Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000171 EndHTML:0000012146 StartFragment:0000004012 EndFragment:0000012110 SourceURL:file:localhost/Users/macadmin/Desktop/dostoyesky.doc Il Won Chang AP Literature Ms. Porter February 22, 2010 Dostoyevsky was dead before when The Interpretation of Dreams was published Oneirology, from Greek oneiros meaning “dreams,” is a technical terminology for scientific study of dreams. Oneirology, however, was not limited to Greece. Analyzing dreams were ubiquitous and they shared common aspects. As Carl Jung presented, collective unconscious was extant in our genes. Figuring out what our dreams meant is our common goal. Dostoyevsky, whom many devotees worship for his great insight in Russian inner deep unconscious, was already no longer with us when we started to see devils and angels up on our shoulders. Sure, Freud’s theory of unconscious in psychology has built Dostoyevsky up. However, Dostoyevsky did not write his novels to publish a psychoanalysis thesis. He was merely expressing the Russian breakfast tradition of discussing dreams. Dostoyevsky implemented Russian traditional superstitious interpretation of dreams rather than Freud’s interpretation of dreams in his two major novels—Crime and Punishment and The Brother Karamazov. Dostoyevsky’s intention, we don’t know. However, by comparing both methods of Freudian and Russian interpretation of dreams, it becomes clear by which idea was Dostoyevsky influenced. Regarding dreams, Freud was a revolutionary. Freud throws in a bold statement: Every dream is fulfillment of a wish. In order for a dream to exist, Freud claimed, there should be a) suppression of a behavior in conscious state and b) perpetuation of the suppressed behavior. For a flexible interpretation Freud added disguised form of symbols in dreams. Raskolnikov dreams about people beating up an old mare. And his father takes him away soon after. This dream, although seems like an irrelevant flashback, is instilled with disguised symbols that represents Raskolnikov’s subconscious wishes. The old mare represents the pawnbroker, and his father represents his superego. By ascribing what he wishes to do to other people in his dream, Raskolnikov obviously don’t want to be guilty of what he plans to do in the future. Later in the story, Raskolnikov kills the pawnbroker without getting caught, which his dream interprets as exactly. However, not all dreams can be picked by Freud’s universal key to the interpretation of dreams. However, in other cases, the dream rather seems like a hallucination. Raskolnikov gets sick and is bedridden. He has another dream of detectives coming in to the house and searching for evidence. Raskolnikov wakes up in a fear and desperately asks for his sock, which is merely blood-stained. None of this dream is what Raskolnikov would ever want to happen. Applying differential interpretation of the dream, I can easily conclude that Raskolnikov’s dream about detectives coming into the house is a sudden strike of superego or his guilty conscience that tells him to confess his sin. Freud’s universal interpretation of dream would not have applied to this one since such dream is driven from Raskolnikov’s guilty conscience from murdering the pawnbroker. Both of Dostoyevsky’s masterpieces, Crime and Punishment and The Brother Karamazov//, depict dreams that are as ordinary as any other’s dream. Crime and Punishment - Dream about pitying horse (Chapter 5) - Dream of police coming in ( Chapter 9 /Part 2 chapter 2) - Dream about plague / virus (epilogue chapter 2) The Brother Karamazov - Dream about Zosima giving Alyosha an advice (Book 7, chapter 4)
Il Won Chang
AP Literature
Ms. Porter
February 22, 2010
Dostoyevsky was dead before when The Interpretation of Dreams was published
Oneirology, from Greek oneiros meaning “dreams,” is a technical terminology for scientific study of dreams. Oneirology, however, was not limited to Greece. Analyzing dreams were ubiquitous and they shared common aspects. As Carl Jung presented, collective unconscious was extant in our genes. Figuring out what our dreams meant is our common goal.
Dostoyevsky, whom many devotees worship for his great insight in Russian inner deep unconscious, was already no longer with us when we started to see devils and angels up on our shoulders. Sure, Freud’s theory of unconscious in psychology has built Dostoyevsky up. However, Dostoyevsky did not write his novels to publish a psychoanalysis thesis. He was merely expressing the Russian breakfast tradition of discussing dreams. Dostoyevsky implemented Russian traditional superstitious interpretation of dreams rather than Freud’s interpretation of dreams in his two major novels—Crime and Punishment and The Brother Karamazov.
Dostoyevsky’s intention, we don’t know. However, by comparing both methods of Freudian and Russian interpretation of dreams, it becomes clear by which idea was Dostoyevsky influenced.
Regarding dreams, Freud was a revolutionary. Freud throws in a bold statement: Every dream is fulfillment of a wish. In order for a dream to exist, Freud claimed, there should be a) suppression of a behavior in conscious state and b) perpetuation of the suppressed behavior. For a flexible interpretation Freud added disguised form of symbols in dreams.
Raskolnikov dreams about people beating up an old mare. And his father takes him away soon after. This dream, although seems like an irrelevant flashback, is instilled with disguised symbols that represents Raskolnikov’s subconscious wishes. The old mare represents the pawnbroker, and his father represents his superego. By ascribing what he wishes to do to other people in his dream, Raskolnikov obviously don’t want to be guilty of what he plans to do in the future. Later in the story, Raskolnikov kills the pawnbroker without getting caught, which his dream interprets as exactly. However, not all dreams can be picked by Freud’s universal key to the interpretation of dreams.
However, in other cases, the dream rather seems like a hallucination. Raskolnikov gets sick and is bedridden. He has another dream of detectives coming in to the house and searching for evidence. Raskolnikov wakes up in a fear and desperately asks for his sock, which is merely blood-stained. None of this dream is what Raskolnikov would ever want to happen. Applying differential interpretation of the dream, I can easily conclude that Raskolnikov’s dream about detectives coming into the house is a sudden strike of superego or his guilty conscience that tells him to confess his sin. Freud’s universal interpretation of dream would not have applied to this one since such dream is driven from Raskolnikov’s guilty conscience from murdering the pawnbroker.
Both of Dostoyevsky’s masterpieces, Crime and Punishment and The Brother Karamazov//, depict dreams that are as ordinary as any other’s dream.
Crime and Punishment
- Dream about pitying horse (Chapter 5)
- Dream of police coming in ( Chapter 9 /Part 2 chapter 2)
- Dream about plague / virus (epilogue chapter 2)
The Brother Karamazov
- Dream about Zosima giving Alyosha an advice (Book 7, chapter 4)