MSS141 Summer 2003
Reading Questions for Bulkeley, ch. 4 & 5
1. Be prepared to summarize succinctly the major points for each of
the theories Bulkeley discusses in chapter 4:
• Alfred Adler (Individual Psychology)
• Medard Boss (Existential Psychoanalysis)
• French & Fromm (Ego Psychology)
• Frederick Perls (Gestalt Psychology)
2. What is Hobson's Activation-Synthesis Hypothesis? How does
it explain the character of dreams?
3. What is the function of REM sleep according to Hobson?
4. Explain Crick and Mitchison's Reverse Learning Theory. What
do they suppose could be one negative side-effect to dream interpretation?
Reading Questions for "The Coffee Pot" (Gautier, 1831)
1. What are the chief characteristics of the bedroom where the
narrator is to spend the night?
2. What is the role of the clock?
3. Explain what is wrong with the music during the dancing scene.
What purpose does this detail serve?
4. How is Angela described? What is the relationship between
her and the coffee pot?
5. How does the narrative unsettle the usual distinctions between
dream and wakefulness?
6. In what ways does the tale remind you of a dream? What dream-like
themes does it try to emphasize?