This was not the first time that I took a look at the Dream of the Rood, though we were looking at it in a literary context and not from the aspect of dreams.
I found myself during class becoming riveted on the dream-vision overlap that we were discussing, particularly as relates to Christian mysticism. I began to think about some the great visionaries that have influenced history, such as Joan of Arc. She was a visionary, but also thought to have been misled, but no matter what, she influenced history to a tremendous degree. One possible paper topic would be to look at her visions from a dream analyst perspective and also from the medieval view of dreaming. Perhaps that would provide some insight as to the tragic course of her life and as to how a 14 year old girl managed to lead armies?
It's a thought, but perhaps an overdone one, since her visions are so famous. I am having a terrible time choosing a time period to focus on for the essay, although I know I want to do something historic.
Comments (2)
It would be interesting to do a couple of quick literature searches in databases like EBSCO and the MLA Bibliography, to see if it looks like Joan of Arc's visions have been examined through the lens of dream theory. It could be a great topic, though you'd have to find a manageable angle.
Posted by Lydgate | November 5, 2006 5:47 PM
Posted on November 5, 2006 17:47
Actually it sounds like a pretty cool idea. I agree with the professor- you should look into this.
Posted by John A. Dreams | November 5, 2006 10:05 PM
Posted on November 5, 2006 22:05