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Dreams
Dreams
60 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1890
42 people are currently reading
737 people want to read
About the author
Olive Schreiner
189 books88 followersOlive Schreiner (24 March 1855 - December 11, 1920), was a South African author, pacifist and political activist. She is best known for her novel The Story of an African Farm, which has been acclaimed for the manner it tackled the issues of its day, ranging from agnosticism to the treatment of women.
From Wikipedia:
Olive Emilie Albertina Schreiner (1855-1920) was named after her three older brothers, Oliver (1848-1854), Albert (1843-1843) and Emile (1852-1852), who died before she was born. She was the ninth of twelve children born to a missionary couple, Gottlob Schreiner and Rebecca Lyndall at the Wesleyan Missionary Society station at Wittebergen in the Eastern Cape, near Herschel in South Africa. Her childhood was a harsh one: her father was loving and gentle, though unpractical; but her mother Rebecca was intent on teaching her children the same restraint and self-discipline that had been a part of her upbringing. Olive received virtually all her initial education from her mother who was well-read and gifted.[clarification needed] Her eldest brother Fred (1840-1901) was educated in England and became headmaster of a school in Eastbourne.
When Olive was six, Gottlob transferred to Healdtown in the Eastern Cape to run the Wesleyan training institute there. As with so many of his other projects, he simply was not up to the task and was expelled in disgrace for trading against missionary regulations. He was forced to make his own living for the first time in his life, and tried a business venture. Again, he failed and was insolvent within a year. The family lived in abject poverty as a result.
However, Olive was not to remain with her parents for long. When her older brother Theophilus (1844-1920) was appointed headmaster in Cradock in 1867, she went to live with him along with two of her siblings. She also attended his school and received a formal education for the first time. Despite that, she was no happier in Cradock than she had been in Wittebergen or Healdtown. Her siblings were very religious, but Olive had already rejected the Christianity of her parents as baseless and it was the cause of many arguments with her family.
Therefore, when Theo and her brother left Cradock for the diamond fields of Griqualand West, Olive chose to become a governess . On the way to her first post at Barkly East, she met Willie Bertram, who shared her views of religion and who lent her a copy of Herbert Spencer’s First Principles. This text was to have a profound impact on her. While rejecting religious creeds and doctrine, Spencer also argued for a belief in an Absolute that lay beyond the scope of human knowledge and conception. This belief was founded in the unity of nature and a teleological universe, both of which Olive was to appropriate for herself in her attempts to create a morality free of organized religion.
After this meeting, Olive travelled from place to place, accepting posts as a governess with various families and leaving them because of the sexual predation of her male employers in many cases. During this time she met Julius Gau, to whom she became engaged under doubtful circumstances. For whatever reason, their engagement did not last long and she returned to live with her parents and then with her brothers. She read widely and began writing seriously. She started Undine at this time.
However, her brothers’ financial situation soon deteriorated, as diamonds became increasingly difficult to find. Olive had no choice but to resume her transient lifestyle, moving between various households and towns, until she returned briefly to her parents in 1874. It was there that she had the first of the asthma attacks that would plague her for the rest of her life. Since her parents were no more financially secure than before and because of her ill-health, Olive was forced to resume working in order to support them.
From Wikipedia:
Olive Emilie Albertina Schreiner (1855-1920) was named after her three older brothers, Oliver (1848-1854), Albert (1843-1843) and Emile (1852-1852), who died before she was born. She was the ninth of twelve children born to a missionary couple, Gottlob Schreiner and Rebecca Lyndall at the Wesleyan Missionary Society station at Wittebergen in the Eastern Cape, near Herschel in South Africa. Her childhood was a harsh one: her father was loving and gentle, though unpractical; but her mother Rebecca was intent on teaching her children the same restraint and self-discipline that had been a part of her upbringing. Olive received virtually all her initial education from her mother who was well-read and gifted.[clarification needed] Her eldest brother Fred (1840-1901) was educated in England and became headmaster of a school in Eastbourne.
When Olive was six, Gottlob transferred to Healdtown in the Eastern Cape to run the Wesleyan training institute there. As with so many of his other projects, he simply was not up to the task and was expelled in disgrace for trading against missionary regulations. He was forced to make his own living for the first time in his life, and tried a business venture. Again, he failed and was insolvent within a year. The family lived in abject poverty as a result.
