SLEEP AND ITS DISORDERS IN LITERATURE

Abstract

In literature, sleep and how it manifests reflect complex sides of human nature, whether it be the way it manifests by its disorders, sleepwalking, or even dreaming. This paper shows possible representations and differences between sleep and its disorders in literature to understand its significance in poetry and how authors depict it. A clear idea can be made by analysing different examples and passages of books/poems and how sleep is involved in them, either making it a symbol for innocence or, conversely, a symbol for paranoia and guilt when its disorders are involved. This study also highlights the past and development of sleep and its disorders in literature, contributing to the field of literary studies and psychology by analysing the different interpretations. This research also argues that by understanding how sleep is portrayed in literature, you are indirectly educating yourself on the effects sleep and its disorders have on people, including history and overall societal perceptions.