The literary world contains countless references to the topics of sleep and dreams. Subtle differences exist in the treatment of sleep and dreams in literature from author to author and movement to movement. This article focuses primarily upon Western literary traditions. A useful means of surveying these literary themes is to explore sleep and dreams separately, following their historical usage through the centuries to more contemporary manifestations. Dream motifs abound in the Western literary tradition. Literary works not only show a continuing fascination with dreaming throughout the ages, but also display shifts in peoples' beliefs about the nature and process of dreaming. The earliest Western writings tell us that the ancients believed dreams were caused by gods, devils, and the dead manifestation. A final concept about dreams that coexisted with these other theories was best articulated by Herodotus, the fifth-century B.C. Greek historian who believed that dreams simply reflected and represented the waking thoughts and concerns of the dreamer. Herodotus's way of understanding dreams suggests that they can be seen as mirrors of reality.

 

 

Modern literature has been greatly influenced by the psychological theorizing of Sigmund Freud. Freudian schools of thought increased the incorporation of dream motifs in fiction. With the Increase In popular attention to dreaming, modern fiction writers not only utilized dreams to develop characters psychologically, but also began to attempt

to capture the essence of dreaming in highly surrealist works . Examples Include Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain, August Strindberg's A Dream Play and The Ghost Sonata, Franz Kafka's The Trial and The Castle, and James Joyce's Ulysses and Finnegan's Wake . These works represent another profound step in the evolution of public and scholarly attitudes toward dreams-from thinking of them as supernatural phenomena or simple mirrors of reality to using them to reveal important aspects of personal identity. A survey of dreaming as reflected In literature not only displays our continued fascination

with this nocturnal phenomenon, but also illustrates the way that each generation has thought about and explained dreaming.

 

From the oldest literary styles to the works of contemporary literature, dream-motifs continue to fascinate writers and readers, alike. They offer a prismatic view of people's belief and understanding of their subconscious ambit throughout the ages. Every age dreams and tries to make sense of those dreams, which finds expression in the written and oral traditions. Dreams also form a cultural thread binding people regardless of time and language barriers.