However, Olive was not to remain with her parents for long. When her older brother Theophilus (1844-1920) was appointed headmaster in Cradock in 1867, she went to live with him along with two of her siblings. She also attended his school and received a formal education for the first time. Despite that, she was no happier in Cradock than she had been in Wittebergen or Healdtown. Her siblings were very religious, but Olive had already rejected the Christianity of her parents as baseless and it was the cause of many arguments with her family.
Therefore, when Theo and her brother left Cradock for the diamond fields of Griqualand West, Olive chose to become a governess . On the way to her first post at Barkly East, she met Willie Bertram, who shared her views of religion and who lent her a copy of Herbert Spencer’s First Principles. This text was to have a profound impact on her. While rejecting religious creeds and doctrine, Spencer also argued for a belief in an Absolute that lay beyond the scope of human knowledge and conception. This belief was founded in the unity of nature and a teleological universe, both of which Olive was to appropriate for herself in her attempts to create a morality free of organized religion.
After this meeting, Olive travelled from place to place, accepting posts as a governess with various families and leaving them because of the sexual predation of her male employers in many cases. During this time she met Julius Gau, to whom she became engaged under doubtful circumstances. For whatever reason, their engagement did not last long and she returned to live with her parents and then with her brothers. She read widely and began writing seriously. She started Undine at this time.
However, her brothers’ financial situation soon deteriorated, as diamonds became increasingly difficult to find. Olive had no choice but to resume her transient lifestyle, moving between various households and towns, until she returned briefly to her parents in 1874. It was there that she had the first of the asthma attacks that would plague her for the rest of her life. Since her parents were no more financially secure than before and because of her ill-health, Olive was forced to resume working in order to support them.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
May 11, 2019
A strange little thing but, fortunately, a bit long length vs the other one (The philosopher's joke). I could sense some strong outcries or just plain cries with regard to some matters of facts: although not a surprise anymore, the plagiarism issue is quite well known from the creation of the world and has just cascaded during the past centuries, also, the highly negative impact and influence of critics in each and every domain of life is again a serious matter that has irreversible disquieted the normal course of existence for each human being.
JK.J is a very interesting personage. If this is an essay, at least so it looks in my eyes, then I find it very witty and fun, and it carries a strong message as not to renounce on your unique individual qualities and talents.
As for dreams whatsoever, I just don't recall any of them, if any I had, I mean sleeping dreams 🤔
I just think that the conclusion of the author speaks for my voice too:
<< it is a very great comfort, when the dream grows troubled and alarming, to feel that it is only a dream, and to know that we shall awake soon and be none the worse for it. We can dream out the foolish perplexity with a smile then.
Sometimes the dream of life grows strangely troubled and perplexing, and then he who meets dismay the bravest is he who feels that the fretful play is but a dream - a brief, uneasy dream of three score years and ten, or thereabouts, from which, in a little while, he will awake-at least, he dreams so.
How dull, how impossible life would be without dreams- waking dreams, I mean- the dreams that we call "castles in the air", built by the kindly hands of Hope!
Were it not for the mirage of the oasis, drawing his footsteps ever onward, the weary traveler would lie down in the desert sand and die. It is the mirage of distant success, of happiness that, like the bunch of carrots fastened an inch beyond the donkey's nose, seems always just within our reach, if only we will gallop fast enough, that makes us run so eagerly along the road of Life.
Providence, like a father with a tired child, lures us ever along the way with tales and promises, until, at the frowning gate that ends the road, we shrink back, frightened. Then, promises still more sweet he stoops and whispers in our ear, and timid yet partly reassured, and trying to hide our fears, we gather up all that is left of our little stock of hope and, trusting yet half afraid, push out our groping feet into the darkness.>>
JK.J is a very interesting personage. If this is an essay, at least so it looks in my eyes, then I find it very witty and fun, and it carries a strong message as not to renounce on your unique individual qualities and talents.
As for dreams whatsoever, I just don't recall any of them, if any I had, I mean sleeping dreams 🤔
I just think that the conclusion of the author speaks for my voice too:
<< it is a very great comfort, when the dream grows troubled and alarming, to feel that it is only a dream, and to know that we shall awake soon and be none the worse for it. We can dream out the foolish perplexity with a smile then.
