Theme

Dreams and illusion in literature

What dreams and illusion means in literature, why writers keep returning to it, and the 12 works in the StoryBites library that explore it.

What it means

This theme concerns the stories characters tell themselves — the comforting illusion, the deferred dream, the fantasy that stands in for a life. Fiction watches what happens when reality finally intrudes.

Why writers use it

Illusion lets a writer stage the gap between how a character sees themselves and how they truly are, and the collapse of that gap is often the story's climax.

12 works that explore dreams and illusion ↓

12 works
Length
Topic
Author