“Possession is an art of absolute fiction,” declared Rene Descartes as he considered the relationship between art and demonic possession.
Despite the demonic associations, fiction has always made use of shadows to develop, characterize, and complicate narrative. Lucifer was an angel whose maleficent spirit got the best of him. Witches are dangerous because they make use of “dark magic” to meet their ends. The artist who fashions his work as godlike enters the realm of “deception.” God was the first Creator, and Satan was the first actor to zealously imagine himself in God’s place.
In this generative workshop, we’ll examine how authors use shadows to tell stories, from Peter Pan to Marcel Proust. Then, we’ll use shadows to tell our own stories.