Sometimes the dream of life grows strangely troubled and perplexing, and then he who meets dismay the bravest is he who feels that the fretful play is but a dream - a brief, uneasy dream of three score years and ten, or thereabouts, from which, in a little while, he will awake-at least, he dreams so.
How dull, how impossible life would be without dreams- waking dreams, I mean- the dreams that we call "castles in the air", built by the kindly hands of Hope!
Were it not for the mirage of the oasis, drawing his footsteps ever onward, the weary traveler would lie down in the desert sand and die. It is the mirage of distant success, of happiness that, like the bunch of carrots fastened an inch beyond the donkey's nose, seems always just within our reach, if only we will gallop fast enough, that makes us run so eagerly along the road of Life.
Providence, like a father with a tired child, lures us ever along the way with tales and promises, until, at the frowning gate that ends the road, we shrink back, frightened. Then, promises still more sweet he stoops and whispers in our ear, and timid yet partly reassured, and trying to hide our fears, we gather up all that is left of our little stock of hope and, trusting yet half afraid, push out our groping feet into the darkness.>>
August 25, 2015
This book carried me through my 20s. It is a book of parables that awakened me and kept me sane. It gave me confidence as a young woman, a pool of inner strength to drink from, and resolve through a difficult stage of uncertainty, self-doubt, and soul-breaking tragedy. Simply put, that fragile, brief and fleeting time we call youth.
VIII. LIFE'S GIFTS
I saw a woman sleeping. In her sleep she dreamt Life stood before her, and held in each hand a gift--in the one Love, in the other Freedom. And she said to the woman, "Choose!"
And the woman waited long: and she said, "Freedom!"
And Life said, "Thou hast well chosen. If thou hadst said, 'Love,' I would have given thee that thou didst ask for; and I would have gone
from thee, and returned to thee no more. Now, the day will come when I
shall return. In that day I shall bear both gifts in one hand."
I heard the woman laugh in her sleep.
Although these stories speak of "God", I imagined myself as the "god". An older, worldly-wise ME, feeding me words of wisdom back through time. Carrying me gently through my pain and toward my future.
X. I THOUGHT I STOOD
I thought I stood in Heaven before God's throne, and God asked me what I had come for. I said I had come to arraign my brother, Man.
God said, "What has he done?"
I said, "He has taken my sister, Woman, and has stricken her, and
wounded her, and thrust her out into the streets; she lies there
prostrate. His hands are red with blood. I am here to arraign him; that
the kingdom be taken from him, because he is not worthy, and given unto
me. My hands are pure."
I showed them.
God said, "Thy hands are pure.--Lift up thy robe."
I raised it; my feet were red, blood-red, as if I had trodden in wine.
God said, "How is this?"
I said, "Dear Lord, the streets on earth are full of mire. If I should
walk straight on in them my outer robe might be bespotted, you see how
white it is! Therefore I pick my way."
God said, "On what?"
I was silent, and I let my robe fall. I wrapped my mantle about my head. I went out softly. I was afraid that the angels would see me.
These words saved me from more mistakes than I can imagine.
VIII. LIFE'S GIFTS
I saw a woman sleeping. In her sleep she dreamt Life stood before her, and held in each hand a gift--in the one Love, in the other Freedom. And she said to the woman, "Choose!"
And the woman waited long: and she said, "Freedom!"
And Life said, "Thou hast well chosen. If thou hadst said, 'Love,' I would have given thee that thou didst ask for; and I would have gone
from thee, and returned to thee no more. Now, the day will come when I
shall return. In that day I shall bear both gifts in one hand."
I heard the woman laugh in her sleep.
Although these stories speak of "God", I imagined myself as the "god". An older, worldly-wise ME, feeding me words of wisdom back through time. Carrying me gently through my pain and toward my future.
X. I THOUGHT I STOOD
I thought I stood in Heaven before God's throne, and God asked me what I had come for. I said I had come to arraign my brother, Man.
God said, "What has he done?"
I said, "He has taken my sister, Woman, and has stricken her, and
wounded her, and thrust her out into the streets; she lies there
prostrate. His hands are red with blood. I am here to arraign him; that
the kingdom be taken from him, because he is not worthy, and given unto
me. My hands are pure."
I showed them.
God said, "Thy hands are pure.--Lift up thy robe."
I raised it; my feet were red, blood-red, as if I had trodden in wine.
