[[Dreams]visions in Hoffmann's «fairy tales»: An experience of phenomenological description].

In Hoffmann's fantastic stories, dreams and visions occur in borderline, twilight states such as half-asleep, intoxication, creative ecstasy, or fever. These dreams are not escapist other-realities but one of two constitutive modes of perception, sharing a common source with everyday awareness. They are characterized by hypermateriality, animation, dynamism, plasticity, and infinite productivity. While romantics believed immersion in dreams could overcome splits between human and nature or inner and outer worlds, Hoffmann emphasizes the ambivalent nature of dreams: they cause sensory exhaustion, increase the dreamer's dependence on unbreakable connections, lead to loss of identity through bodily disintegration and vampiric rapport, and turn spontaneous energy against the subject. Hoffmann suggests that dynamic balance and plasticity of spirit are necessary for successfully processing dreams.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The article highlights the stable characteristics of the world of dreams/visions, which is revealed to Hoffmann's visionaries in borderline, «twilight» states (half-asleep, intoxication, creative ecstasy, fever). Hoffmann sees in it not a closed, escapist «other-reality» but one of the two constitutive modes of perception, which has a common denotation and a common source with the «everyday» worldview. Dreams/visions in his «fantastic» stories are characterized by 1) hypermateriality, 2) animation, 3) dynamism, plasticity, and permeability, and 4) vigor and infinite productivity. According to romantics, immersion in the «dream» allows one to temporarily overcome the split between the purely human and natural, internal and external, to return to the original all-unity. However, Hoffmann emphasizes the ambivalent nature of a dream/vision, the downsides of which are: 1) «sensory» and emotional exhaustion of the dreamer suffering from excessive contrast and fullness; 2) increasing dependence of the subject on connections that the dreamer cannot break; 3) dissolution in the chaos and loss of identity, reflected in the motives of bodily disintegration and vampiric rapport; 4) loss of control and turning against the subject of spontaneous energy and productivity. In conclusion, the ways of adaptation of «sober-minded» consciousness to the «twilight» (Dionysian) world are outlined, allowing for the neutralization of its potential threats; Hoffmann considers dynamic balance and plasticity of the spirit to be necessary for the successful processing of dreams.