Tam Lin (novel)


Tam Lin is a 1991 contemporary fantasy novel by United States author Pamela Dean, who based it on the traditional Scottish border ballad "Tam Lin".

Plot introduction

The protagonist of Tam Lin is Janet Carter. Written in the indirect third person, from Carter's point of view, the novel is set during her years as a student in the early 1970s at the fictional Blackstock College in Minnesota. The characters include her fellow students, professors at the college, her family, and a childhood friend. The plot combines the story of a young woman's life at college with a retelling of the traditional Scottish fairy ballad "Tam Lin".

Characters

  • Janet Carter - The protagonist of the story and daughter of an English professor
  • Molly DuBois - A college roommate.
  • Christina - Another college roommate.
  • Nicholas Tooley - A Classics major who dates Janet.
  • Thomas Lane - The famous "Tam Lin" of the ballad.
  • Robin Armin - A Classics major who is close with Nick.
  • Professor Medeous - Head of the Classics Department.
  • Melinda Wolfe - A Classics professor and Janet's first study adviser.
  • Victoria Thompson - A campus ghost from the late 19th century.
  • Danny Chin - Janet's friend from childhood.

Major themes

Tam Lin is a late 20th-century urban fantasy or fantasy of manners. The story touches on themes including college education, sexuality, contraception, abortion and pregnancy. Dean has referred to this novel as a "love poem" to "my college, and ultimately to the study of English literature."

Historical figures as characters

In the novel, a key revelation is that two of the Classics majors, Robin and Nick, are in fact the same Robert Armin and Nicholas Tooley who performed with The King's Men during the time when William Shakespeare was writing plays for the troupe. The story even alludes to a theory that the historical Armin's singing ability influenced some of Shakespeare's plays. It is implied that they had been mortals who had joined Medeous' faerie band in the early 17th century, which is why they are alive at Blackstock in the 1970s.

Awards and nominations

Release details