Mountains of Self: Dream Revelations Transcending Frame Narratives

Author: Davis, Grace

Year: 2024

Degree: Other

Advisor: Holland, Jocelyn

Committee Member: None, None

Option: Philosophy

Abstract

[Introduction] Dreams have long been a source of curiosity and awe to humankind, inspiring centuries of study, interpretation, and discussion. The enigma of dreams—where they come from, what they mean, and why they occur—is shared by nearly all people, so it’s no surprise that the concept of dreaming has also been the subject of countless stories. Stories told through lens of both dream and reality often use framing as a method of separating the narrative of the dream from the narrative of “reality” in the story. In such stories, there are usually three frames: the frame of the reader and the world the reader is living in, the frame of the story, and the frame of the dream within the story. Such stories interrogate the connection between these three frames; almost invariably, the connection is related to dreamer themselves. Dreams manifest truths about the dreamer, often revealing a picture of a self that the dreamer may not be able to see or face in waking life. Elements of a dream can be manifestations of these truths; these elements then transcend the frame of the dream, reaching from the dream into the story’s reality and, at times, even into the reality of the reader themselves.