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Indirect Communication - The Shadow in Paradise Lost

Abstract

In John Milton’s Paradise Lost, the shadow symbol shows how the idea of God functions in a secular context. This symbol creates a parallel between worship and the creative act; both actions constitute efforts toward union through indirect communication. The persistence of this symbol--from works as old as Dante’s Divine Comedy to David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest of 1996--inspires further examination of how this parallel affects the way we view art.

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