighbors hanged her anyway
- Jennifer reads the poem hour by hour, from 7 p.m. to the next morning, while Dan reacts along the way
- Robot explains the 3 a.m. “night birds” lines and why Atwood leaves out the punctuation
- Dan finds out they had double jeopardy back then, and Jennifer reminds him this was a full-on lynching
- Robot’s closing thoughts on book banners and the best revenge
Why was The Handmaid’s Tale banned?
In this special, Mary Webster is punished for living alone, speaking her mind, and owning her own land. That’s exactly the kind of woman Atwood shows being silenced in The Handmaid’s Tale. Her novel keeps getting challenged because it shows what happens when a government uses religion and tradition to control women.
If this is your first episode, you’re fine starting here. Our fact-checking Robot catches you up fast, then Jennifer reads Atwood’s poem.
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Disclaimer
Banned Camp features readings and discussions of banned books for the purpose of criticism, commentary, education, and entertainment, in accordance with fair use guidelines.
The material used from the poem “Half-Hanged Mary” and the book The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood is shared under these principles, with the intent of provoking thought and discussion about literature, censorship, and societal issues. The poem comes from Atwood’s collection Morning in the Burned House. The original works remain fully owned by their copyright holders, and we strongly encourage listeners to purchase a copy here to experience the book in its entirety.
https://bookshop.org/a/20953/9780385490818
This podcast is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected to Margaret Atwood, her estate, or the publishers of her books. Any monetization of the podcast is separate from the copyrighted material discussed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was The Handmaid’s Tale banned?
The Handmaid’s Tale has been challenged or banned in American schools and libraries every single year since its publication in 1985. It was the most challenged book in the United States in 2023. It has been targeted for profanity, sexually explicit content, and content deemed “offensive to Christians.” But the deeper reason is that Margaret Atwood showed what happens when a government uses religion, tradition, and “protecting families” as justification for stripping women of their rights, their names, and their autonomy. That’s the part that actually scares book banners, because it looks a lot like Tuesday.
Is there a podcast that discusses The Handmaid’s Tale chapter by chapter?
Yes. Banned Camp breaks down a different banned book every season, one chapter at a time, through comedy, commentary, and discussion. Neither host has read ahead, so you’re discovering the story together in real time. Season 11 covers The Handmaid’s Tale. Every episode mixes a short reading with reactions, a fact-checking Robot, and a look at why the book gets banned. We always encourage listeners to read along with their own copy.
Do I need to start Banned Camp from the beginning?
No. Every episode opens with Robot’s recap of the previous chapter, so you can jump in anywhere. Most listeners tell us they started mid-season and went back to the beginning after they were hooked.
Who was Mary Webster, and why is The Handmaid’s Tale dedicated to her?
Mary Webster was a real woman from Hadley, Massachusetts. A Boston jury found her not guilty of witchcraft in 1683, but a mob hanged her anyway and left her for dead. She survived. Margaret Atwood dedicated The Handmaid’s Tale to her. Banned Camp tells her story and reads Atwood’s poem about it.
What is the poem Half-Hanged Mary about?
Half-Hanged Mary is a poem by Margaret Atwood, published in 1995 in Morning in the Burned House. It is told in the voice of Mary Webster, a woman hanged as a witch, and follows her hour by hour through one night in a tree. It is angry, dark, and funny. Banned Camp reads it in this Halloween special.
Topics Covered:
The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood, Half-Hanged Mary, Halloween special, Mary Webster, Philip Smith, Hadley Massachusetts, witch hunts, double jeopardy, silencing women, banned books, banned books podcast, book banning, censorship, literary analysis, comedy podcast
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