More dream than memory the inextricable link between fiction and dreaming : a novella, "Daydreams of empty skies," together with a critical essay presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Creative Writing at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand

Abstract

There is a clear and inextricable link between dreaming and fiction. Because of the way REM-sleep dreaming functions, as a hyper-creative state, dreams often serve as the source of inspiration for many authors. Dreaming is also, as one of the most central and yet mysterious aspects of the human experience, commonly used as a plot device or theme in multiple genres of fiction. Furthermore, in terms of how it works in the brain, the experience of reading fiction is remarkably similar to that of a dream.

The critical essay argues the above and investigates the use of dream-related themes and devices in Banana Yoshimoto’s 𝘈𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱 (1989) and Ursula Le Guin’s 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 (1971). The three short stories that comprise 𝘈𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱 each take place in a transitional period in each of the respective protagonists’ lives, and the protagonist is required to confront and come to terms with the past in order to escape this dreamlike limbo. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 protagonist George Orr’s ability to change reality via his dreams is reflective of the fluctuating dreaming/creative process itself: it is only once Orr loses this ability that he is able to escape the entangled dreams and realities.

In the novella, 𝘋𝘢𝘺𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘺 𝘚𝘬𝘪𝘦𝘴, the protagonist, Astra, finds that her dreams are direct reproductions of her memories. She is recruited to be part of an experiment by Tenjin, a researcher, in Tokyo, Japan. Throughout the story Astra finds the divisions between dream, memory, and reality becoming increasingly thin, and by the end it is unclear whether or not she has escaped this state of being. The novella, in its form and construction, is much like a lucid dream itself—a point which is enlarged upon in the essay.