There Is a Tree More Ancient than Eden (Masterplots II: African American Literature Series)
At a glance:
- Author: Leon Forrest
- First Published: 1973
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Psychological realism
- Time of Work: The mid-twentieth century
- Setting: Primarily the fictional Forest County
- Principal Characters: Nathaniel, Maxwell “Black-Ball” Saltport, Jamestown Fishbond, Jericho Witherspoon, Harriet Breedlove Wordlaw, Sweetie Reed
- Genres: Long fiction, Psychological fiction
- Subjects: Family or family life, Parents and children, Race, Twentieth century, Slavery or slaves, Fathers, Tennessee, Christianity, New Orleans, Funeral rites or ceremonies
- Locales: New Orleans, LA, Memphis, TN, Tennessee
The Novel
There Is a Tree More Ancient Than Eden is an experimental novel depicting the growth and development of Nathaniel Witherspoon. Narrated from a central image of Nathaniel Witherspoon riding in a Cadillac with Aunty Breedlove to his mother’s funeral, the novel ranges in time. His mother’s death in the late 1950’s, while Nathan is a teenager, ignites a personal search for meaning in life and leads him to a deeper understanding of his African American family and consciousness.
The novel consists of six chapters: “The Lives,” “The Nightmare,”...
[The entire page is 2911 words long]
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