God said, "How is this?"
I said, "Dear Lord, the streets on earth are full of mire. If I should
walk straight on in them my outer robe might be bespotted, you see how
white it is! Therefore I pick my way."
God said, "On what?"
I was silent, and I let my robe fall. I wrapped my mantle about my head. I went out softly. I was afraid that the angels would see me.
These words saved me from more mistakes than I can imagine.
July 22, 2017
In this magical collection, abstract concepts such as love, life and truth amongst others are explained in enchanting fables that captivate and mesmerise the reader. My favourite quote from the book is, 'Are you so sinless you have right to hate?' Simply beautiful and truly powerful! <3
March 2, 2015
Becket Clark
Pioter
10 February 2015
FLCH
I chose Dreams by Olive Schreiner for my dialogue essay. Olive Schreiner was an anti war campaigner and intellectual that lived from 1855 to 1920. She wrote many radical and social commenting books, her first and most famous of which being The Story of an African Farm in 1883, which is known for being one of the first feminist books ever written. Dreams, her second book, is a collection of short stories based off of dreams and experiences from the time she spent on a farm in South Africa.
Dreams is a wonderful parablistic book full of fascinating looks on the world. The stories are fascinating and beautifully written in that early 20th century feel of near backwards English that writers used to have. The first story is called The Lost Joy, and it personifies Life as a lonely woman and Love as a caring man, and from their first meeting was made Joy, a child. The metaphors like these said here are incredibly alluring and true, and they continue as the main characters throughout the book. This quote is from the story In A Far Off World:
The stories are mostly bittersweet like this one and tell of hard lessons learned of how true life sometimes can be. It's these kind of realizations that I think are needed more in childrens' books, and honestly in more books in general, to help people understand the sometimes hard to grasp parts of life. I know that after reading this book my mind was opened and shown places and ideas I never would have considered. After reading the 280-word story The Gardens Of Pleasure late after 12 one night, I actually went and found my ipad and wrote a responsive sermon about the experience. I was so moved and epiphanied by the story that I allow myself to forget the incredible feelings that were rushing through my mind. I love this book and in this nano-byte-sized world we live in these short stories would thrive again.
My rating system for books is I give it points out of 10 in each category based on the amount of times I'd step back and say, "I really liked that." Five being average and one being not a lot, and ten being perfect. Examples of points in total would be Martian Chronicles 48/50 (excellent), Ender's Game 43(great), Hunger Games 25 (not very good), Civics Today 0 (A textbook)
Writing: 9.5/10
Characters: 10/10
Plot: 6.5/10
Setting: 6/10
Conflict/Conclusion:10/10
42 out of 50
(I recommend this book to anyone willing to step outside of ignorance and bliss and be truly moved by just a few words made into stories)
Thanks for reading my dialogue essay. It was fun writing it and I am looking forward to doing it again.
Sincerely Yours,
Becket Clark
Pioter
10 February 2015
FLCH
I chose Dreams by Olive Schreiner for my dialogue essay. Olive Schreiner was an anti war campaigner and intellectual that lived from 1855 to 1920. She wrote many radical and social commenting books, her first and most famous of which being The Story of an African Farm in 1883, which is known for being one of the first feminist books ever written. Dreams, her second book, is a collection of short stories based off of dreams and experiences from the time she spent on a farm in South Africa.
Dreams is a wonderful parablistic book full of fascinating looks on the world. The stories are fascinating and beautifully written in that early 20th century feel of near backwards English that writers used to have. The first story is called The Lost Joy, and it personifies Life as a lonely woman and Love as a caring man, and from their first meeting was made Joy, a child. The metaphors like these said here are incredibly alluring and true, and they continue as the main characters throughout the book. This quote is from the story In A Far Off World:
"What do you seek?"
She answered, "There is a man; I hold him nearer than anything. I would give him the best of all blessings."
The voice said, "What is it?"
The girl said, "I know not, but that which is most good for him I wish him to have."
The voice said, "Your prayer is answered; he shall have it."
