In 1990, when
The Ice-Shirtwas published, it carried with it the bold pronouncement that it would be the first of a series of seven novels, covering the history of the people of the North American continent and the European explorers, settlers, and settler organizations (such as the Canadian or United States government). With the publication of
The Dying Grass(2018), William T. Vollmann has now completed five of the seven promised novels. As the first novel in this series,
The Ice-Shirtestablished many of the tropes and techniques that have been developed throughout the series so far. These include the use of a narrator dubbed “William the Blind”, the use of maps and drawings, and the blending of historical narrative alongside the first person, journalistic observations of places,…
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Citation: Bloom, Carl. "The Ice Shirt (Seven Dreams Vol.1)". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 July 2021 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=32132, accessed 25 November 2024.]
