Summoning Shades

Homer sends the hero of THE ODYSSEY to interview the dead in order to discover his destiny. The poems of R. T. Smiths SUMMONING SHADES pursue a similar mission, bringing to life in monologues and narratives figures from history and recollection, all rendered with careful attention to the idiom, customs, emotions, and ironies of their time and region. The earlier, nineteenth century figures include Mary Lincoln, Ambrose Bierce, Meriwether Lewis, Federal veterans posing as casualties for photographers, women in a Winslow Homer painting, and Audubons assistant Joseph Mason. All are rescued from the shadows long enough to reveal their natures and often-gothic moments of crisis. The more modern figures include Lizzie Borden, Patsy Cline, and a gallery of characters summoned from small-town Southern sources--a roguish uncle, a dishonest investigator, a furious neighbor, a zealous and dangerous preacher.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Mercer University Press
Published: 04/01/2019
ISBN: 9780881467000
Weight: 0.40lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.10w x 0.30d