I really enjoy fiction and now read much more of it than non-fiction. Made up stories never appealed to me before but nowadays I read little else. For all my enthusiasm there is one aspect to fiction that irritates me a great deal. When a chapter ends with a character falling asleep I know that at the beginning of the next chapter I will be unwillingly whisked away into a surreal world of bizarre imagery and nonsensical rubbish. I'm talking of the dream segment.
My main question is: Why?
I have been giving it some thought lately and I cannot fathom what possible benefit a dream gives to my reading experience. Exactly what relevance to a story is a dream? When I encounter a written dream I invariably skip over it and try to forget it was there. I just cannot see the point of them.
I understand that some people believe dreams can have some sort of meaning either subconsciously or perhaps some form of clairvoyance. Perhaps other readers feel a dream gives a book the impression of mysticism and intrigue. My cynicism tells me it is nothing more than a poor attempt by the author at padding; throw in a few pointless dreams here and there and you can waste up to ten pages saying nothing of benefit to the storyline
Does anyone enjoy reading about dreams in a book?
Chris
I am definitely with you on this one Chris. I hate dreams in literature. If it is necessary for a character to have a dream or nightmare then it should be taken care of in a single sentence. I don't enjoy my own dreams, so why would I want to try and interpret those of a fictional character?
ReplyDeleteComing from a writer's point of view, dreams are often used to help with foreshadowing, thematic symbolism, and motifs. Not all dreams in literature are good, but if they're used right, they can be a very powerful device. I like having them in here, and I admit I've used them in books that I write as well.
ReplyDeleteI am totally with you on dreams. I find dream sequences very annoying and tend to skip over them.
ReplyDeleteI've never thought about it one way or the other so guess dreams in stories don't bother me-- I can't recall any instances where I would consider dreaming padding and not pertinent. this has me curious-- the next time dreaming comes up in a nonspeculative story, I will be thinking about it.
ReplyDelete@ Pinksheepcafe: I'm much the same, my own dreams mean nothing to me (most of the time I don't even remember them) so I don't enjoy reading about the dreams of others.
ReplyDelete@ Amanda: Once again our opinions seem to go opposite ways! lol
Thanks for giving a writers point of view, it's very valuable but I'm afraid I'm sticking to my guns! I can't have come across any decently written dreams as none of those I have read have shown me anything that couldn't have been shown without the aid of dreams which often, in reality, mean nothing.
@ rhapsodyinbooks: I'm glad to see i'm not the only sufferer! lol
@ Lesa: Please let me know what you come up with :o)
Chris
I agree. I hate dreams in fiction stories. It is a useless plot device, if you ask me. This is why I didn't like American Gods. Too many dreams.
ReplyDeleteI teach creative writing and always tell my students to avoid using dreams. Especailly the dreaded "and I woke up and it was all a dream". I won't even let my primary school students use that device. It's horrible and lazy.
As for using dreams to move the plot forward... rarely works in my opinion. It's distracting and annoying.
I can handle one or two dreams, but when it gets more than that it's distracting. It seems almost like cheating.
ReplyDelete@ Rachel: I'm pleased you mentioned American Gods, I've read a few of Gaiman's books lately and was planning on reading that next. I don't think I will now.
ReplyDeleteIn my reading experience a dream has never proved useful except for giving me the justification for skipping a few pages and finishing the book a little quicker ;o)
@ Shelley: It does seem like cheating to me, a way of filling up some space in a book with nothing much. I wonder if a desperate writer has ever used it as a method of getting rid of writers block.
Chris
Interesting post -- I can't say I've read or remember reading very many dreams in literature. I don't even like remembering my own dreams because it means I didn't get much sleep -- like last night, with a big black bear in it. :)
ReplyDelete@ Kim: I don't come across dreams in every book but I have read a fair few. I rarely remember my own dreams and even if I do I'm convinced they don't mean anything therefore in my book (no pun intended!) they don't work as a plot device.
ReplyDeleteI've never had any dreams about black bears but I can imagine they are more like a nightmare! lol
Chris
Like Kim, I can't think of many dreams I've read through in a book, so either they've had zero impact on me or they don't happen much in my chosen literature. I do have very little patience for the "it came to me in a dream" plot device so you have my sympathy there!
ReplyDeleteA good topic though and interesting to hear your thoughts on it.