When the renowned playwright and actor Sam Shepard passed away, it sparked a moment in culture that invited a fresh look at the diverse aspects of his writing, accomplishments, and fame. While his career peaked in the late ’70s and early ’80s with iconic works like Buried Child and his portrayal of Chuck Yeager in The Right Stuff, his overall body of work goes beyond these well-known highlights. Shepard received numerous accolades, wrote over forty plays, and ventured into acting, directing, screenwriting, and even music collaborations, such as co-writing a song with Bob Dylan.
Shepard’s legacy as an American literary figure is complex, blending avant-garde influences with a fascination for the American West. Despite the attention his celebrity status brought, it also sometimes overshadowed his artistic contributions. Following his death, tributes poured in, reflecting on his multifaceted career.
Investigating a lesser-explored aspect of Shepard’s later career, Shannon Blake Skelton delves into The Late Work of Sam Shepard. Skelton’s analysis focuses on the post-peak period, adopting a “transmedial” viewpoint which encompasses Shepard’s complete body of work, expanding beyond his plays to include his roles as an actor, director, and screenwriter. Furthermore, Skelton examines overlooked themes in Shepard’s legacy, such as his views on politics and hegemony.
A key feature of Skelton’s study is the exploration of Shepard’s public image, cultivated largely through his prolific acting career. Skelton evaluates the interplay between Shepard’s writing, acting, and persona, noting a shift in Shepard’s on-screen persona from a rugged loner to a more paternal figure. While Skelton skillfully dissects these characteristics, the full integration of Shepard’s persona with his overall creative output remains somewhat elusive.
In a compelling chapter on authenticity, Skelton delves into how Shepard grapples with the concept of authenticity in art, particularly evident in his play Kicking a Dead Horse. Here, Shepard critiques the commercialization of authenticity and the detachment from genuine expression. Skelton illustrates how Shepard’s exploration of authenticity evolves in his later works, reflecting on the tension between artistic integrity and commercial demands that shaped his career.
Skelton further explores themes of memory and trauma in Shepard’s later works, contrasting how Shepard’s characters confront their past in plays like Simpatico, a departure from his earlier themes of unresolved haunting and self-destructive legacies. Skelton’s analysis sheds light on Shepard’s progression towards addressing memory and trauma as pathways to transformation.
Through nuanced exploration of Shepard’s late career, Skelton’s The Late Work of Sam Shepard provides valuable insights into the playwright’s evolving body of work, offering a fresh perspective on his artistic legacy.
