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Sacred Shadows and Latent Light
When college students Elliot Fleming and Vesta Lloyd agree to join English Professor Rydar Colson's production of Shakespeare's Henry IV Part 1 and Part 2, they do not know what to expect. Sacred Shadows and Latent Light follows Elliot and Vesta as they prepare for what they assume will be little more than an enriching extracurricular challenge. However, when student reporter Ermine Jackson goes beyond his journalism professor's instruction to lobby the university for a second director, he initiates a campaign to cancel the plays and remove Shakespeare from the university curriculum--and Colson from campus. Between Colson's production and Jackson's crusade, the campus steadily divides, leading to unexpected allegiances, betrayals, questionable accusations, and threats of physical violence. Throughout their time admiring, questioning, resenting, and defending Colson and his production, the characters discover when and how to stand up for their convictions, all the while examining different views on the extent of free speech, the place of the canon in higher academia, the safety and representation of women in society, the growth of ""cancel culture"" on a changing university campus, and how much is truly involved in what and how one reads.
308 pages, Hardcover
Published December 27, 2021
1 person is currently reading
3 people want to read
About the author
Dustin Lawrence Lovell
2 books15 followersDustin Lovell is a writer, tutor, and adjunct writing professor in southern California. He is the author of the novel Sacred Shadows and Latent Light. He is also a columnist for the UK publication The Mallard, for which he writes literary and cultural commentary. He is the author of A California Kid in King Henry's Court, a monthly serial satirizing his time at Oxford University, featured in The Mallard's print magazine. He lives with his wife and kids just outside of Pasadena, CA.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 8, 2022
Disclaimer. I am a friend of the author. I have been in writing workshops with him, and I even wrote the foreword. That said, I want to offer the following. I enjoyed "Sacred Shadows and Latent Light," and here are my considerations.
I often think about literature rhetorically. Specifically, who are the audiences for different books in different genres? When a fan of romance finds a Sci Fi tale incomprehensible, or if the reverse happens, when a Sci Fi fan pans a romance as too sentimental, I think that the evaluation in both cases will not be of much value.
Who is the audience for this book? I would say that if you appreciate any combination of the following--Shakespeare, Dostoyevski, Victor Hugo's "Les Mis.," the influence of individualism in Ayn Rand, talking about culture wars, and the value of scripture to literature--and you have been bothered by what has been done to literature in the sometimes misguided interests of literary theory, then this might be a book you will not only enjoy, but want to talk about. I think it would make a great book club selection.
A quick rundown. The students in this book are gifted, confused college students. Their conversations show them processing and working through the demands of college life and a particular teacher who takes them seriously. Perhaps the main danger of a college education (beyond the debt accrued, of course) is that it is easy to fall into a pattern of taking nothing, least of all yourself, seriously. All who attend are prone toward an easy nihilism. The central figure of Ryder Colson is a remedy for that. He's also a lightning rod in the book's culture war and the chief focus of the book's main conflict. I admit I did wonder how he got his nice house on his adjunct salary (this gets explained late in the book). And though at times I found the reading a bit polemical around the concern with what cancel culture may have done to some universities, the sense that this conflict may or may not be a bit overstated perhaps will depend on your point of view. Ryder's view on whether Shakespeare's Henry plays are racist is well articulated. On the other hand, the students opposed to the Shakespeare production because they consider it racist have not very clearly articulated reasons for their resistance, and when one of them pulls a gun on a certain affair (trying to avoid spoilers), the move doesn't feel quite authentic. One could argue that this is just typical of confused college students, but on this one theme, the book could run invite charges of dualism (again, this will depend on the reader's experience and point of view).
At the same time, "Sacred Shadows..." has trace elements of different genres running through it. There are allusions very interestingly running through and informing the plot from "The Great Gatsby." I really love the subtle awareness this reflects on the construction of the story and the main characters. There is romance. There are also elements of the coming of age story, in both students like Cora and Elliot and in Ryder Colson, though the story does focus more on the student point of view. Teachers are mainly viewed through this lens, so I take this as a powerful story about an influential teacher who tries to guide them through an understanding of their experiences and their humanities education. The commitments formed here, and the ensuing conflicts, propel the plot. I don't think that Dustin Lovell meant to do this, but it indicates his success here. Ryder as a character rises to the level of John Keeting in "Dead Poets Society." He is not a copy, not even close, and I never have the sense that this was ever the intent. But it is a virtue here that Colson's character is so consistent as to become interesting and compelling.