Then she stood up. She covered her breast and held the garment tight upon it with her hand, and ran out of the forest, and the dead leaves fluttered under her feet. Out in the moonlight the soft air was blowing, and the sand glittered on the beach. She ran along the smooth shore, then suddenly she stood still. Out across the water there was something moving. She shaded her eyes and looked. It was a boat; it was sliding swiftly over the moonlit water out to sea. One stood upright in it; the face the moonlight did not show, but the figure she knew. It was passing swiftly; it seemed as if no one propelled it; the moonlight's shimmer did not let her see clearly, and the boat was far from shore, but it seemed almost as if there was another figure sitting in the stern. Faster and faster it glided over the water away, away. She ran along the shore; she came no nearer it. The garment she had held closed fluttered open; she stretched out her arms, and the moonlight shone on her long loose hair.
Then a voice beside her whispered, "What is it?"
She cried, "With my blood I bought the best of all gifts for him. I have come to bring it him! He is going from me!"
The voice whispered softly, "Your prayer was answered. It has been given him."
She cried, "What is it?"
The voice answered, "It is that he might leave you."
The girl stood still.
Far out at sea the boat was lost to sight beyond the moonlight sheen.
The voice spoke softly, "Art thou contented?"
She said, "I am contented."
At her feet the waves broke in long ripples softly on the shore.
The stories are mostly bittersweet like this one and tell of hard lessons learned of how true life sometimes can be. It's these kind of realizations that I think are needed more in childrens' books, and honestly in more books in general, to help people understand the sometimes hard to grasp parts of life. I know that after reading this book my mind was opened and shown places and ideas I never would have considered. After reading the 280-word story The Gardens Of Pleasure late after 12 one night, I actually went and found my ipad and wrote a responsive sermon about the experience. I was so moved and epiphanied by the story that I allow myself to forget the incredible feelings that were rushing through my mind. I love this book and in this nano-byte-sized world we live in these short stories would thrive again.
My rating system for books is I give it points out of 10 in each category based on the amount of times I'd step back and say, "I really liked that." Five being average and one being not a lot, and ten being perfect. Examples of points in total would be Martian Chronicles 48/50 (excellent), Ender's Game 43(great), Hunger Games 25 (not very good), Civics Today 0 (A textbook)
Writing: 9.5/10
Characters: 10/10
Plot: 6.5/10
Setting: 6/10
Conflict/Conclusion:10/10
42 out of 50
(I recommend this book to anyone willing to step outside of ignorance and bliss and be truly moved by just a few words made into stories)
Thanks for reading my dialogue essay. It was fun writing it and I am looking forward to doing it again.
Sincerely Yours,
Becket Clark
December 16, 2016
Beauty. To master complexity into simplicity, to woven a seemingly abstract concept such as truth and knowledge in fairy tale fashion. How have been the author tucked away from us!
February 6, 2017
I found an old, tiny copy of this book in an antique store off a country highway in the summer when I was 17. I was drawn to the delicate cover (not the one shown in this Goodreads cover, much prettier) and knew I had to own it.
It was the best $10 I ever spent. The book is made up of numerous short stories and every single one of them speaks to me in a way I hadn't thought another person could understand. Olive was a woman ahead of her time and the beautiful, spiritual stories she's woven together go deeper than the few pages each one is made up of. I can't properly convey how much I love this book and I know I was drawn to it with good reason. My actual SOUL was drawn to the stories she wished to tell me.
Even reading up on the woman she was in her time period made the book that much more enjoyable. She was a feminist, activist and a wanderlust. In our dark times presently, Olive is a perfect example of the strong woman we all should be and stand up against the patriarchy in whatever way we can.
Read this little, wistful book. Be swept into her soulful worlds she's created.
It was the best $10 I ever spent. The book is made up of numerous short stories and every single one of them speaks to me in a way I hadn't thought another person could understand. Olive was a woman ahead of her time and the beautiful, spiritual stories she's woven together go deeper than the few pages each one is made up of. I can't properly convey how much I love this book and I know I was drawn to it with good reason. My actual SOUL was drawn to the stories she wished to tell me.
Even reading up on the woman she was in her time period made the book that much more enjoyable. She was a feminist, activist and a wanderlust. In our dark times presently, Olive is a perfect example of the strong woman we all should be and stand up against the patriarchy in whatever way we can.
Read this little, wistful book. Be swept into her soulful worlds she's created.
September 9, 2011
Absolutely my favorite book ever. I read it to my daughter as bed time stories.
