Medieval Dream Poetry - Book Report/Review Example

There has been a lot of discussion and analysis about dream poetry. Dream vision was a dominant genre that allowed for imaginative exploration. The drama was direct, deceptively simply and covered religious themes as well as explorations of moral dilemmas and so raised questions about the representation of the Divine and the use of biblical texts in specific historic contexts. However, the medieval dream poetry finds a special mention in this discussion. There are various examples of some stunning dream poetry available for analysis. Chaucerian poetry is one of the most insightful and provoking in this category. A similar and astounding classic of this age is an anonymous poem Pearl. This genre talks about the distinct possibilities of another world beyond the physical world. This might be the world of unimaginable possibilities. This might be the world of visions. This might be the world of enlightened glimpses. This might seem to be a world of dreams. And this world seems more real than the real world. It is the world where perceptions transform. It is the world where meanings transform. It comes across as a world where lives seem to change forever. Dreams have been a very important topic of expression in poetry since ages to the contemporary times. There was a striking novelty about dream poetry of those times. The poetry reverberated with dream sequences that revealed an affinity with the traditional and narrative medieval form. Medieval and Renaissance poetry and drama are some of the best resources we have in determining the importance dreams had in pre-Freudian society. In the poems belonging to the genre, speakers fall into variously inspired slumbers and so discover a new perspective on a breadth of literary, social, and political issues. (Medieval Dream Visions, The astounding representation of dreams in the 14th century poem Pearl is marvelous. It is an anonymous poem about human loss. It is a gem of literary art and spiritual devotion. In the words of one prominent scholar it is, 'the most highly wrought and intricately constructed poem in Middle English' (Bishop 27). The narration of a concrete tragedy like death of a loved one has been done by using imagery and expressions, which range from the mundane to the metaphysical. The entire experience of the dreamer is quite overwhelming. The representation of dreams in this poem comes across as something more than real. The death of a baby girl and the ensuing grief is the major plot. However, the shattering of the dream (that had brightened the dreamer's life for sometime and the consequent spiritual transformation) brings a sense of repeated loss. There is a sense of persisting sorrow throughout the poem that makes the dream visions seem so real. Pearl may be divided into three parts. The introduction takes the reader into the world of grief and longing, the dialogue between the main characters weaves the emotions and connotations in the story and the narrator's spiritual awakening laces his sorrow with a silver lining, and a ray of optimism surrounds the narrative. This transformation happens in the dream sequence where the narrator meets his lost 'Pearl', apparently his little daughter who was not even two years young. Alliteration abounds the narrative. This not only gives a rhythm to the poem, but also brings in a sense of repetition of feelings - loss, grief, hope and loss. The arrangement is superb and yet so subtle. There are words and that words are so inexpressive. The reader can empathise so well with the inexpressibility of the mortal speaker. The poem deals with a father's loss of his daughter who died at a very young age.When the father confronts his daughter in a dream sequence where she is in heaven, she tells him that she has been crowned queen there.The father is in a state of utter surprise and cannot believe that his daughter, who was not even two years of age could be made the queen of Heaven. The father's contention is that there is religious approach to attain this stage in life. He argues that neither did she understand the rituals of praying, nor did she have the time in life do some good for others. The father's apprehensions melt when the girl convinces that she would be crowned the queen. This thought is the manifestation of the poet's radical approach to the religion of that time and emphasized that salvation was not the authority of clergy or rituality; it could be attained individually with the shear grace of God. (Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia ) The story of this poetic classic moves in a dream sequence. This representation is a common thread in a lot of medieval poetry. The use of symbolic imagery is so beautiful that it gives a visual dimension to the poem. The dream visions are so picturesque that the complete episode unfolds before the reader's eyes. In fact, this is the beauty of the dream poetry of the middle ages. It builds a complete plot around the dream. The narration begins with a description of the protagonist's agony. But a deep slumber and a dream vision in that enlightening slumber weaves the intricacies of the plot and touches the dimensions of relief and justice. It is this very similar imagery that defines the dream sequence in Pearl. The representation of dream in the narrative of Pearl comes across as a very personal experience of the narrator, who transforms to a passive listener during the course of the dream. This transition from the complaining, hyper-anxious individual to someone looking forward to redemption and salvation is a powerful expression of dream visions and their spiritual dimension in such a narrative. The impact of this expression can be seen both on the protagonist as well as the reader. There is an internal satisfaction that the narrator gets after his one-on-one with the pearl maiden. There is a similar cathartic experience that the readers also derive from this dream sequence, and the beauty is there is still a considerable distance that can be maintained from the entire episode. This juxtaposition of reality and illusion in the representation of dream visions in the poem is simply astounding. The herb garden where the narrator falls asleep is actually the graveyard where the little one has been buried. At the outset of the poem itself, the narrator wants us to be reminded about Jesus' parable of the pearl of the great price. And thus comes across the message that lasting comfort can only be achieved when one gets over the basic feelings of grief, sorrow or even a selfish form of joy. The ambit of hitting these feelings and then rising above them comes across beautifully in the rendition of the dream sequence in Pearl. The representation of dream visions ranges from a very pessimistic perspective on the concept of human loss to a very optimistic approach on the concepts of redemption and salvation. This poem is a classic in the literary genre of dream poetry of medieval ages. The dreaming in Pearl is a beautiful corollary to the ecstatic union of the soul with God. The vision of heaven expressed by the maiden is another beautiful sequence of the unbelievable, yet so realistic dream that the narrator sees. There are many other poems from medieval literature which have beautifully used dream visions as medium of expression. However, there is something about Pearl that makes it a class apart. The weaving of the supernatural and divine in the context of the metaphysical experience of dreaming is a combination of sorts. The dream representation in the narrative is a beautiful and creative blend of hope and realism. There is no better example than Pearl that can combine imagery and subtle expression of dream visions so beautifully. It is a pearl of literary expression and an expression at its best to understand and feel dream poetry. The poem also presents a break from traditional hierarchy.Pearl extols commonality, which manifests itself in two forms. First it brings forth the concept of equality by making a baby girl the recipient of salvation. Second, it stresses upon the magnanimity of God's care and concern, which treats everyone just the same. The representation of the dream sequence in the poem is a unique blend of a mystical vision in a rationally woven dream structure. The dream representation in Pearl is striking in the sense that evokes a feeling of the supernatural, yet so realistically. The visions of Heaven, the baby's transformation to the queen, and a near-utopia kind of ambience - all these images offer a perfect setting for a dream vision. However, the prevalence of loss and grief as dominant sentiments brings the realism in the dream sequence. The language of the poem is a kind of verbal music and serves as the perfect medium for a dream narrative. The word-pictures are remarkable and touching. The reader tends to strongly adhere to the unfolding of the dream and stays along with it even after it is shattered, because of the eternal optimism it has to offer in its climax. References Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia [Accessed on 27 April 2007] Blyth Charles R., April., 1968, The Pearl: An interpretation by Patricia M. Kean , Speculum, Vol. 43, No. 2, pp. 348-351, Available from [Accessed on 26 April 2007] Heiserman, A.R., The Plot of Pearl, PMLA, Vol. 80, No. 3 (Jun., 1965), pp. 164-171 Available from [Accessed on 26 April 2007] Moura, Matthew , The Great Death of Hierarchy, Available from [Accessed on 29 April 2007] Read More