I often think about literature rhetorically. Specifically, who are the audiences for different books in different genres? When a fan of romance finds a Sci Fi tale incomprehensible, or if the reverse happens, when a Sci Fi fan pans a romance as too sentimental, I think that the evaluation in both cases will not be of much value.
Who is the audience for this book? I would say that if you appreciate any combination of the following--Shakespeare, Dostoyevski, Victor Hugo's "Les Mis.," the influence of individualism in Ayn Rand, talking about culture wars, and the value of scripture to literature--and you have been bothered by what has been done to literature in the sometimes misguided interests of literary theory, then this might be a book you will not only enjoy, but want to talk about. I think it would make a great book club selection.
A quick rundown. The students in this book are gifted, confused college students. Their conversations show them processing and working through the demands of college life and a particular teacher who takes them seriously. Perhaps the main danger of a college education (beyond the debt accrued, of course) is that it is easy to fall into a pattern of taking nothing, least of all yourself, seriously. All who attend are prone toward an easy nihilism. The central figure of Ryder Colson is a remedy for that. He's also a lightning rod in the book's culture war and the chief focus of the book's main conflict. I admit I did wonder how he got his nice house on his adjunct salary (this gets explained late in the book). And though at times I found the reading a bit polemical around the concern with what cancel culture may have done to some universities, the sense that this conflict may or may not be a bit overstated perhaps will depend on your point of view. Ryder's view on whether Shakespeare's Henry plays are racist is well articulated. On the other hand, the students opposed to the Shakespeare production because they consider it racist have not very clearly articulated reasons for their resistance, and when one of them pulls a gun on a certain affair (trying to avoid spoilers), the move doesn't feel quite authentic. One could argue that this is just typical of confused college students, but on this one theme, the book could run invite charges of dualism (again, this will depend on the reader's experience and point of view).
At the same time, "Sacred Shadows..." has trace elements of different genres running through it. There are allusions very interestingly running through and informing the plot from "The Great Gatsby." I really love the subtle awareness this reflects on the construction of the story and the main characters. There is romance. There are also elements of the coming of age story, in both students like Cora and Elliot and in Ryder Colson, though the story does focus more on the student point of view. Teachers are mainly viewed through this lens, so I take this as a powerful story about an influential teacher who tries to guide them through an understanding of their experiences and their humanities education. The commitments formed here, and the ensuing conflicts, propel the plot. I don't think that Dustin Lovell meant to do this, but it indicates his success here. Ryder as a character rises to the level of John Keeting in "Dead Poets Society." He is not a copy, not even close, and I never have the sense that this was ever the intent. But it is a virtue here that Colson's character is so consistent as to become interesting and compelling.
December 28, 2022
The push to ban certain books from schools, libraries and universities has intensified in recent years. According to the American Library Association, the vast majority (over 85% in 2019) of these censorship campaigns play out in libraries, where books are not part of a curriculum and patrons are free to read or ignore any books they choose. The motivating factors behind this censorship movement have shifted as well. Based on data from PEN America, 41% of successfully banned titles explicitly address LGBTQ+ themes or have prominent characters who are LGBTQ+ and 40% contain prominent characters of color. However, only 22% contain sexual content of varying kinds, including fiction with some level of description of sex and informational books about puberty, sex, or relationships. In other words, most successfully banned books are censored for the characters they portray rather than the explicitness of their content.
In Sacred Shadows and Latent Light, Dustin Lovell pushes back against the growing literary censorship movement by imagining a university where a student group attempts to cancel an annual Shakespeare festival because they object to the playwright's whiteness. Fortunately, The Bard has been mostly immune from real-life cancellation. Even historically Black universities like Alabama State and Howard have recently partnered with local Shakespeare companies and festivals to give their students opportunities in professional theatre. But by reversing the characteristics of the censors and authors/characters, Lovell illuminates the misguided rationale behind such censorship.
