Cover artist Thomas Canty Publisher Tor Books Pages 468 pp Preceded by Snow White and Rose Red | Language English Publication date March 1991 Originally published March 1991 Country United States of America Followed by Briar Rose | |
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Media type Print (hardcover and paperback) Genres Contemporary fantasy, Urban fantasy, Fantasy of manners Similar Pamela Dean books, Fantasy books | ||
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".
Contents
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
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."