Duchowa przemiana? O fikcji literackiej, snach i religii w {Sarashina nikki}
Spiritual metamorphosis? On literary fiction, dreams and religion in {Sarashina Nikki}

Summary/Abstract: {Sarashina Nikki} ({Sarashina Diary}) is an example of {nikkibungaku} (memoirs/diaries) written by Sugawara no Takasue’s daughter (the real name of the author is unknown) in the Heian period (VIII-XII). Her work stands out for the description of her travels and pilgrimages, reading passion and dreams. The memoirs start with her childhood days. She remembers her joy at listening to tales and praying to the Yakushi-Buddha to be able to read all of them. Then she reports her long (lasting three months) travel back to the capital with her father, an assistant governor of Kazusa. Afterwards she describes her joy at being presented with a complete text of the {Genji Monogatari} ({Tale of Genji}), and her dreams to live the life described in the novel. When her life doesn’t turns out the way she wanted, she blames it on her addiction to tales, which made her live in a fantasy world, neglecting her faith. Aside from the whirl of romance stories, the enormous number of dreams the author had had play an important role in {Sarashina Nikki}. The world she lives in is, quite literally, a world of dreams and fiction. The author, however, is aware of this and the diary is meant to be a tale of religious conversion or spiritual metamorphosis. She eventually learns the disparity between reality and dreams and, through this, learns the truths about Buddhism. The diary, then, is meant to be a warning against the perils and temptations of the world. In the present paper, through discussion of the meaning of dreams and the role of fictional stories in life of the diary’s protagonist, the author aims to show, how these two factors have influenced on her religious awakening, and, in consequence, her spiritual metamorphosis.

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