The Purpose of Literary Dreams: The Advantages of a Literary Device

Abstract

The manners in which dreams function in literature will be further researched in this paper. Despite dreams being a fascinating phenomenon, research on the narratorial use of dreams in literature is scarce. First, the general functions of dream sequences will be examined after which the examination focuses on a specific novel, namely Couples by John Updike, a novel which centres on ten couples living in the New England town Tarbox. Subsequently, a fictional short story will follow containing one or more dreams. In this chapter, the findings of the research will be reflected by means of a combination of dream purposes in literature. As a final addition, an annotation will be included in which will be explained how the results of the examination of dream sequences in literature have been reflected in the creative chapter.