Vol. 37 No. 3 (1989)
Research Article

The Onomastic Sam Shepard

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  • Gilbert M. Rubenstein
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1179/nam.1989.37.3.231

Published 1989-09-01

Copyright (c) 1989 Maney

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

Abstract

Fascination with names, especially personal names, has been a hallmark of Sam Shepard's life and career. Born Samuel Shepard Rogers VII, he dropped his last name as a result of friction with his father; this act foreshadowed the theme of father-son conflict in a number of his plays. Until recently Shepard has used suggestive nomenclature extensively, including not only famous living or historical figures and stereotypical macho cowboy names but also fanciful, symbolic names which display his poetic inventiveness and wit.

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References

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  2. Frutkin, Ren. “Paired Existence Meets the Monster.” American Dreams: The Imagination of Sam Shepard. Ed. Bonnie Marranca. New York: Performing Arts Journal Publications, 1981.
  3. Mazzocco, Robert. “Heading for the Last Roundup.” The New York Review of Books. 9 May 1985: 22.
  4. Mottram, Ron. Inner Landscapes: The Theatre of Sam Shepard. Columbia: U of Missouri P,1984.
  5. Oumano, Ellen. Sam Shepard: The Life and Works of an American- Dreamer. New York: St. Martin’s,1986.
  6. Rabillard, Sheila. “Theatrical Power and American Dreams.” Modern Drama 30 (1987): 64.
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