Kluwer Academic/Human Sciences Press, Inc., New York City

Dreaming Volume 9, Number 1, March 1999

 
 

On Interdisciplinarity: An Essay for the Special Issue
Carol Schreier Rupprecht and Dennis Schmidt
Page 3

Dreamwork as Etymology
Sarah White
Page 11

Dream Practices in Medieval Tibet
Serinity Young
Page 23

Stretched Dream Science: The Essential Contribution of Long-Term Naturalistic Studies
Dennis Schmidt
Page 43

Dreaming and the Impossible Art of Translation
Carol Schreier Rupprecht
Page 71
Available online

Touring the Dream Factory: The Dream-Film Connection in The Wizard of Oz and A Nightmare on Elm Street
Kelly Bulkeley
Page 101

Carol Schreier Rupprecht and Dennis Schmidt
On Interdisciplinarity: An Essay for the Special Issue
Dreaming: Journal of the Association for the Study of Dreams.
Vol 9(1) 3-9 Mar 1999.

 Sarah White
 Dreamwork as Etymology
Dreaming: Journal of the Association for the Study of Dreams. Vol 9(1) 11-21, Mar 1999.

Abstract:

This essay proposes that etymology, the study of word roots, presents analogies with dreamwork, although parallels between them must be carefully framed. Quoting Freud and the seventh century encyclopedist Isidore of Seville, weaknesses in their use of etymological arguments are identified. Theories forged from word origins should not blur distinctions between word and thing or force linguistic process into support of a preconceived theoretical project. To explore Freud’s notion of contraries in words and dreams, examples are offered of single Indo-European word roots capable of engendering divergent or contradictory modern meanings, as well as examples of divergent or contradictory modern meanings for words that have two or more derivations, e.g., the English word "dream" and French rêve. Tracing a place-name (Campidoglio) in an actual dream demonstrates that etymology and dreamwork are both reconstructive processes that should avoid determinism, accept uncertainty, and respect complexity.

Keywords: dreamwork; etymology; historical linguistics.
 
 

This essay presents a variety of medieval Tibetan Buddhist dream practices culled from many different sources, such as medical texts, biographies, religious texts, and folklore. Some of this material is here translated into English for the first time. The dreaming techniques presented in these texts bring out religious and philosophical connections between body and consciousness. The range and diversity of the original sources required a broad interdisciplinary approach using literary studies, religious studies, philosophy, linguistics, and other disciplines.

Key words: dream use; Buddhism; consciousness; religion; interdisciplinarity; lucidity.
 

Dennis Schmidt
Stretched Dream Science: The Essential Contribution of Long-Term Naturalistic Studies
Dreaming: Journal of the Association for the Study of Dreams. Vol 9(1) 43-69, Mar 1999.

Abstract:

Naturalistic observation has a lesser status than experiment in most sciences. In the field of dream study, practitioners of naturalistic and experimental disciplines coexist, with limited mutual respect. Long-term naturalistic observation, though, has unique sensitivities that make it the most effective or the only possible method for many important studies. While there are challenges to integrating naturalistic and experimental disciplines, there are possibilities, and there is a scientific imperative.

Key Words:  naturalistic dream study; longitudinal dream study; philosophy of science.
 
 

This essay identifies translation both as an historically core metaphor in Euro-American dream theory and as a contemporary ally for dream teaching and research. It also traces the mutuality of translators’ reliance on Freud, Jung, and other dream theorists in their metaphorical expression of the art and craft of translation. The sustained interaction of oneiric and linguistic metaphor-making stems from the fact that virtually all of our knowledge about dreams has been mediated through language and that all dream reporting is itself an act of intersemiotic translation. In an attempt to stimulate further comparative inquiry, the overlapping concerns and often uncanny affinities between language/translation studies and dream/interpretation studies are presented.
  
Keywords: dream; education; language; reading; translation; Freud; Jung.

Available online
  

 Kelly Bulkeley
 Touring the Dream Factory: The Dream-Film Connection in The Wizard of Oz and A Nightmare on Elm Street
Dreaming: Journal of the Association for the Study of Dreams. Vol 9(1) 101-109, Mar 1999.

Abstract:

This essay explores the complex interplay of dreams and film, using an analysis of The Wizard of Oz (1939) and A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) to illustrate how an interdisciplinary approach can provide fruitful insights into how dreams influence films, and films influence dreams. The essay suggests that reflecting on the dreams-film connection can deepen our understanding of the cultural dimensions of human development, particularly in the context of modern American culture. By using the methodological resources of psychology, sociology, history, film criticism, and theology, the essay argues more generally that the interdisciplinary analysis of films offers significant new possibilities for the development of dream studies.
 
 Key Words: dreams; nightmares; film; adolescence; American culture.