In Lady Oracle, Margaret Atwood subtly explores the complex etiology of fantasy, the causes and consequences or self-deception, and in so doing effectively portrays the protagonist's dawning recognition of her largely self-imposed victimization and her first stumbling steps to escape that condition. A close reading of the text examines the plots and characters in Joan's Costume Gothic novels and draw parallels between the duplicitous identities in Joan's life and fiction.
