International Conference, Valencia, 25-26th October 2018
Dreaming is a human experience able to generate a wide variety of feelings since it is akin to reality. It has been largely debated from an anthropological, philosophical or metaphysical point of view since antiquity until the present day. The dream appears like a gate to the subconscious, to the most atavistic and irrational fears, to illuminating contacts with other parts of our conscience or to the most pleasurable affective experiences, at best. This broad range of feelings and thoughts provoked by the oneiric visions has stimulated in turn multiple interpretations following the ancestral belief in the link between dream and reality. The premonitory dream announcing an important event or the admonitory one encouraging the dreamer to take a crucial decision or act one way or another are two significant examples of scenes in which the oneiric is used as an important literary motif.
On the other hand, the dream comes up when someone is asleep. From this motif, it also exists the anxiety produced by the impossibility of sleeping (insomnia) and its physical and psychological consequences. In addition, the intermediate phase between the vigil and the sleep, the so called light sleep, it is an interesting experience, a place of conflict between the conscience and the subconscience. This phase is ideal to experience supernatural perceptions or encounters by provoking shocking sensations akin to those implicit in the dreams.
For all these reasons, this conference is aimed at analyzing the presence of dreaming, insomnia in Graeco-roman texts and its reception in Modern literatures, especially, though not exclusively, in Medieval times. The main goal will be to discuss about this main axis in a multidisciplinary way, by offering new approaches and by establishing new relationship between different literary traditions. In addition, monographic proposals about some topic related to the importance of dreaming, insomnia or light sleep will be welcome.
