Dreampunk Motifs

Recurring thematic elements in dreampunk fiction

If you consume any amount of dreampunk, you’ll notice certain motifs repeating a lot, almost as if all the authors agreed to draw their imagery from a common pool of “dreamy” elements. Aside from the obligatory Alice in Wonderland references that everybody tends to make, these are the most common recurring motifs I’ve noticed. I’m not basing these on any systematic study of the literature, mind you, just my informal observations.

The Moon

See: 1Q84 (Haruki Murakami), American Gods (Neil Gaiman), Over the Garden Wall, the Roam series (Dez Schwartz).

Mirrors, Twins, Doubles

See: Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There (Lewis Carroll), Twin Peaks, Severance, Adventure Time, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Mirrormaze, Somniscope, Mirrors (Sonya Deulina Williams).

Shadows, Silhouettes, Darkness

See: Peter Pan (J. M. Barrie), Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World (Haruki Murakami), Over the Garden Wall, Dreck (Cliff Jones Jr.).

Spirals, Swirls, Vortexes

See: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (L. Frank Baum), Rick and Morty, Dreck (Cliff Jones Jr.).

Doors, Gates, Portals

See: The Dark Tower series (Stephen King), Neverwhere (Neil Gaiman), The Scott Pilgrim series (Bryan Lee O’Malley).

Ladders, Stairs, Pyramids

See: Jerusalem (Alan Moore), Jacob’s Ladder, 1Q84 (Haruki Murakami), Dreck (Cliff Jones Jr.).

Mazes, Labyrinths

See: Pan’s Labyrinth, Westworld, Wolf in White Van (John Darnielle), Flowers for Algernon (Daniel Keyes), Mirrormaze.

Games, Toys

See: Stranger Things, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll), Adventure Time, Jerusalem (Alan Moore), Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson), Wolf in White Van (John Darnielle), DreamScape (Antonia Rachel Ward),

Music

See: Adventure Time, Dance Dance Dance (Haruki Murakami), The Darkening of the Light (Tessa B. Dick), The Mighty Boosh, DreamScape (Antonia Rachel Ward).

Fire, Smoke, Fog

See: Twin Peaks, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Ken Kesey), Slaughterhouse-Five (Kurt Vonnegut).

Trees, Forest, Caves

See: Adventure Time, Kafka on the Shore (Haruki Murakami), A Monster Calls (Patrick Ness), Twin Peaks, Over the Garden Wall.

Flowers, Mandalas

See: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll), The Neverending Story (Michael Ende), Flowers for Algernon (Daniel Keyes).

Rivers, Seas

See: Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World (Haruki Murakami), Black (Ted Dekker), A Wizard of Earthsea (Ursula K. Le Guin).

Falling, Floating, Flying

See: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll), Dune (Frank Herbert), Peter Pan (J. M. Barrie), Storm Dreams (Jeb R. Sherrill), the Roam series (Dez Schwartz).

Drugs, Liquor, Tea

See: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll), Vurt (Jeff Noon), A Scanner Darkly (Philip K. Dick), Dune (Frank Herbert), The Matrix, Dreck (Cliff Jones Jr.), Mirrormaze.

Birds, Bats, Butterflies

See: Twin Peaks, Over the Garden Wall, Black (Ted Dekker), Hoodoo (Ronald L. Smith), Vurt (Jeff Noon), The Sandman series (Neil Gaiman).

Cats, Rabbits, Sheep, Etc.

See: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll), Donnie Darko, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Philip K. Dick), The Darkening of the Light (Tessa B. Dick).

Have you noticed any other elements repeating in different dreampunk books, movies, or series? Please share your findings as a comment on this post!