Poets never sleep: Insomnia in Russian and German poetry from the seventeenth to the twentieth century

This work explores the characteristics and manifestations of the literary subject of insomnia and defines the genre of insomnia poetry. The main focus is on the rich variety of Russian and German insomnia related poetry during the period from the seventeenth to the twentieth century. Representative works from other cultures are analysed where they further develop, complement or contrast the treatment of sleeplessness in the main selection of poems.; The most distinguishing feature of the genre is the lyric persona's inability to enjoy restorative sleep. To clearly define the nature of this condition, and thus to more fully establish the characteristics of the literary phenomenon, both a scientific and a ‘poetic’ perspective are provided. The views of psychologists and sleep specialists are presented in Chapter 1, which gives a short historical and general medical overview of ideas regarding the nature and origin of sleeplessness, introduces scientific definitions of the phenomenon, discusses the effects of sleep deprivation, and summarises the vital functions of sleep. The views of writers and poets, who are more fascinated with the symbolism of sleeplessness and its threshold qualities, are presented in Chapters 2 and 3. Chapter 2 proposes four principal uses of the term. The most basic definition, being the inability to adequately sleep, reflects only the literal aspect of insomnia as sleeplessness. Other passive and involuntary forms include insomnium, an unwanted state of broken sleep accompanied by anxiety dreams and frightening visions, and sleepwalking, a mystifying condition between wakefulness and sleep. Vigilia represents active and voluntary nocturnal wakefulness, and vigilantia refers to a state of perpetual intensified consciousness and self-awareness. Chapter 3, devoted to thematic analysis, establishes a typological thematic classification of recurrent motifs associated with sleeplessness, grouping the poems under seven topics. Chapter 4 addresses the question of insomnia poetry as a genre and examines the structural elements recurring within the corpus of poems devoted to the experience of nocturnal wakefulness.; Summarising the ambiguous nature of insomnia and its various literal and symbolic manifestations, the conclusion outlines basic features of the traditions of Russian and German insomnia poetry and considers their relationship to the genre of ‘night-writing.’...