Dependence, Independence, and Death: Toward a Psychobiography of Delmira Agustini depicts the life of Uruguayan poet Delmira Agustini (1886-1914) based on her poems and other writings. These works give evidence of two constructs related to a psychological conflict in her life. The first is a dependence/independence dichotomy, thematized as a polarized love relationship between speaker and Other, who can represent two individuals or dual aspects of the poet's self. The second involves the poet's fascination with death, which becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy when she is murdered by her ex-husband at the age of twenty-seven.

Autorentext

The Author: William James has a Ph.D. in Hispanic studies from the University of Kentucky. He specializes in Spanish American and Peninsular poetry. His background in psychology includes a B.A. from the University of Illinois, as well as graduate seminars on personality and psychobiography. He currently teaches college courses on Spanish language, culture, and literature in Sacramento, California.