Mapping the Dreamscape of Early Medieval China

CCS presents Robert Campany, Vanderbilt University This talk is based upon a paper which is a preliminary attempt to map the variety of early medieval China concerning such questions as these: In what does the activity of dreaming consist? Are dreams meaningful, and if so, how and why do they mean what they mean? How can they be interpreted? Are there different classes of dreamers who dream different sorts of dreams? There were no univocal answers to these questions. Rather, ideas about dreaming and reams formed a repertoire selectively used by various actors for various ends.