Veiled Visions: The (Re)generation of Image in Literary, Literal, and Liminal Veils
Veiling obscures, but also reveals. It holds symbolic and aesthetic power that spans centuries, from the medieval and Victorian periods to contemporary expressions in visual, fashion, and social media culture. Further, it frames visibility itself and shapes how identity is hidden, controlled, surveilled, or disclosed. To veil is not only to conceal, but to shape what others are allowed to see and what they are left to imagine. Veiling shrouds, but also frames; withholds, but also invites interpretation. These tensions give veiling its interpretive depth, sustaining its power to provoke, unsettle, and reframe.