May 8, 2018
I came across this book at an antique shop years ago, as a teen. I was reading mainly in Dutch back then, and bought this book as it was cheap (not being in the best shape) and I wanted to practice my English outside of my text books in school. This particular version of the book is from 1904 and published by a Dutch publisher who added some footnotes with translation of unfamiliar terms.
I fell in love with it and even tried to convince my English teacher to let me add it to my book list, but she didn't know the book or author so refused.
After reading The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde I remembered this book and realized it had been years since I read it. time for a reread to see if it was as beautiful as I remembered.
And it certainly is. Of the eleven stories in this book only the last one isn't for me. The others are hauntingly beautiful. Some are just a few pages long, others a bit longer. Schreiner uses a lot of allegories and metaphors in a way that makes that the title of this book is a fitting choice: not only are a few stories brought as dreams, they feel dreamlike and ethereal as well. Each story brims with emotion and hidden heartache.
I loved revisiting this book, and my favorites from back then still resonate with me now. You bet I'll keep this little pearl on my shelves for many more years to come.
I fell in love with it and even tried to convince my English teacher to let me add it to my book list, but she didn't know the book or author so refused.
After reading The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde I remembered this book and realized it had been years since I read it. time for a reread to see if it was as beautiful as I remembered.
And it certainly is. Of the eleven stories in this book only the last one isn't for me. The others are hauntingly beautiful. Some are just a few pages long, others a bit longer. Schreiner uses a lot of allegories and metaphors in a way that makes that the title of this book is a fitting choice: not only are a few stories brought as dreams, they feel dreamlike and ethereal as well. Each story brims with emotion and hidden heartache.
I loved revisiting this book, and my favorites from back then still resonate with me now. You bet I'll keep this little pearl on my shelves for many more years to come.
December 2, 2022
Illuminante
March 15, 2025
erg interessant om ook volledig te lezen. ik vond het mooi.
November 14, 2016
Lo que quiere representar en las historias es muy interesante. He leído este libro gracias a la universidad en una asignatura sobre el papel de la mujer en la literatura y desde ese punto, el libro merece la pena.
Sin embargo la forma tan infantil que tiene de contar las historias ha hecho que en muchos momentos se me hiciera un mundo.
Sin embargo la forma tan infantil que tiene de contar las historias ha hecho que en muchos momentos se me hiciera un mundo.
February 9, 2024
God said, "When one man and one woman shine together, it makes the most perfect light. Many plants need that for their growing. Nevertheless, there are more kinds of plants in Heaven than one, and they need many kinds of light"
Wow, where do I even begin with "Dreams" by Olive Schreiner? Let me just say, I'm absolutely floored! This book is like a time-traveling feminist manifesto disguised as fiction. Olive Schreiner must have had a crystal ball or something of the sort because the way she tackles gender issues and feminism in "Dreams" is mind-blowingly ahead of its time (1890!) What a gem!
Wow, where do I even begin with "Dreams" by Olive Schreiner? Let me just say, I'm absolutely floored! This book is like a time-traveling feminist manifesto disguised as fiction. Olive Schreiner must have had a crystal ball or something of the sort because the way she tackles gender issues and feminism in "Dreams" is mind-blowingly ahead of its time (1890!) What a gem!
August 9, 2025
I first heard of this book when the character, Maud I think hér name was, quoted a passage of it in the film Suffragete.
Not a book to be raced through, but to read a "chapter" each day.
You take from this book whatever you wish. What the "dreams" or "passages" say to you.
I believe it was originally written in 1890 by the author
Not a book to be raced through, but to read a "chapter" each day.
You take from this book whatever you wish. What the "dreams" or "passages" say to you.
I believe it was originally written in 1890 by the author
December 27, 2019
4-4.5/5 for 'Three Dreams in a Desert', the piece I liked the most in the book, and also the most feminist one.
March 30, 2017
It starts getting you in a weird set, line after line you will start getting it and getting more involved, it is pure genius how such abstract definitions like immortality, truth and so on be real, It is beyond Genius, at the end you'll ask your self : Why didn't I read it before?
November 5, 2017
Very underrated book.
Olive Schreiner's writing might seem simple, yet it is metaphorically powerful to such an extent that you might need to stop and process the reading, after each story.
Clearly ahead of times, the picture of woman's liberation was shaped in her mind, and we can even see how the author's voice evolves from one story to another.
