I have always been fascinated by dreams, although not in a hugely analytic way--I prefer not to spend a lot of time in my own head (or my kid's), thank you. It's just interesting to me how they can give insight to one's true feelings. Years ago, I tried to keep a dream journal, with limited success. My dreams are so ephemeral, I usually forget them within moments, even with a handy notebook by the bed. Other times, my notes were completely unintelligible.
I do remember some of my dreams. The--ahem--erotic dreams and anxiety dreams are usually the most memorable. I am not entirely sure what the former are supposed to signify, but they are fun. The latter, much less enjoyable, let me know that something in my life is freaking me out more than I thought. Some days I have to try very hard to figure out what it is--I adore Thanksgiving, especially when I'm cooking, so today's dream was obviously about something else, probably to do with the day job.
I like to use dreams in my novels too, as they are wonderful literary devices. They are ways to get deeper inside a character's head, to weave in backstory, to break the rules a bit. When you come across dreams in my books, that's what they are: devices.
I am not a particularly deep thinker--what you see is usually what you get with me. I always hated literary criticism classes in college, where the professor took apart books page by page to search for the hidden meanings. Sometimes there just aren't any, at least not intentional ones. There's a 2011 Paris Review article that pops up on Facebook every now and then--Julia Quinn, one of my favorite romance authors, is the latest to mention it. It describes a high school kid in 1963 who, tired of searching for symbolism in English class, wondered what authors really thought. So Bruce McAllister sent a survey to 150 novelists to ask them. Half of them responded, some in tremendous detail. I can't do justice to the questions or their responses here, so go read the article.
But I digress.
Do you remember your dreams? What's your most memorable one? Literary criticism--yea or nay?
I do remember some of my dreams. The--ahem--erotic dreams and anxiety dreams are usually the most memorable. I am not entirely sure what the former are supposed to signify, but they are fun. The latter, much less enjoyable, let me know that something in my life is freaking me out more than I thought. Some days I have to try very hard to figure out what it is--I adore Thanksgiving, especially when I'm cooking, so today's dream was obviously about something else, probably to do with the day job.
I like to use dreams in my novels too, as they are wonderful literary devices. They are ways to get deeper inside a character's head, to weave in backstory, to break the rules a bit. When you come across dreams in my books, that's what they are: devices.
I am not a particularly deep thinker--what you see is usually what you get with me. I always hated literary criticism classes in college, where the professor took apart books page by page to search for the hidden meanings. Sometimes there just aren't any, at least not intentional ones. There's a 2011 Paris Review article that pops up on Facebook every now and then--Julia Quinn, one of my favorite romance authors, is the latest to mention it. It describes a high school kid in 1963 who, tired of searching for symbolism in English class, wondered what authors really thought. So Bruce McAllister sent a survey to 150 novelists to ask them. Half of them responded, some in tremendous detail. I can't do justice to the questions or their responses here, so go read the article.
But I digress.
Do you remember your dreams? What's your most memorable one? Literary criticism--yea or nay?
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Enjoyed your post. I'm a big dreamer and no way can I keep a journal--too complex. I dream about a lot of people I know but with twists; the familiar and the crazy and chaotic. I can wake up then go back to sleep and slid right back in. I've even "replayed" the dreams, knew what was coming and changed things. Dreams are fascinating to me. Wish I had the time to really learn about them! And stress dreams are awful but knowing what is behind them, helps me figure out what i can do about the stress level. I'm not into "deep thinking" or taking apart stories to find meaning. If it's there, I'll see it. If not, it was just an enjoyable (hopefully) story.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sydney! I've never replayed a dream--how interesting!
DeleteA sleep disorder prevents me from dreaming, but I do find other people's dreams interesting. As far as picking a story apart for deeper meaning - I've had many people tell me they took something way from one of my stories that completely surprised me. I think it's an individual thing. If there's something you need, you'll find it. Even if the author hadn't intended to assist.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Sandra! I am glad you can enjoy other's dreams, and, of course, craft your own through your writing. I will admit I sometimes take away meanings from books that the author may not have intended. What interests me is that there's so much speculation about what the author did intend, when no one really knows that but the author.
DeleteI also hated literary criticism classes. I enjoyed Butler's article immensely and found it fascinating that so many authors responded to what read like a college midterm exam. I can't imagine any author on the best seller list doing that today (or formulating an intelligent reply.) My favorite response was from Ray Bradbury. Ah, if I was only one tenth the writer he was.
ReplyDeleteHi Linda! I know what you mean--it is amazing that so many of them took the time to provide such thoughtful responses. Today's bestselling authors are, generally, so much more accessible than they were then, with email, blogs, Facebook, and Twitter. It's much easier to ask them what they think, but I too imagine they would be hard-pressed to find the time or the inclination to respond to a survey like McAllister's.
DeleteVery nice post. I'm fascinated by dreams of my own or others. Oddly enough, I've never been able to incorporate dreaming into any of my novels. Holey Moley, can I relate to my "Literary Criticism" class. I remember picking through "Lord Jim" word, by word, by word, looking for hidden meanings the instructor was certain existed. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Judy! I can't remember which book my lit crit professor was painfully attempting to deconstruct, I have so thoroughly blocked the experience from my memory. :)
DeleteI'm fascinated by dreams. I've had a recurring dream for over 20 years now. It involves an old boyfriend and unresolved issues. One of these days I'll figure out how to write a story about it. I keep waiting for the resolution dream, but think it might never happen and will have to fictionalize it.
ReplyDeleteTwenty years is a long time to have a dream. Maybe if you write a resolution you'll stop having it. :) Thanks for stopping by!
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