An article in the local paper of Lovell's fictional university town perfectly illustrates this reversal. "One student said they were just trying to prevent the spread of unacceptable ideas on campus," the article states, in reference to antagonist Ermine Jackson's attempts to block the Shakespeare festival. Cora Madison, one of the actors in the plays, counters "If self-respect, patience, knowing who you are and want to be, and respecting the past with a view to the future are racist, then not much isn't." Here, Lovell echoes the arguments surrounding real-world titles like Maia Kobabe's Gender Queer. In support of calls to ban the book and other LGBTQ+ titles, North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson said “There’s no reason anybody anywhere in America should be telling any child about transgenderism, homosexuality, any of that filth.” But according to one Gender Queer reader, "I genuinely think that having this book as a middle schooler would have saved me years of feeling alone and isolated. I had access to plenty of books with explicit/graphic material from the library, but no books that were honest, earnest & relatable like this." In both the fictional and real situations, Lovell makes it clear that censoring a book merely for the identity of its author or characters is the epitome of intellectual laziness.
Bearing Lovell's central message in mind, Sacred Shadows is at its best when Lovell incorporates Professor Rydar Colson's interpretation of Shakespeare's historical plays into an exhortation to free speech, independent thought and critical engagement with ideas instead of surface-level assumptions based on an author's skin color, ethnic background or other markers of identity. Given that Lovell wrote his university thesis on a similar interpretation, I would have liked to see a little more of Shakespeare in this novel.
To start, it's odd that Jackson would direct his ire at a Shakespearean production that occurs every year at the university he chose to attend. Why pick this year and this production unless there is something specific in the selected plays that rubs him the wrong way? But Jackson's complaints boil down to the fact that Colson and Shakespeare are white (as are, it seems, all the other professors in the story, making it impossible for Jackson to propose an alternate director) and that he believes the historical plays promote imperialism, despite his admitted unfamiliarity with the actual texts. Jackson's knee-jerk reaction, is, of course, part of Lovell's point. But without grounding Jackson's protest in sensible specifics, Lovell misses an opportunity to showcase the nuances of Shakespeare's work.
Instead, much of the novel involves the two sides talking past each other. Rather than focus on the plays and Colson's 20th-century American interpretation, most of the storyline follows shouted protests and counter-protests, budding student romances and university bureaucratic wranglings. The student-actors quickly brush off Jackson's charge of imperialistic propaganda but don't do much to expand on their ideas, which are limited to passive reflections of Colson's values and directorial decisions. There are very few instances in which the students engage with the plays themselves. Limited rehearsal scenes are often overshadowed by interpersonal dramas. And despite Lovell's insistence that the students and Colson are enjoying their work, we never see the students take pleasure in learning their lines, interpreting the text, choreographing the scenes or building the sets. As much as Lovell expounds on the values of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, Sacred Shadows does little to showcase the pleasure of reading, understanding and performing Shakespeare.
It's clear that Lovell is a good writer, and I appreciated his creative critique of literary censorship and his advocacy for independent, critical thought. But in a novel about interpreting and performing a Shakespearean play, I would have liked to see more engagement with Shakespeare himself.
In Sacred Shadows and Latent Light, Dustin Lovell pushes back against the growing literary censorship movement by imagining a university where a student group attempts to cancel an annual Shakespeare festival because they object to the playwright's whiteness. Fortunately, The Bard has been mostly immune from real-life cancellation. Even historically Black universities like Alabama State and Howard have recently partnered with local Shakespeare companies and festivals to give their students opportunities in professional theatre. But by reversing the characteristics of the censors and authors/characters, Lovell illuminates the misguided rationale behind such censorship.
