本論文以探討愛特伍在《生存》(Survival) 一書中提出的加拿大主題為出發，擴大至其思想論述中的相關主題，以試圖拼湊出愛特伍思想系統之基石，並以此思想網絡為理論來閱讀愛特伍的兩本小說《浮出水面》 (Surfacing) 與《末世男女》(Oryx and Crake)。理論論述的基礎除了建立在《生存》(Survival) 一書中的分析之外還包括愛特伍在其他非文學作品的專書、專文、與訪談中的重要看法。
論文共分五章。第一章簡介愛特伍其人與其加拿大的成長背景，強調其幼時家庭教育強調的嚴謹科學觀察態度與其廣泛人文興趣與關懷的養成之間有密不可分的關係。本章並簡要指出其在美國就學的經驗啟發了其民族意識，並進一步促成她對加拿大文學與民族特質上的分析探討。此外，本章也就其在《生存》一書中的主要論述、研究方法與特質、和論述目的加以介紹。最後並概略介紹本論文的研究方法與章節安排。
第二章以愛特伍的生態與泛神論觀點為主軸，從加拿大早期的拓墾主題到其泛神論中呈現的非二元關係的思想觀，進一步談到愛特伍對宗教、真實、虛構與科學等議題之間的密切關係之觀察與看法。
第三章主要關切愛特伍的國家意識與政治態度等相關議題。全章由愛特伍對美加文學中的動物故事之分析開始，探討美加兩國民族特質之不同與形成差異的不同歷史背景等。此章並進一步分析愛特伍主張的文化國家論述中的政治態度，與其對女性主義、神權政治、與無神論的相關看法與態度。
第四章以愛特伍對社會文化和藝術家之間的密切關係為出發，探討在1970以前，呈現在加拿大文學中的老中青三代家庭意象裡充滿約制與逃脫的張力此一現象。老一代的嚴謹清教徒思維成為早期加拿大社會的共同潛意識，抑制文化與創造力的發展。愛特伍的分析強調已有第三代作家試著用呈現自身的問題與處境來揭露文化與殖民的壓迫現象，藉以喚醒民眾自覺。本章並對愛特伍對存在於藝術與社會責任間的張力，商業市場對藝術家的一些誘惑與挑戰等相關看法加以探討。
在第二章到第四章的論述安排上，作者在介紹完理論部分後將就愛特伍的兩本小說加以討論。 論文最後一章對愛特伍的人文觀點與特質提出進一步的探討。此外，作者以《末世男女》中的例子來說明愛特伍文本中的一些看似矛盾的複雜現象，可以在對愛特伍的思想有大略的整體領會之後獲得進一步的理解與澄清。

This study starts from a thesis that Margaret Atwood is a serious thinker whose writing reflects the imprints of her Canadian background and her general outlook toward life and the world. Further, her analysis of Canadian thematic motifs in Survival can serve as a starting point for us to approach her mind as a general whole which contributes to better comprehending her novels. The theoretical part of this study comprises Atwood’s important ideas presented not only in Survival but also in her other nonfiction books, articles, and interviews.
There are five chapters in this dissertation. Chapter One provides a general profile of Atwood, the major ideas, methodology, characteristics, and objectives of her analyses in Survival, and then briefly explains the arrangement of major arguments in the following chapters. Chapter Two focuses on Atwood’s ecological and pantheist concerns. It starts from the Canadian settlement theme and the non-binary mentality in Atwood’s pantheism. The author then extends the discussion to relevant topics such as the close relations among religion, truth/reality, science, and fiction.
Chapter Three centers on Atwood’s nationalist concerns and her overall political attitudes. My discussion starts from Atwood’s analyses of typical American and Canadian mindsets as reflected in animal stories and of the historical aspects of the formation of these two mindsets. This chapter also explores Atwood’s subtle political attitudes in her cultural nationalism, as well as toward feminism, theocracy, and atheism.
Chapter Four orients around Atwood’s socio-cultural concerns in relation to victimization and the role of the artist in particular. It begins with her analysis of the Canadian motifs family-as-trap and the paralyzed artist, and her exploration on the causes of the entrapment/paralysis. Atwood’s analysis accentuates the political significance of writing as a social means for consciousness-raising. The author then discusses Atwood’s more sophisticated speculations on the tension between writing/art and social responsibility, and on the temptations from the market which could threaten the artist’s survival and challenge his conscience.
In each of the three main chapters, after illustrating the theoretical part, the author reads Atwood’s Surfacing and Oryx and Crake within the theoretic framework to demonstrate their close connections. The last chapter (Chapter Five) of this study proposes some further speculations on Atwood’s humanism. The major objective is to distinguish her humanism, especially her pantheism, from some major traits in English Romanticism and American Transcendentalism to foreground its uniqueness and the influence of her Canadian background. After that, the author cites some examples from Oryx and Crake to demonstrate the belief that to grasp Atwood’s main ideas as a theoretical system can contribute to better comprehending not only her mind as a whole but also some textual complexities in her literary presentations.

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