The LITERARY MOTIF OF THE LOSS OF THE SHADOW ON THE FANTASTIC SHORT STORY “THE SHADOW” BY HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN

Abstract

Human beings have attributed a strong symbolic power to the shadow and, when considering it as a vital part of themselves or as a correlative of the soul, they assume the condition of man's double, giving rise to a series of taboos and beliefs that have populated the human imagination in different cultures. In literature, the shadow has been shown to be an important sign, enabling, among other aspects, the representation of classic human duality. From this perspective, this paper aims at analyzing the configurations of the double in the fantastic short story “The Shadow”, (1835) by Hans Christian Andersen, which addresses, in the construction of the fictional plot, the literary motif of the loss of the shadow. From a theoretical point of view, this work is affiliated with the postulates about identity, as it addresses one of the facets through which the double is represented in literature, and with studies on fantastic literature. The analysis of Andersen's aforementioned narrative allows us to affirm that the loss or absence of shadow, an unusual phenomenon by nature, is the result of a split and problematizes the character's identity, when he is confronted with his double. It is, therefore, through this secret alchemy that writers, craftsmen of the word, keep literature and, specifically, the motif of the loss of the shadow, alive and pulsating.

Key words: Fantastic. Double. Shadow. Short story. Andersen.