Dreams
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Summary
Dreams is a collection of short pieces published in 1890 by the South African writer Olive Schreiner (1855–1920), and her second book after The Story of an African Farm. It consists of more than a dozen brief pieces, most framed as dreams and written in an allegorical style that reflects on life, labor, freedom, art, and the fate of women. In her preface the author explains that these "dreams" are arranged roughly in the order they were written, and that several of the longer pieces were composed over multiple sittings. The pieces are strongly symbolic and lyrical rather than a novel with a continuous plot, and are best read as prose-poem parables. Schreiner long concerned herself with social justice and the condition of women, and these concerns permeate her depictions of the dream world. This is the original English text (several modern reprints also exist), suitable as an entry point to English prose and allegory and as a way to glimpse the early face of late nineteenth-century South African English literature.
Editor's review
在一长串名为《Dreams》的书里，这一本最容易被认错：它并不是心理学或解梦读物，而是南非作家奥莉芙·施赖纳在1890年出版的短篇寓言集。全书体量不大，篇目短小，句子清澈而带有抒情节奏，非常适合英文原著阅读者作为“轻量级经典”来练手。它的价值在于一种少见的混合：既有童话般的意象——失落的欢乐、沙漠中的三个梦、荒废小教堂——也藏着对劳动、欲望、艺术与女性命运的冷静凝视。译者不必介入，读者可以直接感受19世纪末英语散文的呼吸。若你正为英文阅读清单寻找篇幅短、语感好、又能留下思考余地的作品，这本小书值得一读；也适合与《一个非洲农场的故事》对照，看施赖纳如何从长篇写实走向短篇寓言。
Who it's for
A good fit for
- 想通过短篇英文原文积累语感的读者
- 偏爱寓言、散文诗式写法的文学爱好者
- 对19世纪末南非英语文学感兴趣的人
- 阅读时间零碎、希望每次读一小篇的读者
Not a good fit for
- 期待情节紧凑、故事性强的长篇小说的读者
- 寻找心理学解梦或梦境科学读物的读者
Reading tips
- 按书中原有篇目顺序阅读，每读完一篇留一两分钟回味意象。
- 遇到陌生表达先做标记，通读后再集中查词，避免打断阅读节奏。
- 可与作者长篇《一个非洲农场的故事》对照，体会她两种不同的写法。
Contents
- The Lost Joy
- The Hunter
- The Gardens of Pleasure
- In a Far-off World
- Three Dreams in a Desert
- A Dream of Wild Bees
- In a Ruined Chapel
- Life's Gifts
- The Artist's Secret
- I Thought I Stood
- The Sunlight Lay Across My Bed
FAQ
这本书是心理学解梦书吗？
不是。它是奥莉芙·施赖纳1890年出版的短篇寓言集，借梦境作框架书写人生与社会的思考，与弗洛伊德、荣格一系的解梦理论无关。
为什么搜“Dreams”会出来很多不同的书？
因为同名作品极多，例如荣格论梦的文集、Olive Schreiner的短篇集等。本书指施赖纳这一本，可通过作者名和出版年份区分。
这本书有中文译本吗？
目前难以核实到通行简体中文译本，常见版本多为英文原著或其现代重印本，建议直接以英文阅读。
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