Description
Book SynopsisThis book considers the contemporary political formula of the âœChinese Dreamâ in the light of the treatment of dreams in Chinese literary history since antiquity. Sinic literary and philosophical texts document an extensive spectrum of dream possibilities: starting with Zhuangziâs eminent butterfly dream, an early example of the inversion of the dreamerâs reality, through to confusing visions of the spiritual realm. In classical dramas, novels, and ghost stories, dreams see the earthly realm enter into conflict with higher realms of existence. They indulge the dreamerâs quest for sensual pleasures, but then spiritual beings relentlessly harvest the dreamersâ life energy. Dreams promise spiritual enlightenment â only to abandon the dreamer in a state of utter confusion. In the early twentieth century, traditional dream knowledge is abandoned in favour or Freudian episodes of sexual repression. In this context, the collective national dream emerges as an unexpected vehicle of the pained individualâs hope for national rejuvenation.
