Varieties of the Fantastic in Fiction

“The Great Awake” by Julia Armfield uses satire to talk about the problem of insomnia, which in this story, has become widespread in cities. The Sleeps, which just separate themselves from their human bodies, are always “tall and slender, but beyond that there were few common traits.” (pg.19) Life has changed for those that have Sleeps, and they are able to accomplish many more things since they do not sleep. There are those like Leonie that long to have their own Sleep but fail and sleep without trouble.

Part of the humor in this story is that while the human is busy with one thing, their Sleep may be in the background doing something else such as fighting with another Sleep or re-arranging books. The Sleeps have their own lives. While some people attempt to kill their Sleeps by throwing them off buildings, others claim that they have fallen in love with their Sleep.

Despite the comicalness of life without sleep being pleasant, there is honesty in the brief mention of the why. “News pundits speculated broadly, blaming it on phones and social media, 24-hour culture, anxiety disorders in the under-18s.” (pg.21). Society has become so reliant and addicted to electronic devices that families, work, school, sleep, and life, in general, have been disrupted. The narrator finally regains her ability to sleep when she relaxes on the sofa with Leonie and awakens, “noting…the old sensation of refreshment…” (pg.43)

What makes this story fantastic is the idea that our sleep in a separate entity from our human bodies and can be separated and live different lives “…one medical journal referred to it as an amputation of sorts, the removal of the sleep-state from the body.” (pg. 21) Another concept in “The Great Awake” that makes this a fantastic story is that not sleeping would become an accepted way of life in which people would schedule things such as job interviews and meetings at odd hours. Of course, those without a Sleep are missing out on all the fun!