Fables and Reflections
Every time I try to analyze this collection of Sandman shorts, I want it to be more coherent than it is. There's no underlying theme or message or motif in these stories. They were initially spread across the run much more than they appear to be in this collection. So some but not all of them are named for months, and some but not all concern themselves with names. Dream himself doesn't even appear in all of the stories (though the one he's absent from takes place most wholly in his kingdom). Given that, it only makes sense to tackle each story individually.
Fear of Falling: This is an incredibly short story that is nonetheless one of the most remembered and quoted from the entire run. A director is scared of his new play failing and is planning to abandon it before that happens. His anxiety manifests as a dream in which he falls off the top of the cliff and sees only two options: die or wake up. But Dream appears to him and presents a third option in what is probably the most tattooed quote from this work:
Three Septembers and a January: This story follows Joshua Norton who declared himself Emperor of the United States of America, and the behind the scenes bet that Dream has with his three youngest siblings. He gives the man a dream, that of being the emperor, in order to protect him from falling to Despair, Desire, or Delirium. One by one, the three youngest siblings arrive to tempt him and all fail until Death finally claims him.
The thesis is interesting, that our dreams can protect us in some ways. They provide us with hope, which is the antithesis of despair. In pursuing them we are able to resist giving in to our baser desires by focusing on a larger goal. And these dreams can keep us grounded somewhere real, even if they seem like flights of fancy. Of course, nothing protects against death in the end.
As for Dream, this story is interesting because Death remarks that his engaging with their younger siblings in this game is unlike him. But this takes place several decades before Dream is imprisoned, indicating that he was already beginning to change some.
Thermidor: Thermidor is another of the "month" stories, this one taking place during the French Revolution, when they briefly replaced the Gregorian calendar with their own. Against this backdrop, Dream hires Johanna Constantine to get his son's head out of France and safely onto a Greek Island. The story introduces Dream's son, Orpheus, as well as Dream's own inability to interfere in Orpheus' life, for reasons that will become clear later. While the action focuses on Johanna's imprisonment by Robespierre, the important bit is Orpheus and his lack of relationship with his father. In general, this story is more about the threads is pulls together (Johnna herself was introduced in a much earlier story and her descendant, John, plays an important role in the very first story arc).
The Hunt: This is a really fun story that begins to play with structure and framing. An old man is telling his granddaughter a traditional story, and she keeps interrupting. The story itself doesn't turn out the way you expect it to, with the beautiful woman ultimately being revealed as a poor match for the hero of the tale. Something he is able to figure out on his own. Dream wanders through the edges of the story to nudge the action along, but he's tertiary to the main themes. The grandfather is trying to drive home the importance of family and tradition and knowing who you are. It's about reconciling what you want with what's actually good for you.
August: Another month story, this was taking us all the way back to the final years of the Roman Empire. Augustus is an old man who spends one day a year in disguise in order to escape the scrutiny of the gods, specifically his uncle, Julius Caesar. The story flashes back to Augustus' brief but painful relationship with his uncle, setting up a long simmering revenge plot that is suggested to be the real reason Rome fell. It's all about the lengths someone will go to for vengeance, including bringing down an entire empire to destroy a legacy.
Soft Places: Soft Places gives us another real historical figure in Marco Polo, who gets lost in the desert on his first crossing to China. He stumbles across one of the soft places, where the borders between worlds are a little less strict. He meets a man from his own future along with Fiddlers Green, who we met back in The Doll's House. The three share an evening talking about the changing world, and Marco Polo learns something of his future.
But the interesting bit in the story is that Fiddler's Green hints that Morpheus is seeing someone new, explaining why he has been largely absent for the past several stories. Dream is off living his own life, and we're hearing other stories in the meantime.
The Song of Orpheus: This is a double issue that retells the myth of Orpheus beginning with his wedding to Eurydice and ending with his head on a beach after the furies have devoured his body. It focuses on his attempt to retrieve Eurydice from the Underworld and the deal he makes with Death to return himself, basically getting her to agree to never take him. But all that does is ensure that they won't even be reunited in death after he fails in his quest, which sends him into a deep depression. Unfortunately, he inherited his father's stubbornness and finds himself to proud to ask for help in dying. We already met the severed head of Orpheus in an earlier story, one that shows that he and Dream have remained estranged ever since. But we already saw Death repair his relationship with Calliope, which implies that he may yet makes amends with his son.
The Parliament of Rooks: This is another story that subtly sets the endgame of the series in motion. We've met Daniel before, but this story highlights his connection to the Dreaming. The story itself is actually three stories stitched together, presented as bedtime tales for Daniel, told by Eve, Cain, and Abel. It's also the only tale in which Dream doesn't appear at all (his new girlfriend is hinted at again), pointing towards Daniel's future role in the series.
Ramadan: Ramadan is the final of the "month" stories and it tells of a fantastical Baghdad, preserved forever at the height of it's glory in Dreams. The ruler of Baghdad, wishing to preserve the wonders of his city forever, makes a deal with Morpheus. It's a classic case of being careful what you wish for, as it is only in Dreams that we can achieve immortality. If it can even be achieved there.
