So even after our workshop I didn't really have any clue what I was going to write about. I decided to go to the central library in Jamaica (I know an actual library! how very 1995 of me) and just kind of stroll around until I found some books that interested me and consequently create a paper out of that. Amazingly it worked.
I'm going to stick with the whole dream/sleep idea but lose the Jew bit (sorry, I know you were all so fascinated by it). Instead I was thinking of writing a paper/literary essay on sleep, dreams, and insanity in literature. There are so many great examples out there from classics to contemporary - Fight Club, Macbeth, Hamlet, ok almost any Shakespear play, Alice in Wonderland, Yellow Wallpaper (maybe?), Jekyll and Hyde, and so many more
Basically I want to discuss the connection between dreams, sleep (or lack thereof) and insanity and how this is used as a literary tool. An example that popped into my head right away was from Macbeth when he can't sleep and he goes outside and sees the dagger. But is it a dagger? Is he dreaming? Is he crazy? Either way this is the point in the story where he makes the decision to kill Macbeth and alters his life forever. Also, he doesn't know for sure if the weird sisters are real or a dream. Ah, too many ideas!
Ok I realize I really need to focus this in a bit. I figure once I start writing it a more focused theory will take shape.
Comments (5)
I know I am not one of your designated persons, but I like the sound of this project. I think it will be very interesting.
Maryellen
Posted by Maryellen | November 21, 2007 10:58 PM
Posted on November 21, 2007 22:58
It does sound interesting, and you definitely have a rich topic to develop.
What jumps to mind though is what exactly your motivating question is... you mentioned explaining instances where it is used as a literary tool but what is the point...what are you saying other than it's a literary tool and widely used?
Posted by Valerie | November 22, 2007 4:39 PM
Posted on November 22, 2007 16:39
It turns out we CAN learn from the past. 1995!
Anyway, this sounds good to me too. You have so much literature to choose from. One challenge will be making a decision and narrowing it down. I suggest focusing on one or two texts (maybe from different periods?) but including a paragraph or two where you survey the large body of literature that shares the same theme you're focusing on.
I agree with Valerie that what you need is a motivating question. One way to come up with one will be to think about the relationships between the literature you're discussing and dream theory that investigates the dream-madness connection.
As I mentioned by e-mail, I'd start with J. Allan Hobson's book The Dream Drugstore, maybe Freud's The Interpretation of Dreams. You should also take a look at some writing by Bert States, especially his book Dreaming and Storytelling and his article "Bizarreness in Dreams and Other Fictions" (which I'm attaching).Rita Carter's chapter on dreams might be useful too.
You might find your question by asking yourselves if the Shakespeare, Stevenson, or Palahniuk are investigating the same questions as the theory, or do they approach the subject differently? Do the earlier writers anticipate the theory? Did their authors seem to "get," intuitively, some of the ideas theorists later postulated, or do they simply reflect the thinking of their times?
Posted by Jason Tougaw | November 23, 2007 1:43 PM
Posted on November 23, 2007 13:43
I really like this topic. It sounds very interesting, and I can see how the possibilites are overwhelming. I am having the same issue with my paper on drugs and creativity.
First, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde doesn't really discuss sleep, but Stevenson did say the idea for the story came to him in a dream.
Taking this in mind you may want to write a paper about the effects of lack of sleep on perception and connect it to certain works of literature or art. I don't know any writers off the top of my head that suffered from sleep deprivation, but I know Marilyn Manson used it as a creative tool when writing the controversial album Antichrist Superstar.
It's just something that you may want to look into. Maybe you can combine lack of sleep as a tool for creativity and also as literary tool.
OR
Sticking with you main idea you may want to begin your paper with research into the effects of sleep deprivation, and go on to relate these symptoms to the symptoms of the characters in the works you mentioned.
This would put a new spin on some of the books.
Posted by Jessica | November 23, 2007 9:53 PM
Posted on November 23, 2007 21:53
No Jew bit? But I already dug my Shtreimel out of the closet!
It seems like a big undertaking to talk about sleep deprivation in ALL of literature. You'll probably be picking one piece and talking about that in depth. (Hopefully you figured that out already.)
I'm a little bit concerned about your idea of using sleep deprivation as a storytelling tool--mostly because I'm not sure what you mean. Are we looking at how sleep deprivation drives and shapes plot? Or are we just looking at the depiction of sleep deprivation? (And it's possible inaccuracies as represented in the text.)
Posted by John Rice | November 26, 2007 6:05 PM
Posted on November 26, 2007 18:05