Tamar (Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Robinson Jeffers
- First Published: 1924
- Type of Work: Poem
- Genres: Poetry, Narrative poetry
- Subjects: North America or North Americans, United States or Americans, 1910’s, California, West, U.S., Alcoholism or alcoholics, Incest, Substance abuse, Adultery, Death or dying, Illegitimacy, World War I, Spiritualism, Sick persons
- Locales: Big Sur, CA, Northern California, Carmel, CA
In capsule, the action of Tamar seems so contrived and decadent as to defy plausibility. Actually, it is an expansion of a generation myth told briefly by Hesiod and retold in a paragraph at the end of Herman Melville's Pierre: Or, The Ambiguities (1852). Another version, with Tamar as the main character, appears in chapters 13 and 14 of the Second Book of Samuel. In contrast, Jeffers's development of the material is leisurely and expansive. Furthermore, it is presented in such compelling rhythms, such detail, and such a matter-of-fact way that the question of...
[The entire page is 1192 words long]
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