On Marlene MacCallum’s Shadow

Abstract

On Marlene MacCallum’s ‘Shadow’ is an interpretative essay which examines the interlocked themes of impermanence and mortality running through the three separate cantos comprising the work. In the analysis presented by this essay, it is suggested that each of the three cantos utilizes linked aesthetic and conceptual strategies to investigate the tensions and interconnections between human and natural worlds. These strategies include MacCallum’s use of poetry, music, and the recurring image of birds, as well as her use of colour. In exploring the nature of shadows, and their role in marking the passage of time, MacCallum is able to utilize fragmentary images to underline the part absence plays in meaning construction. The essay further considers the historical nature of the book as a container of truth.