An article in the local paper of Lovell's fictional university town perfectly illustrates this reversal. "One student said they were just trying to prevent the spread of unacceptable ideas on campus," the article states, in reference to antagonist Ermine Jackson's attempts to block the Shakespeare festival. Cora Madison, one of the actors in the plays, counters "If self-respect, patience, knowing who you are and want to be, and respecting the past with a view to the future are racist, then not much isn't." Here, Lovell echoes the arguments surrounding real-world titles like Maia Kobabe's Gender Queer. In support of calls to ban the book and other LGBTQ+ titles, North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson said “There’s no reason anybody anywhere in America should be telling any child about transgenderism, homosexuality, any of that filth.” But according to one Gender Queer reader, "I genuinely think that having this book as a middle schooler would have saved me years of feeling alone and isolated. I had access to plenty of books with explicit/graphic material from the library, but no books that were honest, earnest & relatable like this." In both the fictional and real situations, Lovell makes it clear that censoring a book merely for the identity of its author or characters is the epitome of intellectual laziness.
Bearing Lovell's central message in mind, Sacred Shadows is at its best when Lovell incorporates Professor Rydar Colson's interpretation of Shakespeare's historical plays into an exhortation to free speech, independent thought and critical engagement with ideas instead of surface-level assumptions based on an author's skin color, ethnic background or other markers of identity. Given that Lovell wrote his university thesis on a similar interpretation, I would have liked to see a little more of Shakespeare in this novel.
To start, it's odd that Jackson would direct his ire at a Shakespearean production that occurs every year at the university he chose to attend. Why pick this year and this production unless there is something specific in the selected plays that rubs him the wrong way? But Jackson's complaints boil down to the fact that Colson and Shakespeare are white (as are, it seems, all the other professors in the story, making it impossible for Jackson to propose an alternate director) and that he believes the historical plays promote imperialism, despite his admitted unfamiliarity with the actual texts. Jackson's knee-jerk reaction, is, of course, part of Lovell's point. But without grounding Jackson's protest in sensible specifics, Lovell misses an opportunity to showcase the nuances of Shakespeare's work.
Instead, much of the novel involves the two sides talking past each other. Rather than focus on the plays and Colson's 20th-century American interpretation, most of the storyline follows shouted protests and counter-protests, budding student romances and university bureaucratic wranglings. The student-actors quickly brush off Jackson's charge of imperialistic propaganda but don't do much to expand on their ideas, which are limited to passive reflections of Colson's values and directorial decisions. There are very few instances in which the students engage with the plays themselves. Limited rehearsal scenes are often overshadowed by interpersonal dramas. And despite Lovell's insistence that the students and Colson are enjoying their work, we never see the students take pleasure in learning their lines, interpreting the text, choreographing the scenes or building the sets. As much as Lovell expounds on the values of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, Sacred Shadows does little to showcase the pleasure of reading, understanding and performing Shakespeare.
It's clear that Lovell is a good writer, and I appreciated his creative critique of literary censorship and his advocacy for independent, critical thought. But in a novel about interpreting and performing a Shakespearean play, I would have liked to see more engagement with Shakespeare himself.
October 30, 2022
Rydar Colson, an English professor, wants to produce two Shakespeare plays. In a sane world, there would be nothing to see here. The problem is, according to the author of the foreword: “That one of Shakespeare’s history plays could be a source of trouble, or seen as a text of controversy, seems, in today’s climate, both an absurd likelihood and a strong possibility.”
Colson’s desire to realise Henry IV Parts One and Two triggers drama reminiscent of the Bard’s celebrated tragedies. This unfolds primarily through the perspective of Elliot Fleming and Vesta Lloyd, students of Colson, and the activist Ermine Jackson, whose article in the university newspaper leads to the play’s—and Colson’s—cancellation.
By way of plot, most of the action flows from Ermine's antipathy to those he perceives as more privileged than himself. Given this premise, it should be no surprise we witness the full array of stupidity modern academia has to offer. Trigger warnings. Safe spaces. Silencing people based on inherent characteristics. Lovell’s book depicts an asylum in which the lunatics have decisively wrested control from the impotent and cowardly faculty and administrators. It is a story which should be dystopian, but is sadly one of photographic realism.