However, liberation seems to be reserved to white females in her work, as there are recurrent associations of the colour white to positive considered characteristics, like 'Truth', 'Reason', etc. Furthermore, we can see that traditional stereotypes were still rooted in her mind, as she still associated most of the mentioned characteristics to male figures as well.
This being said, there is also an obvious and strong Masque plays influence in her stories, depicting human vices and follies, as opposed to their moral counterparts, though the latter ones are not achieved through divine power and worship, but through personal effort, labour and, consequently improvement.
Olive Schreiner's writing might seem simple, yet it is metaphorically powerful to such an extent that you might need to stop and process the reading, after each story.
Clearly ahead of times, the picture of woman's liberation was shaped in her mind, and we can even see how the author's voice evolves from one story to another.
However, liberation seems to be reserved to white females in her work, as there are recurrent associations of the colour white to positive considered characteristics, like 'Truth', 'Reason', etc. Furthermore, we can see that traditional stereotypes were still rooted in her mind, as she still associated most of the mentioned characteristics to male figures as well.
This being said, there is also an obvious and strong Masque plays influence in her stories, depicting human vices and follies, as opposed to their moral counterparts, though the latter ones are not achieved through divine power and worship, but through personal effort, labour and, consequently improvement.
March 25, 2019
I read this because my daughter was reading it for school. She wanted to share them with me and I am always, always up to sharing with my children. I’m thrilled to share anything with them, but nothing more so than books and stories.
These were lovely essays, supposedly based on dreams, hence the title. My suspicion is that no one actually had these dreams, but that was the easiest way to frame the ideas she wanted to get across. That’s not a complaint! This reminded me so much of Gilbran’s The Prophet. The same lyrical, mellow imagery is used. They had such a 1970’s vibe despite being written almost half a century earlier.
My favorite was the second installment. I’m sure I took something different from the story of a lost child because I am, myself, a mother, but I also understood the larger message. We only appreciate what we have fully when we lose it. That’s the curse of being human and in my opinion, the root of much of our unhappiness.
These were lovely essays, supposedly based on dreams, hence the title. My suspicion is that no one actually had these dreams, but that was the easiest way to frame the ideas she wanted to get across. That’s not a complaint! This reminded me so much of Gilbran’s The Prophet. The same lyrical, mellow imagery is used. They had such a 1970’s vibe despite being written almost half a century earlier.
My favorite was the second installment. I’m sure I took something different from the story of a lost child because I am, myself, a mother, but I also understood the larger message. We only appreciate what we have fully when we lose it. That’s the curse of being human and in my opinion, the root of much of our unhappiness.
July 13, 2019
In the 2015 film "Suffragette," we witness Carey Mulligan’s character lose her job, her marriage and her son, forcing her into the role of reluctant activist in 1912 London. In the midst of her suffering, a sister suffragette loans her a book for inspiration. This is that book. A collection of allegories written in 1890, it is definitely the most mystical feminist book I’ve read. (The quote read in the film is from the story “Three Dreams in a Desert”.)
June 2, 2025
«And one from among the people came running towards me; and when he came near it seemed to me that he and I had played together when we were little children, and that we had been born on the same day. And I told God what I felt; God said, “All men feel so in Heaven when another comes towards them.”»
February 8, 2017
One does not often have the privilege to spend time within the dreams of another. And yet, Dreams allows its reader to do just that - to soar through the vividly imagined or dreamt worlds of our sleep. If you can find a copy read it!
May 3, 2019
Beautiful and very poetic. Short stories told as dreams, all with a meaningful message hidden in the symbolism, as dreams often are full of.
Mentioned in the movie Suffragette, where the suffragist women read this book as an inspiration to their cause.
Mentioned in the movie Suffragette, where the suffragist women read this book as an inspiration to their cause.
February 13, 2008
i own a great old copy...no pub date but near as i can tell it dates to at least 1900. love it!
Want to read
July 1, 2010Inspiration to Howard Thurman
September 20, 2012
Explains what happened to me to make the ideal, real.
Read
November 8, 2017Read "Three Dreams in a Dessert"
December 22, 2021
All day, where the sunlight played on the seashore, Life sat.
