A dream vision, or visio, is a writing tool used in stories where a character describes a dream or vision that shows them knowledge or truths they cannot learn while awake. Although dreams have been written about often in literature, the specific type of writing called visionary literature became popular quickly, especially in early medieval Europe. In both ancient and medieval times, these visions were often believed to come from a divine source. This style of writing returned during the Romanticism period, when dreams were seen as paths to creative ideas beyond what could be calculated logically.

This type of story usually follows a pattern: a narrator describes falling asleep, having a dream, and then waking up. The story is often an allegory, meaning it uses symbols to represent deeper meanings. The dream in the story is usually connected to events in the narrator's waking life, which are mentioned early in the story. The vision in the dream explores the narrator's real-life problems through imaginative settings. During the dream, the narrator, often helped by a guide, learns new perspectives that may help solve their waking-life issues. The story ends with the narrator waking up and deciding to write down the dream, creating the poem. This writing style was used in many different types of literature, including European, Old Russian, medieval Latin, Muslim, Gnostic, Hebrew, and others.

Visions in medieval European literature

In the book Medieval Latin Visions, Russian scholar Boris Yarkho studies the genre of dream visions, explaining its structure and themes. The formal features of this genre include: first, its purpose to teach the reader important lessons; second, the presence of a "clairvoyant" (a visionary), who has two roles: to understand the vision spiritually and to connect it to things seen or felt; and third, the physical and mental experiences during the vision, such as sleepiness, hallucinations, or dreams.

The content of dream visions often describes the afterlife, ghosts, and supernatural forces, as well as beliefs about the end of the world. These visions may also include real-world issues, such as social or political events, connected to spiritual themes.

Yarkho identifies two types of visions: "one-vertex" visions, which focus on a single idea, and "multi-vertex" (eschatological) visions, which explore broader themes. The structure of the second type can be simple, traditional, or highly organized.

In The Literary Encyclopedia (1929–1939), Rosalia Shor writes: "Until the 12th century, all visions were written in Latin. From the 12th century, some were translated, and by the 13th century, original visions appeared in local languages. The most complete examples of this genre are found in Latin poetry by religious figures, as this style is closely tied to religious writings and church teachings."

The height of the medieval vision genre is considered Dante’s Divine Comedy, which is seen as a detailed vision due to its storytelling and structure.

The deformation of the genre of visions

Over time, the way visions are used in European literature changes naturally. Authors began using visions to share satirical ideas and write about current events in pamphlets. As R. O. Shor explains, since the 10th century, the style and themes of visions caused protests, especially from lower-ranking clergy, such as poor priests and students in the goliard schools. These protests led to visions appearing in cycles. At the same time, visions were adopted by courtly poetry written in common languages. In these works, visions took on new meanings, serving as a framework for stories about love and lessons, such as "Fabliau dou dieu d'amour" (The Story of the God of Love), "Venus la déesse d'amors" (Venus — the Goddess of Love), and the well-known "Roman de la Rose" by Guillaume de Lorris, which became an encyclopedia of courtly love.

Visions in Old Russian literature

The genre of visions was a common type of writing in Old Russian literature. This genre also influenced other types of Old Russian works. For example, Nikolai Prokofiev found that the features of visions appeared in stories, journeys, lives, signs, and many other sources.

Traditional Old Russian visions usually follow this structure: the story begins with a prayer, which comes before physical and mental states that lead to visions. Then, the hero sees otherworldly beings who show the visionary a "revelation" to answer a question. The fear of the person who sees the vision is described, followed by an explanation of the "revelation." Finally, these beings tell the visionary to share what he has seen.

The images in Old Russian visions have two types: they can be characters from Christian mythology, which do not need special meaning, or they can be symbolic or allegorical images of nature (based on Old Russian pagan beliefs). Nikolai Prokofiev studied the origins of visions and linked them to the genre of dreams, which were very common in ancient times.

In Old Russian epic stories, heroes are often gods, and this is usually shown through dreams.

Some researchers believe the vision genre faded from literature after the time of Peter the Great. However, Russian writer Alexander Pigin, in his book "Visions of the Other World in Russian Handwritten Books," found many texts that show the vision genre continued in Russian handwritten works through the 19th and 20th centuries. He also noted that people often do not know about this genre. Pigin explains that the subject of Old Russian visions is "small eschatology," which is the study of the soul's afterlife, and "big eschatology," which is the study of the end of the world.

The subject of visions is "small" (or "private") eschatology because the focus is on the afterlife of an individual.

Pigin explains that visions have roots in ancient beliefs that spirits or forces live in nature. Ideas about the "other world" appear in many cultures.