Cave and Shadows
Encyclopedia
Cave and Shadows is a 1983 whodunit
and Martial Law era
“metaphysical
” thriller novel written by Philippine National Artist Nick Joaquin
. The setting of the novel is during Ferdinand Marcos
’s martial law in the Philippines
, including the time in Manila when activism was alive and demonstrations were frequent before August 1972 (described as Joaquin’s “‘objective correlative’ to the Crisis of ’72”), before the declaration of martial rule. It is a detective fiction
that also deals with and arcane and historical cults involving beata
s or “beatified women” (a group of religious lay women who were "repressed by a male-dominated, colonial order") and strange events occurring inside unfamiliar cave
s in the Metro Manila
area. Other themes include politics
, love
, family, friendship, reconciliation, and tyranny
. One of two novels authored by Joaquin during his lifetime (written twenty-two years after Joaquin’s The Woman Who Had Two Navels
), it is regarded as an important book to read for Philippine literature students. In this work, Joaquin interspersed historical fact
s and with fiction resulting to a mesh of “multi-layered meanings”. One of the main concept for the plot is the “routinary paganisation
” by Filipino
s of the Western-rooted religion known as Catholicism
.
The bizarre events in this novel includes the inexplicable death of Nenita Coogan. Coogan’s body was found naked inside a cave located within the suburban regions of Manila
. The death by Coogan triggered a criminal investigation, truth searching, collision of the past and the present, and the unhinging of reality. The end of the novel exposes human nature
, belief
, and certainty
.
Whodunit
A whodunit or whodunnit is a complex, plot-driven variety of the detective story in which the puzzle is the main feature of interest. The reader or viewer is provided with clues from which the identity of the perpetrator of the crime may be deduced before the solution is revealed in the final...
and Martial Law era
Martial Law in the Philippines
Martial law in the Philippines refers to the period of Philippine history where Philippine Presidents declare a proclamation to control unpacified places under the rule of Military, it is usually given when threatened by popular protests, or to crack down on the opposition...
“metaphysical
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...
” thriller novel written by Philippine National Artist Nick Joaquin
Nick Joaquín
Nicomedes Márquez Joaquín was a Filipino writer, historian and journalist, best known for his short stories and novels in the English language. He also wrote using the pen name Quijano de Manila...
. The setting of the novel is during Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos, Sr. was a Filipino leader and an authoritarian President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He was a lawyer, member of the Philippine House of Representatives and a member of the Philippine Senate...
’s martial law in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, including the time in Manila when activism was alive and demonstrations were frequent before August 1972 (described as Joaquin’s “‘objective correlative’ to the Crisis of ’72”), before the declaration of martial rule. It is a detective fiction
Detective fiction
Detective fiction is a sub-genre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator , either professional or amateur, investigates a crime, often murder.-In ancient literature:...
that also deals with and arcane and historical cults involving beata
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
s or “beatified women” (a group of religious lay women who were "repressed by a male-dominated, colonial order") and strange events occurring inside unfamiliar cave
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
s in the Metro Manila
Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila , the National Capital Region , or simply Metro Manila, is the metropolitan region encompassing the City of Manila and its surrounding areas in the Philippines...
area. Other themes include politics
Politics of the Philippines
The Politics of the Philippines takes place in an organized framework of a presidential, representative, and democratic republic whereby the president is both the head of state and the head of government within a pluriform multi-party system...
, love
Courtship in the Philippines
Traditional courtship in the Philippines is described as a "far more subdued and indirect" approach compared to Western or Westernized cultures. It involves "phases" or "stages" inherent to Philippine society and culture. Evident in courtship in the Philippines is the practice of singing romantic...
, family, friendship, reconciliation, and tyranny
Philippine Martial Law referendum, 1973
National referendum in which the Citizen's Assemblies voted for:*The ratification of the 1973 Constitution*The suspension of the convening of the Interim National Assembly provided for the Transitory provinsions of the 1973 Constitution...
. One of two novels authored by Joaquin during his lifetime (written twenty-two years after Joaquin’s The Woman Who Had Two Navels
The Woman Who Had Two Navels
The Woman Who Had Two Navels is a 1961 historical novel by Nick Joaquin, a National Artist for Literature and leading English-language writer from the Philippines. It is considered a classic in Philippine literature. It was the recipient of the first Harry Stonehill award...
), it is regarded as an important book to read for Philippine literature students. In this work, Joaquin interspersed historical fact
History of the Philippines
The history of the Philippines is believed to have begun with the arrival of the first humans via land bridges at least 30,000 years ago. The first recorded visit from the West is the arrival of Ferdinand Magellan, who sighted Samar on March 16, 1521 and landed on Homonhon Island southeast of Samar...
s and with fiction resulting to a mesh of “multi-layered meanings”. One of the main concept for the plot is the “routinary paganisation
Paganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
” by Filipino
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
s of the Western-rooted religion known as Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
.
The bizarre events in this novel includes the inexplicable death of Nenita Coogan. Coogan’s body was found naked inside a cave located within the suburban regions of Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
. The death by Coogan triggered a criminal investigation, truth searching, collision of the past and the present, and the unhinging of reality. The end of the novel exposes human nature
Human nature
Human nature refers to the distinguishing characteristics, including ways of thinking, feeling and acting, that humans tend to have naturally....
, belief
Faith
Faith is confidence or trust in a person or thing, or a belief that is not based on proof. In religion, faith is a belief in a transcendent reality, a religious teacher, a set of teachings or a Supreme Being. Generally speaking, it is offered as a means by which the truth of the proposition,...
, and certainty
Truth
Truth has a variety of meanings, such as the state of being in accord with fact or reality. It can also mean having fidelity to an original or to a standard or ideal. In a common usage, it also means constancy or sincerity in action or character...
.
External links
- Cave and Shadows Summary at valmar.wordpress.com
- Bookcover image for Nick Joaquin's Cave & Shadows at openlibrary.org