In Short: "Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams": Dream Analysis, Mechanophobia, and the God of Fear with Jacqueline Ahl

“Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams,” written in 1958 when Sylvia Plath was 25, was first published posthumously in the Atlantic in 1968. With its austere and clinical setting, its lake of monstrosities, its voyeurism, its vivid and violent imagery, the story might be framed as allegorical or actual, absurdist or post-modernist, fantastical or autobiographical, surreal or hyper-rational. What does it offer the reader in 2024? Does it hold up a mirror to the modern mind or is it a time capsule of 1950’s anxieties? Assuming the observations Plath made in 1958 are ones we recognize today, is fear an organizing principle for human action? (Is the world run by panic and is the God of Fear the “prime mover”? Is fear the primary motivator or the primary cause of inaction?) Body horror, mechanophobia, electroshock therapy, religious allusion, psychoanalytic theory, and dream interpretation all inform the conversation. Whatever your take, “Johnny Panic” is a powerhouse of weird; get ready to unpack the narrative—and the narrator.

What to Expect from This Group: Introduction/background/overview provided, according to participant interest. (Possible questions for discussion as a “jumping off point” provided in advance of session.) Conversation is open-ended and participant-driven.

Please Note: All virtual classes are recorded. Please click here for information about our recording policy. A link to the story will be sent upon registration.