Dream Story
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Dream Story (original German title Traumnovelle) is a 1926 novella by the Austrian writer Arthur Schnitzler. It details the thoughts and psychological transformations of Doctor Fridolin over a two day period. In this short time, he meets many people who give a clue to the world Schnitzler is creating for us. This culminates in the masquerade ball, a wondrous event of masked individualism, sex, and danger for Fridolin the outsider.
Major themes
The mystery of this novella comes from the self-discovery that Fridolin experiences, a descent into the depths of his own mind, and the changes in the relationships between people. It incorporates a plethora of psychological imagery and symbolism.
Allusions/references to actual history, geography and current science
The book belongs to the period of Viennese decadence after the turn of the century.
Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
In 1999 the book was adapted into the film Eyes Wide Shut by director, screenwriter Stanley Kubrick and co-screenwriter Frederic Raphael.
It has also been dramatized for BBC Radio 4 as Dream Story.
