Shadow mistaken for substance

Motif

Shadow mistaken for substance.

The wise and the foolish. · Fools (and other unwise persons). · Absurd misunderstandings. · One thing mistaken for another. · Shadow mistaken for substance. · view the constellation · filed as J1790

ask the rhapsode about this motif →

In our texts — keyword-matched, unreviewed

Literary CrystallizationMoby-Dick; or, The Whale, 7

Scholars’ trail — 1reference

The index’s own references — the collections where scholars sighted this story-shape, tradition by tradition. Titles on our shelf are live links; the rest is the frontier, not yet shelved.

IndiaThompson-Balys.

Within the index

9 finer motifs beneath it

Numskull thinks his shadow is a man pursuing him Shadow mistaken for thief: is beaten Monkey seeing tiger attack his shadow is frightened so that he falls from tree Reflection in water thought to be the original of the thing reflected Picture mistaken for original Mask mistaken for face Statue mistaken for living original. (Cf. K1840.)Image in mirror mistaken for picture Moonlight thought to be substance

wander