Dreaming Mind and the End of the Ming World

During the mid-sixteenth to late seventeenth centuries, Chinese intellectuals paid greater attention to dreams and dreaming, encompassing various genres. This book, using a cultural history approach, explores the writings, arts, and practices of well-known thinkers, religionists, litterateurs, memoirists, painters, doctors, and political figures of late Ming and early Qing times to explain the trajectory of this dream arc. The volume's thesis asserts that certain brain-based associations of dreaming, such as subjectivity, irrationality, lack of control, emotionality, spontaneity, the imaginal, and memory, when heightened by historical and cultural developments, can interest intellectuals and generate dream-expression. This work contributes to understanding human consciousness in different times and cultures, appealing to scholars in literature, religion, philosophy, political history, and the visual arts, as well as those interested in comparative dream cultures, the history of consciousness, and neurohistory.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 332 pages
Publication date: 30 December 2020
Publisher: University of Hawai'i Press

From the mid-sixteenth to the end of the seventeenth century, Chinese intellectuals paid greater attention to dreams and dreaming, encompassing a wider range of genres than ever before in Chinese history. This ambitious yet accessible work, approached from a cultural history perspective, aims to both describe the most notable aspects of this dream arc and to trace its trajectory over time through the writings, arts, and practices of renowned thinkers, religious figures, litterateurs, memoirists, painters, doctors, and political figures of late Ming and early Qing times.

The central thesis of the volume asserts that certain associations of dreaming, rooted in the neurophysiology of the human brain during sleep, such as subjectivity, irrationality, the unbidden, lack of control, emotionality, spontaneity, the imaginal, and memory, when particularly heightened by historical and cultural developments, are likely to spark interest in dreaming and foster flourishing expressions of dream-related thought and creativity among intellectuals.

In essence, this work contributes to the understanding of how people have interpreted human consciousness across different times and cultures. It will appeal to scholars with backgrounds in literature, religion, philosophy, political history, and the visual arts within the field of Chinese studies. Additionally, it will be of interest to readers who explore comparative dream cultures, the history of consciousness, and neurohistory.

The Dreaming Mind and the End of the Ming World stands as a groundbreaking achievement in the study of Chinese dream culture, offering a comprehensive and insightful exploration of this fascinating subject matter. Its publication will undoubtedly enrich our understanding of the past and shed light on the rich tapestry of human imagination and creativity.

Weight: 462g
Dimension: 153 x 229 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780824888367