Sleep in Sara Levin's Sleep Approaches

What is sleep but the only plane in which the subconscious and the self are able to freely interact themselves to each other? In Sara Levin's "Sleep Approaches", the subject of sleep is raised to a new level of intimacy. Her view of sleep is almost sexual in nature and her own relationship with sleep is both a source personal gratification and a place of infinite creativity. Sleep is not only a state of being, it is also an uncharted territory of the imagination. This craving for sleep is extremely personal, so much it is sexually charged. She values this connection with slumber so much that her connection with reality seems to pale in comparison.

According to Levine, sleep picks up where reality leaves off. It is an exploration, "a way of going deeper into the subject,"[1] when the consciousness is unable to follow the pace of the mind. An example of this would be the writer at work. There is not a specific formula for sleep. The list of actions such as, "he drags them up again…he rolls to his side, then to his back…." only resulted in making the writer tense. However, as he starts to work, it is observed that he, "…falls immediately asleep." For Levine and others like her, such as Mary Shelley and Ann Radcliffe, the pleasure of sleep involves the introspection of their imagination. Thus, to a writer, sleep is as a matter of fact, "…part of life itself." Indeed, she frowns upon being too alert, as if being awake can only provide superficial rewards. She says, "To the enlightened mind fervid wakefulness, fetishization of alertness, signifies deficient vitality." Vitality is directly associated with life, and thus this reiterates her idea that sleep is as much a part life as being awake.

There is an intensity surrounding the subject of sleep, so much that it can be concluded that sex is being used as a metaphor for sleep. The word 'bed' is repeated several times, one of which is followed by a description that indicates intimacy. "I take a fanatic pleasure in the anticipation of sleep…. I am excited even as I turn down the thermostat…." She continues, "…intentionally overexerting myself, in anticipation of throwing myself, at the end of the day, into sleep's embrace." In another instance, Levine writes, "I woke up a little later, and he was sawing the bed in half." Here the bed is symbolic of her relationship with people of the other gender and it stresses the fact that her relationship with sleep is far more personal and sacred. This is indicated again, as she recalls, "I remember that boyfriend fondly because he allowed me to sleep, was very permissive about sleep, and also because we slept closely together…." Although sleep and sex go and in hand, she clearly finds more gratification through sleep. Thus sleep has in essence displaced the affection of the opposite gender.

In Levine's "Sleep Approaches", sleep is a source of imagination and undefeatable intimacy. Sleep is not a place of rest, but rather, in her own words, it is, "…a furtive, energetic tunneling-a deliberate means of going underground…." Dreams in the subconscious state function not as a side effect, but a desired affect. Levine indicates in contrast that sleep is even more gratifying than sex and the feelings inspired by sleep are for more intense. The physical relationships themselves are dwarfed by her attachment to sleep. To her, life has only begun when the eyes are closed.

[1] Levine, Sara. "Sleep Approaches". Fence v. 2 n. 2. Fall-Winter '99/'00. p. 136.