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Doomsday Book
Paperback
Fiction AnthologiesGeneral Poetry
ISBN13: 9781025612386
Publisher: Tradd Street Press
Published: Feb 14 2026
Pages: 410
Weight: 1.26
Height: 0.84 Width: 6.14 Depth: 9.21
Language: English
Doomesday Book is a profound narrative poem by Edgar Lee Masters, the celebrated author of Spoon River Anthology. This ambitious work centers on a legal and moral inquest following the discovery of the body of Elenor Murray. Through a series of dramatic monologues and testimonies from those who knew her-including parents, lovers, and acquaintances-Masters constructs a complex psychological portrait of a single woman while simultaneously conducting a sweeping examination of the American spirit.
The poem explores themes of desire, social hypocrisy, and the search for individual meaning within a rigid societal framework. By presenting multiple, often conflicting perspectives, Masters challenges the reader to act as a juror, weighing the evidence of a life lived against the backdrop of a changing nation. Doomesday Book stands as a significant achievement in early 20th-century literature, blending the techniques of realism and modernism to create a sprawling, epic study of human nature and community ethics. It remains a compelling exploration of how one life can intersect with and illuminate the conscience of an entire society.
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This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.
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