In many ways, this is a surprising and brave work, given the themes the book tackles and the intolerant climate which today pervades the academe. The author's passion for Dostoyevsky, Shakespeare, the need for free expression and academic rigour come through clearly in the pages of the book.
If I were to offer one piece of advice to the author—who no doubt knows more about the publishing industry than me—it would be to try to get this story made into a film. The book contains an important message, and the pacing and structure render the story ripe for cinema. The sad truth is people besides middle-aged, mostly female book club members—to whom this book will not appeal—don’t have the patience to read the kind of stories they can see on the big screen, which is why this book will probably not sell as well as it should.
For those of us left who still read and dissent from official policy of the publishing (and, if it is different, academic) world, this is a timely work. Ours is a post-Christian world, and therefore a world in which ends justify means. That is why we see demonstrators gluing themselves to Picasso paintings to protest climate change, and attempts to erase foundational pillars of the western canon accelerating at dizzying speed.
Sacred Shadows and Latent Light is an illuminating parable on the trouble we’re in. The lizard brain philistinism at the heart of modern activism, and how this operates under the camouflage of virtue.
If the mob can cancel Shakespeare—and we should be under no illusions they can—they can cancel anyone. It is a trite quote, but one that should forever be borne in mind: "Those who control the present control the past and those who control the past control the future."
Colson’s desire to realise Henry IV Parts One and Two triggers drama reminiscent of the Bard’s celebrated tragedies. This unfolds primarily through the perspective of Elliot Fleming and Vesta Lloyd, students of Colson, and the activist Ermine Jackson, whose article in the university newspaper leads to the play’s—and Colson’s—cancellation.
By way of plot, most of the action flows from Ermine's antipathy to those he perceives as more privileged than himself. Given this premise, it should be no surprise we witness the full array of stupidity modern academia has to offer. Trigger warnings. Safe spaces. Silencing people based on inherent characteristics. Lovell’s book depicts an asylum in which the lunatics have decisively wrested control from the impotent and cowardly faculty and administrators. It is a story which should be dystopian, but is sadly one of photographic realism.
In many ways, this is a surprising and brave work, given the themes the book tackles and the intolerant climate which today pervades the academe. The author's passion for Dostoyevsky, Shakespeare, the need for free expression and academic rigour come through clearly in the pages of the book.
If I were to offer one piece of advice to the author—who no doubt knows more about the publishing industry than me—it would be to try to get this story made into a film. The book contains an important message, and the pacing and structure render the story ripe for cinema. The sad truth is people besides middle-aged, mostly female book club members—to whom this book will not appeal—don’t have the patience to read the kind of stories they can see on the big screen, which is why this book will probably not sell as well as it should.
For those of us left who still read and dissent from official policy of the publishing (and, if it is different, academic) world, this is a timely work. Ours is a post-Christian world, and therefore a world in which ends justify means. That is why we see demonstrators gluing themselves to Picasso paintings to protest climate change, and attempts to erase foundational pillars of the western canon accelerating at dizzying speed.
Sacred Shadows and Latent Light is an illuminating parable on the trouble we’re in. The lizard brain philistinism at the heart of modern activism, and how this operates under the camouflage of virtue.
If the mob can cancel Shakespeare—and we should be under no illusions they can—they can cancel anyone. It is a trite quote, but one that should forever be borne in mind: "Those who control the present control the past and those who control the past control the future."
January 26, 2023
I very much enjoyed Sacred Shadows and Latent Light. This novel touches on many current issues, including the sometimes unreasonable ‘cancel culture’ movements on college campuses by following several key characters on both sides of the conflict to cancel the Shakespeare play.
Lovell’s writing is rich, sophisticated and reminiscent of the classics. He does not hesitate to dwell on issues debated and takes the time needed to fully explore their complexities, often through dialogue, where everyone is given remarkable intelligence to make their case. He does a fantastic job in building relationships between characters, always with a depth that captures the diversity of human experience.
I was expecting a tragedy to mirror a Shakespeare play, this did not turn out to be the case (at least from my limited knowledge of Shakespeare).
