Synopses & Reviews
Dreams have been a source of delight and terror for as long as people have kept records of their thought. Whether dreams are the key to the unconscious, as Freud proposed, or a way of wiping clean the mental slate, as Dr. Francis Crick's theory suggests, they have filled the pages of numerous diaries and been an integral part of literary masterworks such as
The Divine Comedy and
Finnegan's Wake.
In this rich anthology, Stephen Brook has collected hundreds of dreams recorded by authors, poets, psychologists, and everyday dreamers since pre-Christian days. Ranging from Artemidorus's crude, 2nd-century analysis to Freud and Jung's dream psychology, and including works by Coleridge, Yeats, Tolstoy, D.H. Lawrence, Joseph Heller, and many other authors, The Oxford Book of Dreams offers an intriguing and varied sampling of humanity's collective unconscious. It explores the inexhaustible fascination of dreams and their power as a great source of literary inspiration.
About the Author
Stephen Brook has worked for publishers in both England and the United States, and is now a full-time writer. His books include
New York Days,
New York Nights,
Honky-tonk Gelato: Travels Through Texas, and
The Dordogne.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Prologue
I FROM BIRTH TO DEATH Children and Parents
Love and Sex
Old Age and Illness
Death
II EARTHLY THINGS Food
Animals
Travel and the Natural World
Real People
Creativity
Violence
Happy Endings
III THE DREAM WORLD Into Sleep
Nightmare
The Absurd
Transformations and Frustrations
Religious
Interpretations
Waking
Conclusion: A Few Reflections
Acknowledgements
Index