THE DREAMING SUBJECT AND DREAMING PLEASURE: ON MODES OF EXISTENCE WITH FOUCAULT IN ARTEMIDORO

Abstract

This article analyzes the interpretation of sexual dreams in Artemidorus' onirocriticism
through the perspective of Michel Foucault, with comparative references to Freud's dream interpretation.
It observes how Foucault links Artemidorus' onirocriticism to “care of the self,” shifting the focus from
desire to pleasure. The transformation of dreams into techniques of existence and sexual ethics is
discussed, emphasizing the regulatory and formative role of dreams in the subject's life. Foucault
identifies three modalities of sexual relations in dreams - in accordance with the law, contrary to the law,
and complex family relations - and their juridical-moral implications. The article outlines how these
interpretations shape the social and moral conduct of dreaming subjects, connecting to the genealogy of
sexual norms and historical ethos.