Secondary Elements

In a text’s attempt to establish or uncover truth, secondary elements can be more important than major ones. Apart from forensic science, secondary elements form the basis of Sigmund Freud’s analysis of the self, based on experiences and details that had been pushed to the margins of daily life. Secondary elements also lie at the core of Arthur Canon Doyle’s novels, and the investigations led by his character Sherlock Holmes. If truth to be found in the hidden sometimes, how can literature in its attempts to reveal “truth,” writes the least visible, the unspoken and the most intimate, without betraying the essence of any of these.

This workshop will be comprised of a talk of 40 minutes, 20 minutes for a writing exercise, and 60 minutes reading and discussing the exercise together. Please come prepared with a short anecdote that you would like to explore in writing.