However, I read Dostoevsky Brothers Karamazov this summer and did notice the influence this has had on the narrative structure of this novel, with the analysis of human behavior in its cultural context, and using extended dialogue to discuss arguments… (I did notice another review mentioning this too, but I arrived at this conclusion before seeing it). Dostoevsky has a tendency to be melodramatic at times, on this Lovell is different, his characters remain stoic and mostly reasonable.
Lovell took a risk by touching on several sensitive topics–I was worried at times–but he succeeded in discussing them by being generous in how he portrayed characters on both sides of the conflict, always making the humanity of the characters prevail above their ideology.
I would highly recommend this book to people who like the classics and who like to discuss philosophy, from Aristotle to Nietzsche. I’m looking forward to seeing what Lovell writes next, modern day classics like this are a rare treat.
Lovell’s writing is rich, sophisticated and reminiscent of the classics. He does not hesitate to dwell on issues debated and takes the time needed to fully explore their complexities, often through dialogue, where everyone is given remarkable intelligence to make their case. He does a fantastic job in building relationships between characters, always with a depth that captures the diversity of human experience.
I was expecting a tragedy to mirror a Shakespeare play, this did not turn out to be the case (at least from my limited knowledge of Shakespeare).
However, I read Dostoevsky Brothers Karamazov this summer and did notice the influence this has had on the narrative structure of this novel, with the analysis of human behavior in its cultural context, and using extended dialogue to discuss arguments… (I did notice another review mentioning this too, but I arrived at this conclusion before seeing it). Dostoevsky has a tendency to be melodramatic at times, on this Lovell is different, his characters remain stoic and mostly reasonable.
Lovell took a risk by touching on several sensitive topics–I was worried at times–but he succeeded in discussing them by being generous in how he portrayed characters on both sides of the conflict, always making the humanity of the characters prevail above their ideology.
I would highly recommend this book to people who like the classics and who like to discuss philosophy, from Aristotle to Nietzsche. I’m looking forward to seeing what Lovell writes next, modern day classics like this are a rare treat.
September 16, 2023
Just some thoughts:
The characters in Sacred Shadows and Latent Light are very well written. Some are easy to root for. Others made me want to rip my hair out. Good job, Mr. Lovell. Vesta Lloyd easily became one of my favorite book characters. If it were at all possible, I would love to be her friend.
The author did splendidly at writing moments of tension, i.e. I was biting my nails, sitting on the edge of my seat, and even had my jaw on the floor, etc. I suffered through second hand embarrassment, too - I won’t name the scene of course, but anyone who’s read it would probably know right away. Girl pls. Just stop. 😭. The romance was a nice touch, and in my opinion, not too over the top.
I haven’t read any Aristotle, Dostoevsky, Nietzsche, or even Shakespeare apart from Romeo and Juliet in high school. I know, I know. It will happen when it needs to. But if you have, this book is definitely for you. And if you haven’t, I still highly recommend it. The characters, their experiences and their relationships with each other keep you enthralled in the story, even if Shakespeare isn’t your “thing.”
I can’t say I’m surprised at how much I enjoyed this novel. It is one I will return to, time and time again.
The characters in Sacred Shadows and Latent Light are very well written. Some are easy to root for. Others made me want to rip my hair out. Good job, Mr. Lovell. Vesta Lloyd easily became one of my favorite book characters. If it were at all possible, I would love to be her friend.
The author did splendidly at writing moments of tension, i.e. I was biting my nails, sitting on the edge of my seat, and even had my jaw on the floor, etc. I suffered through second hand embarrassment, too - I won’t name the scene of course, but anyone who’s read it would probably know right away. Girl pls. Just stop. 😭. The romance was a nice touch, and in my opinion, not too over the top.
I haven’t read any Aristotle, Dostoevsky, Nietzsche, or even Shakespeare apart from Romeo and Juliet in high school. I know, I know. It will happen when it needs to. But if you have, this book is definitely for you. And if you haven’t, I still highly recommend it. The characters, their experiences and their relationships with each other keep you enthralled in the story, even if Shakespeare isn’t your “thing.”
I can’t say I’m surprised at how much I enjoyed this novel. It is one I will return to, time and time again.
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