The Evolution of Dream Interpretation in Literature from Antiquity to Modern Times

Аннотация

The article traces the history of the study and artistic interpretation of sleep in literature from ancient civilizations to modern times. The evolution of the perception of dreams and their functions in culture and literature is analyzed: from divine revelation in antiquity and the Middle Ages to symbolic reflection of the unconscious in psychoanalysis and experimental narrative in modernism and postmodernism. Keywords: Sleep in literature, the history of sleep, literary dreaming, psychoanalysis and literature, the unconscious, symbolism of sleep. ("On The Soul") also sought to understand the nature Introduction: The history of the study of dreams in and meanings of sleep and its connection with literature has been developing for a long time and is consciousness. They were the first to interpret based on certain patterns that require separate symbolic dreams that defied conventional logic. consideration. Dreams as a phenomenon are found in Philosophers also tried to explain why human dreams the literature of almost all nations and have their own were full of signs and irrationality. cultural and historical contexts. Literary dreams are regarded as plot constructions typical of various The ancient world saw sleep as a phenomenon that national literatures, forms, and genres. This technique connected the real world with the otherworld. In this is used, for example, in the Sumerian epic of Gilgamesh, view, sleep was seen as a message from the gods, a the Old Testament, historical texts from Egypt, Assyria, harbinger of victory or defeat, and a reflection of the and the traditions of Ancient India, where inner state of heroes. For ancient Greece, dreams were communication with God can take place through considered part of divine revelation, sent to guide dreams. people. Therefore, staying in Asclepios's temples was common, as it was believed that Asclepius, the god of In order to trace the evolution of sleep in literature and medicine, would give advice or healing in dreams. identify certain theoretical aspects of it, we need to Interpreting dreams, in which deities appeared in turn to the following fundamental stages and symbolic form, became widespread. In these cases, approaches that were formed during the development deities could provide hints that needed to be of literature and science on sleep. interpreted, helping people make choices and First of all, it is necessary to focus on the period of decisions. Dream interpreters, called oneirocrates, antiquity. For the ancient Greeks, sleep was a means to were consulted by crowds of people. gain inspiration and prophecy. Ancient authors Ancient Rome was characterized by a different believed that Hypnos, the god of sleep, was connected approach: dreams were a source of information. This with human destiny, could influence the course of a meant that they had a practical aspect. Military leaders person's life and therefore the hero of a work. We are could decide on battles after interpreting dreams, and talking about works by Homer ("Iliad", "Odyssey"), politicians could join one side or another. Because of Hesiod ("Theogony") and Sophocles ("Oedipus"). Their this, the practice of consulting dream interpreters nature of sleep is clearly expressed: it is a source of became widespread. They were supposed to tell if a divine revelation. Plato ("The Republic") and Aristotle conspiracy was forming against the ruler and how the International Journal Of Literature And Languages 23 https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ijll International Journal Of Literature And Languages (ISSN: 2771-2834) planned battle would end. Cicero saw dreams as During the Renaissance, when masters turned to the reflections of a person's physical and mental states. He legacy of ancient culture, dreams began to be viewed believed that both conditions affected each other. not so much as a religious phenomenon but as a mirror Plato and Aristotle wrote several works on the nature reflecting a person's inner world, their fears and of dreams. desires. The influence of humanistic ideas led to a more rational approach to interpreting dreams, although Cicero viewed dreams as a reflection of a person's their prophetic and sacred potential was not physical and mental state. He was convinced that both completely lost. The 17th and 19th centuries saw an conditions mutually affect each other. In his treatise increase in interest in science and a rational "On the State," he cites the famous episode of "Scipio's understanding of the world. Rene Descartes Dream," in which ideas about the immortality of the (Reflections on First Philosophy) argued about the soul, cosmic order, and the moral duty of a citizen are nature of subjective experience and questioned the revealed through the dream. Plato, in his dialogue authenticity of dreams, typical of Modern times views. "Philebus," and in "The Republic," divides dreams into "divine" and "un-divine," emphasizing that, in a state of The scientific study of sleep physiolo