Forming Sleep

Forming Sleep, Volume 1, examines the complex relationship between biocultural and literary dynamics in the early modern period. This scholarly work of literary criticism explores how sleep states shaped human conceptions between 1580 and 1670. By analyzing English poetry, drama, and prose, the collection investigates how these seemingly passive states contributed to self-formation. The text engages with various academic frameworks, including biopolitics, Marxist theory, and affect theory, to define the human condition through the lens of sleep.

This volume integrates philosophy and medical history to provide a deep study of 16th and 17th century thought. Contributors utilize archival sources such as medical treatises, faculty psychology, and manuscript notes to examine genres ranging from secular lyric to religious verse. Forming Sleep, Volume 1, bridges the gap between the physical and the poetic, offering a rigorous look at how sleep intersects with political and formal discourses. This academic resource is a significant contribution to the study of mind and body.