Approaching Plato's Cave in a Narrative Sort of Way...

Whilst hard at work on my next novel--a surrealist's journey through nightmares and other worlds and the gods and masters of those worlds--I've been considering the nature of reality, I've been thinking a lot about Plato's Cave.

In Plato's model, we are removed from reality by several layers of perception. We are like prisoners watching the shadows cast on the wall by puppet performers, assuming that what we see is true reality, which clearly it is not. If you're interested start here: Allegory of the Cave.

I've approached my new novel with this skewed sense of reality in mind, with the idea that certain "truths" are happening beneath the surface of things, and that it is these things taking place beneath the main narrative that will prove to be most important--layers of mystery peeled back as the narrative unfolds. Ambitious? Well, I for one think so and am absolutely terrified I won't be able to pull it off...

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