Itulah kalimat pembuka dari cerita pertama di buku ini. Kalimat itulah yang membuat saya tertarik untuk membaca buku ini sampai habis. Apa yang saya harapkan ternyata benar, kata-kata dan kalimat cantik selalu hadir di depan mata. Olive Schreiner adalah seorang feminist, dan itu terlihat sekali dari tulisan-tulisan yang ada di buku ini, ia menggunakan topik tersebut tanpa merendahkan pihak-pihak lain.
Pendeskripsian dan penggambarannya tentang lingkungan nyata dan mimpi sangat jelas dan bisa mengantarkan kita secara langsung ke dalam dunia tersebut. Metafor-metafor yang ada tidak terlalu susah untuk dipahami, mungkin dulu agak susah dipahami, tetapi karena isu-isu yang ada pada masa sekarang, masalah-masalah yang disampaikan lewat metafor-metafor tersebut sangat terlihat jelas. Metafor yang merujuk ke pada permasalahan stratifikasi sosial, kesetaraan gender, dan lain-lain.
Overall, ini buku yang sangat bagus, mudah dibaca, dan sangat memikat👍
Itulah kalimat pembuka dari cerita pertama di buku ini. Kalimat itulah yang membuat saya tertarik untuk membaca buku ini sampai habis. Apa yang saya harapkan ternyata benar, kata-kata dan kalimat cantik selalu hadir di depan mata. Olive Schreiner adalah seorang feminist, dan itu terlihat sekali dari tulisan-tulisan yang ada di buku ini, ia menggunakan topik tersebut tanpa merendahkan pihak-pihak lain.
Pendeskripsian dan penggambarannya tentang lingkungan nyata dan mimpi sangat jelas dan bisa mengantarkan kita secara langsung ke dalam dunia tersebut. Metafor-metafor yang ada tidak terlalu susah untuk dipahami, mungkin dulu agak susah dipahami, tetapi karena isu-isu yang ada pada masa sekarang, masalah-masalah yang disampaikan lewat metafor-metafor tersebut sangat terlihat jelas. Metafor yang merujuk ke pada permasalahan stratifikasi sosial, kesetaraan gender, dan lain-lain.
Overall, ini buku yang sangat bagus, mudah dibaca, dan sangat memikat👍
April 13, 2025
The Loss of Joy: Life is born first, then Love. The meet and have a wonderful time celebrating nature, then Joy is born! The three of them have great time wondering around, discovering beautiful things. Then they meet hard times, deserts, painful experiences, Joy tries to bring them together and spasmodically it works… until it doesn’t. They meet a wise old woman called “Reflection.” She is the one who who steals light out of the past to shed it on the future.” She calls them fools for not realising that Joy cannot go into the desert without being changed. “They do not know that what walks beside them still is the Joy grown older. The grave, sweet, tender thing—warm in the coldest snows, brave in the dreariest deserts—its name is Sympathy; it is the Perfect Love."
July 19, 2023
I recently watched the movie, Suffragette (long overdue), and one of the meaningful quotes came from this book. So, I decided to read it right afterward, and wasn’t disappointed. It is a quick read, but the short stories are so vivid, insightful, and relevant.
I basically read it straight through, knowing I would go back and reread it (already started) to take it more slowly, and really digest and interpret the beautiful words and imagery and meanings. If you care about women’s struggles, there is a story for you. If you question the meaning of life, there is a story for you. If you struggle with the notion of heaven and hell, and what that means on earth, there is a story for you.
I basically read it straight through, knowing I would go back and reread it (already started) to take it more slowly, and really digest and interpret the beautiful words and imagery and meanings. If you care about women’s struggles, there is a story for you. If you question the meaning of life, there is a story for you. If you struggle with the notion of heaven and hell, and what that means on earth, there is a story for you.
April 18, 2020
I found this in an antique store, a little 10cm by 8cm leather bound book. Something about it lured me and I took it home with me. This was four years ago, I had completely forgotten about it. Eleven days ago, I found it in my closet and decided I would read it! I read a story every morning after I woke up (sometimes I read more) this book will always have a place in my mind, correcting my rash decisions.
February 13, 2021
What a beautiful little book! I can't believe I haven't encountered Schreiner before - her prose is a wonderful fusion of the philosophy I read as a student, fierce feminism, and the imagery of South Africa's stunning landscapes. The stories themselves are perfect, bite-sized morsels to read right before bed, and the appendixes and introduction provide the context through which to understand Schreiner and South Africa at the time. I only wish I'd read it before I traveled there for research!
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