46 pages • 1 hour read
Alan LightmanEinstein's Dreams
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1992A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
In what ways does the novel demonstrate the interconnectedness between art and science? Use textual evidence to help build a thesis, and comment on observable connections between art and science beyond the text as well.
Using evidence from the text, examine what the novel suggests about the vastness of the human mind. How might the subconscious mind be a source of information?
In what ways does Einstein’s dreaming inform his reality, and vice versa? Use textual evidence to illustrate this dynamic.
How might Einstein have reacted to the novel, given his love of both art and science?
The novel presents many philosophical concepts relating to time. Explore which one of these concepts is most compelling, using evidence from the text.
Consider whether the novel is meant to be instructive, entertaining, or both. To what extent do the dreamworlds offer probable or compelling scientific concepts of time rather than merely fascinating alternative worlds?
Why is humanity’s reaction to, interaction with, and impact on time so vital to the dreams? Use textual evidence to examine this aspect of the novel.
What dreamworlds act in opposition to, or contrast with, others? Why might the author have included worlds at opposing ends of a single spectrum of thought?
Using evidence from the text and other sources, explore how the dreamworlds interact with Einstein’s theory of special relativity.
Although Einstein declared that he was agnostic, he stated that he wanted to study time to get close to God. What did he mean by this? Examine this approach versus more common, theistic approaches to knowing God.
