Definitions HQ

The Dream-work (n.) has ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠no conceptual speech and must paint what it means; so its speech, however clear, is diffuse, clumsy and awkward.

The Dream-work (n.) begins, ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠for Scherner, exactly where the physiologists think it ends: the bodily stimulus is only raw material for the imagination's art.

The Dream-work (n.) often ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠throws aside its veil at the end, openly revealing the organ it was disguising — the dental dream ends with the dreamer pulling out a tooth.

The Dream-work (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠under a necessity to fuse every stimulus of the day into a single situation — so the young doctor ends up delivering a funeral oration for a fellow-traveller's aunt.

The Dream-work (n.) builds ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠associative chains so far-fetched that waking thought could never have constructed them unless the dream had built them first — and it regards nothing as sacred.

The Dream-work (n.) treats ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠connections of the most various importance as though they were of equal weight.

The Dream-work (n.) makes ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠compromises — intermediate entities like ‘propyls-propylaea’, where two groups of ideas meet half-way and multiple determination forces them through.

The Dream-work (n.) cannot ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠express either-or at all: the alternatives appear side by side as though equally valid, all fulfilled at once.

The Dream-work (n.) shows ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠causality as sequence: a short prelude for the ‘because’, the main dream for the ‘therefore’ — or one image turning into another before our eyes.

The Dream-work (n.) uses ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the attendant figure — 'My mother was there as well' — like a hieroglyphic determinative, not meant to be pronounced, only to clarify other signs.

The Dream-work (n.) uses ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠identification to let one covering figure stand for several persons, appearing in all the situations that belong to any of them.

The Dream-work (n.) expresses ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the exchange of one person for another by identification — wishing two people alike often means wishing to swap them.

The Dream-work (n.) makes ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠turning round carry the contempt of turning one's back on something.

The Dream-work (n.) performs ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a transvaluation of all psychical values between dream-thoughts and dream; what dominates the thoughts may survive only as a fleeting, overshadowed image.

The Dream-work (n.) prefers ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠concrete terms, which are, by the history of language, richer in associations than conceptual ones.

The Dream-work (n.) produces ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠things not meant to be understood — yet no harder to translate than ancient hieroglyphs.

The Dream-work (n.) never ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠tells you whether to read a dream-element literally or figuratively, positively or negatively, as memory, symbol, or wordplay.

The Dream-work (n.) invents ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠nothing; it merely follows the paths already laid down in the unconscious, the same ones jokes and allusions travel.

The Dream-work (n.) shows ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠repetition in time as multiplication in number: 'again' becomes a second pear.

The Dream-work (n.) knows ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the abstract word was once a picture and need only give it back its former, full meaning — 'restrict yourself' becomes a brother shut in a cupboard.