Fear of Falling: This is an incredibly short story that is nonetheless one of the most remembered and quoted from the entire run. A director is scared of his new play failing and is planning to abandon it before that happens. His anxiety manifests as a dream in which he falls off the top of the cliff and sees only two options: die or wake up. But Dream appears to him and presents a third option in what is probably the most tattooed quote from this work:
Sometimes you wake up. Sometimes the fall kills you. And sometimes when you fall, you fly.The moral, of course, is that you shouldn't give up prematurely. It's nice and succinct and a good little prologue for these stories.
Three Septembers and a January: This story follows Joshua Norton who declared himself Emperor of the United States of America, and the behind the scenes bet that Dream has with his three youngest siblings. He gives the man a dream, that of being the emperor, in order to protect him from falling to Despair, Desire, or Delirium. One by one, the three youngest siblings arrive to tempt him and all fail until Death finally claims him.
The thesis is interesting, that our dreams can protect us in some ways. They provide us with hope, which is the antithesis of despair. In pursuing them we are able to resist giving in to our baser desires by focusing on a larger goal. And these dreams can keep us grounded somewhere real, even if they seem like flights of fancy. Of course, nothing protects against death in the end.
As for Dream, this story is interesting because Death remarks that his engaging with their younger siblings in this game is unlike him. But this takes place several decades before Dream is imprisoned, indicating that he was already beginning to change some.
Thermidor: Thermidor is another of the "month" stories, this one taking place during the French Revolution, when they briefly replaced the Gregorian calendar with their own. Against this backdrop, Dream hires Johanna Constantine to get his son's head out of France and safely onto a Greek Island. The story introduces Dream's son, Orpheus, as well as Dream's own inability to interfere in Orpheus' life, for reasons that will become clear later. While the action focuses on Johanna's imprisonment by Robespierre, the important bit is Orpheus and his lack of relationship with his father. In general, this story is more about the threads is pulls together (Johnna herself was introduced in a much earlier story and her descendant, John, plays an important role in the very first story arc).
The Hunt: This is a really fun story that begins to play with structure and framing. An old man is telling his granddaughter a traditional story, and she keeps interrupting. The story itself doesn't turn out the way you expect it to, with the beautiful woman ultimately being revealed as a poor match for the hero of the tale. Something he is able to figure out on his own. Dream wanders through the edges of the story to nudge the action along, but he's tertiary to the main themes. The grandfather is trying to drive home the importance of family and tradition and knowing who you are. It's about reconciling what you want with what's actually good for you.
August: Another month story, this was taking us all the way back to the final years of the Roman Empire. Augustus is an old man who spends one day a year in disguise in order to escape the scrutiny of the gods, specifically his uncle, Julius Caesar. The story flashes back to Augustus' brief but painful relationship with his uncle, setting up a long simmering revenge plot that is suggested to be the real reason Rome fell. It's all about the lengths someone will go to for vengeance, including bringing down an entire empire to destroy a legacy.
Soft Places: Soft Places gives us another real historical figure in Marco Polo, who gets lost in the desert on his first crossing to China. He stumbles across one of the soft places, where the borders between worlds are a little less strict. He meets a man from his own future along with Fiddlers Green, who we met back in The Doll's House. The three share an evening talking about the changing world, and Marco Polo learns something of his future.
But the interesting bit in the story is that Fiddler's Green hints that Morpheus is seeing someone new, explaining why he has been largely absent for the past several stories. Dream is off living his own life, and we're hearing other stories in the meantime.
The Song of Orpheus: This is a double issue that retells the myth of Orpheus beginning with his wedding to Eurydice and ending with his head on a beach after the furies have devoured his body. It focuses on his attempt to retrieve Eurydice from the Underworld and the deal he makes with Death to return himself, basically getting her to agree to never take him. But all that does is ensure that they won't even be reunited in death after he fails in his quest, which sends him into a deep depression. Unfortunately, he inherited his father's stubbornness and finds himself to proud to ask for help in dying. We already met the severed head of Orpheus in an earlier story, one that shows that he and Dream have remained estranged ever since. But we already saw Death repair his relationship with Calliope, which implies that he may yet makes amends with his son.
The Parliament of Rooks: This is another story that subtly sets the endgame of the series in motion. We've met Daniel before, but this story highlights his connection to the Dreaming. The story itself is actually three stories stitched together, presented as bedtime tales for Daniel, told by Eve, Cain, and Abel. It's also the only tale in which Dream doesn't appear at all (his new girlfriend is hinted at again), pointing towards Daniel's future role in the series.
Ramadan: Ramadan is the final of the "month" stories and it tells of a fantastical Baghdad, preserved forever at the height of it's glory in Dreams. The ruler of Baghdad, wishing to preserve the wonders of his city forever, makes a deal with Morpheus. It's a classic case of being careful what you wish for, as it is only in Dreams that we can achieve immortality. If it can even be achieved there.
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